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74 min Grant goes down so takes treatment; Villa will welcome the breather.
73 min Baltimore is now playing on the left wing, with James on the right and Charles at left-back. Villa are struggling to get out now.
73 min Change for Chelsea, the returning Niamh Charles replacing Thompson, who played well in the first half but less so in the second.
72 min The splendidly-named Oona Siren has just scored an absolute banger, volleying in from the edge of the box, Paul Scholes-style, to give West Ham an equaliser against London City.
70 min Here, though, comes Thompson again, latching on to a pass in behind and she’s in! But as she looks to round the keeper, Roebuck extends an arm to tip the all away.
69 min Baltimore brings a lovely balance and she chops on to her left foot, totally fooling Grant, then crosses, and Kerr ducks underneath it, but Thompson can’t convert.
68 min Villa send on Hijikata, just returned from Japan’s victorious Asia Cup campaign, for Taylor.
67 min Again, Carpenter crosses from the right, Kerr leaping into a challenge as she looks to turn inside the near post … but she cannot.
66 min Villa are looking to take the sting out of things now, a point within their grasp.
65 min Chelsea have moved the ball pretty well today but, in the second half haven’t really looked like scoring. Carpenter, though, goes down the right, crosses … and Villa clear.
63 min Baltimore has given Chelsea a bit of attacking impetus, but a misplaced pass allows Villa to move forward and find Hanson, 20 yards out, near the right corner of the box, Wilms’ run taking a defender away. So Hanson has a look, then unfurls a gorgeous curler that looks headed for the top corner … only to clatter the angle! What an effort that was; what a player this is!
61 min Chelsea win a corner which Taylor clears and, as time elapses, Manchester United and Arsenal, their rivals for a Champions League spot, will be paying close attention.
59 min Chelsea are dominating now and Hanson, having been buffeted all afternoon, looks like she’s slowed down. But Villa remain a threat on the counter.
56 min Baltimore has gone to left-back and, as I type, she plays a low pass into the box which Kerr reaches ahead of Roebuck – though I don’t think it was for her – nicking it away and wearing the inevitable out-cleaning. That’s got to be a penalty … but no, the flag goes up for offside.
55 min Bronze leaves one on Hanson, a body to the midriff and perhaps the only time she’s got close to her all afternoon.
54 min Changes for Chelsea: Cuthbert for Girma and Baltimore for Kaptein.
53 min James finds Nusken then gets on her bike, racing down the left to receive the return, but her clipped low cross is cleared. Chelsea need to get her on the ball at every opportunity, because Villa can’t handle her.
51 min Buurman diddles Wilms once then twice – it’s almost cruel, the defender left scrabbling about on the grass – but her cut-back goes astray and Villa clear.
50 min Bronze heads away at the near post and, on the edge, Taylor misses her shot, then Wilms, who bagged three first-half assists, curls in a cross that has Hampton scrambling, the ball drifting past the far post, just.
49 min I’m not sure I’d want her at centre-forward, but would love to see what she can do as an attacking midfielder – her ability to beat players in the middle of the pitch and shoot from distance is an outrage. Meantime, though, Villa win a corner which Hampton punches behind for another, from under the bar.
48 min Again, Chelsea move the ball nicely, and I wonder if, in time, Lauren James will move to a central position – she’s kust too good to be restricted to the flank.
46 min This is the first time both sides have scored thrice in the first half of a WSL match; if Chelsea don’t win today, their almost non-existent chances of retaining their title will be mathematically over.
46 min We go again…
Half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Chelsea 3-3 Aston Villa
A fantastic half, Villa starting well and coming back well, with Chelsea dominating in between times. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
45+2 min Again, James hoves across the face of the box from left to centre, leathering a shot that Deslandes wears in the midriff before folding; it looks evil. She won’t mind, though, because without her intervention, that was 4-3.
45 min We’ll enjoy three additional minutes. This has been – and still is – one of the funnest halves I’ve seen this season.
44 min Pre-match, I wondered if Villa might get some joy out of Buurman, but it’s actually Bronze who’s been caught for two of their goals. She’s struggling with Hansen’s pace and movement – something she has in common with many WSL defenders.
43 min Since Villa’s second goal, Chelsea haven’t been able to take back the total control they had prior to it. I sense that, at half-time, Bompastor will be sharing some sentiments with them.
42 min Chelsea win a corner and Nusken returns; James sends another nasty delivery flat and into the middle, but Nusken can’t get the connection she’s after.
40 min Nusken treads on the ball and goes down, but is soon up and limping off; I think she’ll be OK to continue. That second Chelsea goal, by the way, is Girma’s first in the WSL; no wonder she was so eager to claim it.
38 min This game could finish with almost any score, and Arsenal will be watching it with interest. On the one hand, they’ll know that the way James is playing, their Champions League tie is far from over, but the way Chelsea are defending, they’ll fancy their chances of adding to the three goals they scored last week.
37 min The second Chelsea goal has been credited to Girma; I think that’s the correct call.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-3 Aston Villa (Hanson 35)
OH MY DAYS! Nightswonger does well down the left and when the ball comes into the middle, Wilms, now infield, bumps it off her thigh into Hanson’s path, and the finish is again deadly, swept inside the near post with very little backlift. That’s 12 league goals for the season now, and we might well be watching one of its best games.
35 min Now it’s Villa moving the ball as they seek an equaliser…
33 min You can only credit Villa, who started superbly, spent the next half-hour suffering, then found a way of hauling themselves back into the game. They’ve got some serious speed and precision on the counter – their two opportunities have been crafted and finished with a complete absence of ruth.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-2 Aston Villa (Hanson 32)
Now then! Again, Villa send it wide to Wilms, again her low cross is perfect, and this time, Hanson runs off Bronze to punch home a finish fro close range. What a game this is!
29 min Villa look shellshocked – these Chelsea goals have come far too easily but, on the other hand, pressure takes a toll.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa (James 27)
LAUREN JAMES, THOUGH, WHAT A PLAYER! She collects a big switch and immediately veers infield, away from Hanson before, from 20 yards, dragging a low, fizzing shot inside the near post. She’s enjoying herself, and if that continues, this’ll get messy.
26 min Lauren James, though, what a player. Everything she does looks so natural – I can’t think of many players who combine pace, power, skill, invention and intelligence, though of course her brother is another.
25 min Girma celebrated like she was sure she’d scored, and replays are inconclusive, but I think she imparts a fine glance. Chelsea have responded really well to going behind.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa (Girma 23)
Chelsea hace been playing for this. Again, the corner goes short, James to Thompson, again a return-pass finds the maestro on the corner of the box, and this time, her delivery is poifect, curling in; Roebuck can’t move in case someone gets a touch and though Girma does, even if she hadn’t, the ball would still have gone in.
22 min Elsewhere, London City lead West Ham 1-0; back with our game, Thompson, who’s started the game well, wins Chelsea another corner.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (Kerr 20)
It was coming. A pass into midfield and Nusken, allowed to turn far too easily, slides Kerr in behind. Running from centre to left, Roebuck assumes, with good reason, that the shot is going back across goal, so plants feet ready to dive, and when the effort is directed towards the near post, can’t react quickly enough to keep it out; all she can do is palm into the net.
19 min Chelsea are playing pretty well now; I very much doubt this match ends 0-1. Which isn’t to say Villa won’t win it, just that it’ll probably take another goal, at least.
18 min This time, James stick the corner into the box and Nusken’s up … but her header flashes wide.
17 min Lovely from James, slowing down Wilms then ducking inside, the defender with no option but to fall over. She then feeds Nusken inside her, Roebuck tipping the shot around the post.
