Amandine Miquel praised her Leicester side after they prevented Chelsea from becoming the first team to win their opening 10 Women’s Super League games.
David and Goliath analogies are perhaps a little overused, but in the context of injury-hit Leicester hosting the all-conquering Chelsea, the use of the phrase was more than apt. Such was the shock when David took first blood, through the early substitute Missy Goodwin, that Leicester fans did not quite know what to do with themselves, before affording their players a standing ovation at the end of the first half. Wieke Kaptein provided the response to put Chelsea six points clear of Manchester City, before City play Everton on Sunday.
Leicester climbed up to 10th in their final game before the winter break, at least until Sunday.
“If we had lost we would have been disappointed with the point loss, but the performance would still have been there and it would still have been positive,” said Miquel.
“Points are what worries everyone in the industry, but my job is to make a group of players become warriors and it’s taking time, but we’re going to get there.”
The home team had recorded just one win and two draws, while in 14 games in all competitions Chelsea had scored 47 goals. Leicester had two league goals in total, a damaging injury list of forwards contributing to their bluntness in attack and leaving the midfielder Saori Takarada to lead the line. Jutta Rantala, the scorer of their first goal of the season, is a long-term absentee with a knee injury, while Lena Petermann is still out having picked up a knee injury in preseason and Noémie Mouchon ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in training in October. The 19-year-old winger Shana Chossenotte and the left-back CJ Bott were also not fit for the match-day squad.
The strain on the frontline was added to inside seven minutes when a heavy challenge from Lucy Bronze forced Deanne Rose off, with her replacement, Goodwin, entering the fray after Leicester had played for four minutes down to 10.
Despite expectations, the champions looked a little disjointed from the outset. They dominated, with more than two-thirds of possession, amassing 28 shots to Leicester’s two and managing 81 touches in the penalty area to Leicester’s nine, but the home team took the lead and did so in style.
It was a beautifully worked goal, from back to front. Hannah Cain’s neat pass to Asmita Ale caught out Bronze and Nathalie Björn and the cross was met at the far post by Goodwin, who took a touch before firing into the far corner.
It was the first time Chelsea have conceded first in the league this season and the first time they had been behind in a game at any stage, the substitute’s strike providing a new test for the league leaders.
“You could see the body language. Everyone is frustrated,” said Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea manager. “Sometimes the other team plays a really good game and you need to give them credit. I give credit to Leicester because they were strong defensively.
“It was mentally tough. We have more talent than we showed and we should be able to beat this team today. If you have ambitions to finish at the top of the table then you cannot drop points like we did.”
The tension among the visiting fans was palpable as the clock ticked on but the resilience of Leicester was broken in the 77th minute, Kaptein brushing off pressure from Ruby Mace to skate to the edge of the area and lash in.
Bompastor said: “It’s always easy when you win. When you tie or lose the game, it’s also important to stay together.”
Chelsea’s first false step will grab attention, but it is the promise of Leicester, who were organised and well-structured, that most deserves it.
“It’s a collective sport and the only thing that makes a difference when you have less money and less quality, is the mentality,” said Miquel. “If we can help the players understand that this type of mentality is needed for every game then we’ll climb up the table easily.”
