Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the Women’s Super League at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon.
Alyssa Thompson almost scored a brilliant goal for the Blues inside three minutes, but she blasted her effort wide.
Spurs created their first chance in the 13th minute when Cathinka Tandberg’s effort was deflected and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had to be alert to punch away the resulting corner-kick.
The visitors were unable to capitalise on the momentum, allowing Chelsea to continue dominating.
Spurs had goalkeeper Lize Kop to thank for quickly coming off her line to deny Aggie Beever-Jones from giving Chelsea the lead.
Chelsea’s Wieke Kaptein was the next to try her luck for the defending champions, but was denied by a brilliant block.
The hosts finished the first half with 15 shots, but only one was on target, underlining their struggles in the final third.
Thompson cut onto her right foot before firing a shot after the break, but Kop saved her effort.
The Dutch goalkeeper did brilliantly again, coming off her line to smother Aggie Beever-Jones’ effort.
Ellie Carpenter came closest to giving Chelsea the lead after the restart, taking a shot from 25 yards only for her effort to rise over the crossbar.
Sonia Bompastor’s side eventually made the breakthrough in the 61st minute, as Carpenter laid the ball to Keira Walsh to put the ball beyond Kop’s reach.
Hampton nearly gifted an equaliser, smashing a clearance straight into a Spurs player, but Millie Bright tidied up after her.
The victory ended Chelsea’s two-game winless streak and helped them maintain their position at the top of the standings.
