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Ladies report: Liverpool 2 Chelsea 3

- May 21, 2018
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Eniola Aluko's neat finish and a stunning brace from Ji So-Yun helped the newly crowned WSL1 champions overturn a two-goal deficit to finish the league campaign unbeaten.
It wasn't looking good for the Blues as we slipped behind inside 20 seconds after Jess Clarke prodded Liverpool in front, and their lead was doubled soon after by a fine finish from Niamh Charles.
As the game entered the final 20 minutes we were handed a lifeline by Eniola Aluko, who marked her final appearance for the club with a clinical strike that took our tally for the season to 100 goals in all competitions. But then it was all about the little South Korean magician Ji, who volleyed home a sensational leveller and then curled in a wonderful left-footed finish to give us a victory which means we have avoided defeat in all 18 WSL1 matches this term. As the fans were singing in the Prenton Park stands: 'That's why we're champions!'
It was also the perfect way for Aluko, Katie Chapman and Claire Rafferty to bow out for the Blues as all three made their final appearances for the club.
There were seven changes made to the team which clinched the WSL1 title in midweek, with assistant manager Paul Green once again taking charge on matchday after Emma Hayes gave birth to a baby boy on Thursday. Carly Telford came in for Hedvig Lindahl in goal, with Maria Thorisdottir and Magda Eriksson returning to the back three alongside Millie Bright. Gemma Davison and Rafferty came in to play at wing-back either side of Maren Mjelde and Chapman, while the attack was freshened up by the addition of Erin Cuthbert and Aluko alongside Fran Kirby.
It was not the start to the match they envisioned, however, as Liverpool went ahead in the opening minute. The Blues gave the ball away from the kick-off and the Reds took full advantage as Thorsidottir failed to cut-out a cross from Caroline Weir and Clarke prodded the ball home.
We responded well to the early setback, immediately going on to the front foot and creating two decent openings. The first fell to Mjelde, who was involved in the build-up along with Kirby and Aluko. The latter laid the ball off into the path of the Norwegian on the edge of the box, but she couldn't keep her shot down. Then it was Cuthbert showing neat feet to fashion a yard of space – this time her effort was dragged wide of the target.
With only eight minutes on the clock we found ourselves trailing by two and once again it was a failure to deal with a cross from the left which proved our undoing. Alex Greenwood's first-time cross on the volley was straight at Bright but her attempted clearance fell to Charles, who fired past Telford to double Liverpool's lead.
Once again the Blues looked to hit back right away, with Davison's dangerous cross for Chapman flicked away from the skipper as she was poised to head us back into the contest, and then Bright headed the resulting corner off target.
With half-time looming another great chance came our way, courtesy of the best move of the first half. Aluko was the instigator, sliding a delightful reverse ball through for Kirby and she fizzed a low cross straight across the six-yard box. The ball was perfect, begging for a touch to send it into the back of the net, but it evaded everyone and Liverpool maintained their two-goal lead going into the interval.
Green wasted no time at all to change things up in the second half, introducing Ji in place of Davison and changing the shape as we moved to a 4-4-2, and it almost paid immediate dividends as another teasing ball from Kirby went through the six-yard box without a blue shirt applying the finishing touch.
A second substitution followed and this one brought down the curtain on Rafferty's Chelsea Ladies career after 11 eventful years at the club. There were plenty of hugs and high fives for Raff as she made her way to the bench and Jonna Andersson came on in her place.
The Blues continued to look the more likely side to score the next goal, dominating possession in the attacking third, but Liverpool's threat on the counter was evident as Greenwood broke clear and it required a fine last-ditch intervention by Thorisdottir to prevent her a shot on goal.
That touch began to look even more crucial when we got back into the contest with our very next attack. A ball over the top gave Aluko a sniff of goal and she showed real strength to hold off one challenge before sliding home a tidy finish. It was her 68th goal for the club and a milestone for the season as it took our overall tally for the campaign to 100.
The Blues didn't have to wait long to level things up and it was an absolute screamer to get us back to 2-2. The Reds failed to adequately clear a cross from Aluko and there was Ji to smash a rocket of a volley past Chamberlain; a Goal of the Season contender for sure and a strike worthy of maintaining our unbeaten WSL1 campaign.
The South Korean wasn't finished there, either. There was plenty of work to be done when she received a pass from Kirby inside the box, but she cut back onto her left foot and curled home a sumptuous finish to leave Chamberlain grasping at thin air.
The comeback was complete, bringing to an end to an incredible season for Chelsea Ladies, which has seen the Blues win the WSL1 and Women's FA Cup Double for the second time since 2015, as well as reaching the last four of the Women's Champions League for the first time in our history.
Liverpool Chamberlain, Murray, Bonner (c), Turner (Johnson 76), Harris, Ingle, Longhurst, Weir, Greenwood, Charles (Coombs 68), Clarke
Unused subs Flaherty, Rodgers, Babajide
Scorers Clarke 1, Charles 8
Chelsea (3-4-3) Telford; Bright, Thorisdottir, Eriksson; Davison (Ji 51), Chapman (c), Mjelde, Rafferty (Andersson 59); Cuthbert, Aluko, Kirby
Unused subs Lindhal, Blundell, Bachmann, Spence
Scorers Aluko 70, Ji 80, 83
Crowd 442
Referee Matt Donohue
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