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Football England > Women's football match reports > Everton Ladies 1 Chelsea 2

Sunday November 5, 2006; League Cup Quarter Final

Everton Ladies 1 Chelsea Ladies 2

Everton: R.Brown, B.Easton, K.McDougall, L.Duffy, E.Westwood, L.Johnson, A.Kane, J.Scott, J.Handley, F.Williams, N.Harding (H.Newman 78).

Chelsea: C.Collie, E.Delves, S.Perry, L.Cooper, K.Loizou, K.Davies, M.Howell (K.Owen 61), N.de la Salle, J.Clarke, E.White, D.Susi.

Match Report : You've got to be careful when you venture out to a womens' football game. Fixture lists cannot be relied upon weeks in advance and kick off times do tend to vary.

Having bargained for a normal 2pm start for this fixture I arrived at the ground to find it had kicked off at one and with half an hour played Chelsea Ladies were already sitting on a 2-0 lead thanks to Ellen White and Jodian Clarke.

My apologies to any Chelsea fans who are therfore deprived a description of the exploits of White, Clarke and Dunia Susi in establishing this lead and there was precious little to be seen of the trio after my arrival.

I do, however, have plenty of heroic defending to relate.

Having actually got to the ground I found a Chelsea player flat out in the Everton penalty area receiving treatment and the referee already barking out warnings about supposed timewasting by the visitors.

This would be a fairly appropriate introduction to the action.

The action was frantic with Everton trying to get back in the game and applying most of the pressure but the unease of their defence, missing Unitt and Whelan, was evident whenever a ball was sent forward towards the Chelsea front runners.

Fara Williams played an incisive ball through the heart of the Chelsea defence to release Jody Handley but she could only drag her shot disappointingly wide of the near post.

At this stage the Chelsea forwards were eager chasers of any kind of through ball and there was little cohesion in the Everton attempts to keep them at bay although both Lindsay Johnson and Emily Westwood were able to scramble dangerous situations to safety at full stretch.

In the main, however, the play was focussed on the Chelsea penalty area and Everton got the boost they needed shortly before half time when a quick attack down the right culminated in Handley's low, driven cross being met at speed by Williams whose instant shot scorched into the top corner before Caroline Collie could think about reacting.

This was a quality goal that set up the second half perfectly.

Half Time: Everton Ladies 1 Chelsea Ladies 2

It was evident even from the little I had seen that the officials were struggling to maintain control of a feisty encounter.

Jody Handley left the field at half time in earnest discussion with the referee but it would be Chelsea who had continual cause for grievance throughout a second half that simmered just below boiling point.

Everton came out very definitely on the front foot and with Chelsea apparently happy to sit back and defend their lead they were soon applying tremendous pressure on the visitors goal.

Despite consistently switching the positions of their three forwards the Chelsea attack was now giving the impression that they felt their work was already done and it was down to those behind them to see out the game.

Jody Handley served notice of her intent with a strong run down the right straight after half time before sending over a vicious centre which was only half cleared to Fara Williams.

On this occasion, however, Williams could not get hold of her volleyed effort and Collie was not troubled in the Chelsea goal.

Handley was the focal point for everything Everton did and was a source of continual danger whether raiding through the middle or out wide.

While she received decent support from Williams breaking forward from midfield the efforts of Everton's two other attackers, Amy Kane and Nicky Harding, proved insignificant and meant that although the Chelsea defence seemed at breaking point for a good twenty minutes after half time it was always able to just about survive.

A punt straight down the middle was encouragement enough for Handley to go tearing forward again and although her barging challenge on Kylie Davies inside the box looked suspicious the referee saw nothing amiss and with the ball rolling free for Kane Everton had a great chance to pull level.

Somehow Kane was unable to place her shot through the debris of the Chelsea defence and the ball rebounded behind for a corner.

This would not be the last time a defensive block kept the Chelsea goal intact and was only the first in a succession of Everton corners.

With Handley driving over tremendous centres from these set pieces an equalising goal began to seem inevitable.

One way or another Chelsea's defenders always managed to get something in the way of all Everton's efforts and when the ball was within reach Collie showed superb handling under pressure.

Most of the Everton attacking play was focussed on the right wing where Handley operates most naturally and a sweeping move also involving Leanne Duffy and Williams saw Handley drill over another testing ball to the near post which lobbed just wide of the near post.

It was difficult to see who had got the final touch but on this occasion the ref pointed for a goal kick so we must assume it was another missed chance.

Duffy sent Handley careering through the middle again only for Kyp Loizou to make a wonderfully brave block as the striker unleashed her shot.

This led to yet another corner which was knocked back into the mixer after being partially cleared and dropped straight onto Harding's head unmarked in the centre. There was little pace on the ball, however, and Harding was unable to generate any of her own as she sent a weak header lobbing into Collie's grateful arms.

Handley was rampant at this stage and when she won another corner an Everton head sent the ball goalwards only for Laura Cooper to pop up underneath her own bar to head clear.

