Magdalena Eriksson’s sublime overhead kick gave Chelsea a 1-0 win against a lacklustre Liverpool side on Sunday.
Eriksson’s moment of magic lit up a game short of clear chances and sent the Blues above their opponents into fourth place in the WSL.
The goal-scorer claimed her first goal of the season gave the home side the points they deserved.
“We gave a really good team performance,” said the Swedish international.
“We played together and everyone fought right until the end, so I’m very pleased.”
Chelsea looked the more dangerous from the start and came close through Drew Spence early on but she saw her low shot cleared off the line by Sophie Bradley-Auckland.
The pressure soon told however and Emma Hayes’s side didn’t have to wait too long for the breakthrough.
On 27 minutes Erin Cuthbert’s corner was headed on by Spence which found Eriksson who was given the time to flick the ball up and launch an overhead kick which gave Fran Kitching no chance in the Liverpool net.
The goal was only Chelsea’s third league goal in seven matches and they should’ve scored more in the second period.
Bethany England had the best of the home side’s chances, but she squandered two gilt-edged opportunities to double the lead.
The first came on 63 minutes when England was picked out in the six-yard box by Joanna Andersson but she couldn’t keep her header down.
The second chance came with 15 minutes to play and it’ll be one for the blooper reel. Another Andersson cross from the left found England sliding in at the far post but somehow and inexplicably she sent it well over the bar from only a few yards out.
Thankfully for England and the Chelsea fans they weren’t left to rue the missed opportunities as Chelsea never really looked in danger of conceding against an uninspired Liverpool attack.
It was their tenth clean sheet of the season in all competitions, and Eriksson insisted that they will build on their defensive stability and try to score more goals at the other end.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article