Within moments Handley raced down the right to win another corner from which Westwood sent a strong header beyond Collie but once again Cooper was in position to head off the line.

Jill Scott was the next to send over a dangerous ball which Collie was just able to tip behind ahead of the onrushing Harding for a corner from the left hand side.

Handley went across to take this one as well and her vicious inswinger had goal written all over it as it sailed over Collie towards the far corner but this time Sophie Perry leapt high to head the ball to safety.

Perry had borne the brunt of Handley's assault but had stood up to the test admirably and would grow in stature as the half wore on.

All of a sudden Chelsea remembered that they were allowed to attack and a quick break saw them with a three on two situation but with Ellen White the player over on the left hand side the ball was carried down the centre by Clarke and the chance fizzled out.

The increasing irascibility of the referee over what he saw as gamesmanship by Chelsea demonstated itself in a booking for Mikaela Howell.

Everton were awarded a free kick which Williams took instantly with Howell stood in front of her. The ball did not strike Howell and play was allowed to continue as Everton mounted an attack.

When the move petered out and the ball went dead the referee went back to book Howell for not retreating. How a player is supposed to instantly retreat ten yards is anyones guess.

Perhaps Mr.Goodwin-Davy could write in with the answer.

The official had certainly convinced himself that Chelsea were seeking to waste time at every opportunity but aside from a couple of free kicks by Emma Delves there did not seem to be anything unduly tardy about the visitors approach to me.

It always annoys me that referees are perfectly happy for players to take a bit of time over free kicks and throw ins when the game is level but when one side gets in front, particularly away from home, they are supposed to start rushing everything they do.

If players are allowed to take ten seconds over a throw in in the first minute then surely they can take just as long in the last.

By the end the referee had become truly obsessed about possible time wasting by the visitors.

Back to the action and Howell was immediately substituted following her caution to be replaced by Katie Owen. This was something of a surprise as Howell had been battling hard in the midfield and keeping three attackers on now seemed pointless but the move worked well as Owen got to grips with the midfield battle immediately and helped the visitors draw some of the sting from the Everton onslaught.

Chelsea were next to threaten when a completely botched overhead attempt by Clarke landed nicely for the advancing Dunia Susi but her fierce drive from the angle flew into Rachel Brown's side netting.

Everton were again allowed to get away with a dubious challenge when Scott charged into Collie in pursuit of Becky Easton's through ball but when the loose ball was turned goalwards Loizou was back to clear off the line.

Everton's pressure remained but openings were becoming harder to find as the Chelsea back four battled for every ball and Owen, Cooper and de la Salle began to shade the midfield exchanges.

De la Salle produced a superb pass to set White through on Brown and the forward, Chelsea's most committed second half attacker, got to the ball just ahead of Brown who sent White flying just outside the box.

Incredibly the referee saw nothing amiss about the challenge probably judging that White would not have got to the loose ball before the covering defenders.

What does that matter when the keeper flattens the forward outside the box?

Chelsea again made a mess of releasing White when they broke at the stretched Everton defence and Owen moved too soon and was caught offside as the visitors found themselves with another chance to settle the tie.

Everton's attempts were becoming more hopeful with Handley sending a weak effort straight at Collie from the edge of the area and Williams shooting wide from 20 yards.

Becky Easton was shown the yellow card for taking out Susi from behind and then Jodian Clarke joined her in the book for her foul mouthed response to the referees' refusal to give handball against Westwood on the edge of the area.

Again Chelsea had every right to feel hard done by but Clarke could hardly complain about her booking having spent most of the second half effing and blinding. Technically she could have been sent off.

Everton's challenge seemed almost spent but as the game entered injury time they piled forward in search of the equaliser and their efforts increased as the referee allowed play to go on and on and on.

Williams sent a fine effort just past the angle after a neat turn on the edge of the box and then the England midfielder looked to play in Handley with a dangerous pass but Perry was alert to the danger and mopped up well before the forward could strike.

Next came the most ridiculous incident of all. The referee punished Collie for taking too long over a clearance by giving Everton an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.

Six seconds? It seemed more like three to me and when the decision was given the Chelsea keeper was still surrounded by Everton players.

No keeper on earth can be expected to clear their lines while they have a penalty area full of opponents.

This fact was highlighted by the fact that two Everton players immediately grabbed the ball from the keeper and knocked it into the empty net.

Fortunately Mr.Goodwin-Davy was not about to let that stand and Chelsea were allowed to organise a wall to face this latest danger.

The ball was tapped for Fara Williams who lashed a vicious drive straight for the far corner only for Nicky de la Salle to launch herself headlong and clear.

She needed treatment for her effort but this had been a magnificent intervention. It would have been a fine save for a keeper to have made, as headers go it was truly astonishing.

Jody Handley still had time to force one last corner but when Holly Newman headed it over at the near post Chelsea were finally allowed to celebrate a long and hard earned victory.

Whether Mr.Goodwin-Davy then made the draw for the semi finals and pulled Chelsea out of the hat to play at Arsenal is not clear but you never know.

Full Time: Everton Ladies 1 Chelsea Ladies 2