The Lionesses winger was electric all night as Sonia Bompastor's side kept their quadruple dream alive with the perfect response to a first leg defeat
Until this week, it had been seven years since a team had come back from a two-goal deficit in a Women's Champions League knockout tie. Then, just 24 hours after Arsenal snapped that run by thrashing Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium to seal their place in this year's semi-finals, Chelsea followed suit at Stamford Bridge, bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City last week with a ruthless 3-0 victory that keeps their quadruple dreams firmly alive. Like London buses, as they say.
Unlike the Gunners' triumph, though, there was little jeopardy in this comeback. Whereas it took until the second half at the Emirates on Wednesday night for a goal to come, Chelsea bagged all three of theirs before the interval. Sandy Baltimore kickstarted things with a sumptuous strike after just 14 minutes and from there, the Blues had all the momentum. Hannah Hampton was forced into a couple of strong saves in the first period but most of the action was down the other end, as Nathalie Bjorn hit the post with one header and saw Vivianne Miedema clear another off the line, before she looped one over the Dutchwoman to level the tie up.
It was fitting that it was Lauren James, electric all night, who created the goal that made the difference in the end. Alert to a loose pass from Leila Ouahabi, the winger pounced in a flash, drove down the right and cut the ball back from the onrushing Mayra Ramirez, whose wastefulness stood out when Chelsea lost the first leg of this tie. She made no mistake on this occasion, though, picking out the far bottom corner to send the Blues into the semi-finals of the Champions League again, where they will face the side who crushed their dreams at that stage last year: Barcelona.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
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Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Made several strong saves to deny City on the counter, including a particularly impressive one to thwart Fowler in the first half.
Lucy Bronze (6/10):
A little loose in possession at times but generally supported the attack well and kept City's attack quiet.
Nathalie Bjorn (8/10):
Was a constant threat from set pieces, with her unlucky not to score twice before she eventually did.
Millie Bright (7/10):
Was impressively dominant in the latter stages of the game in particular, to help Chelsea see the result out.
Sandy Baltimore (8/10):
Delivered dangerous set pieces and scored a wonderful goal to kickstart the Chelsea comeback. Dealt relatively well with Kerolin, too.
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Keira Walsh (6/10):
Tidy on the ball and worked hard off it, without stealing the show.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Covered plenty of ground and got stuck in when needed.
Wieke Kaptein (7/10):
Kept the ball well, made great runs off the ball and did plenty of dirty work, too. She's come into some great form in the last few weeks.
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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (7/10):
Direct and positive whenever she got on the ball, often putting City on the back foot. That was especially beneficial in the closing stages. Defended well, too.
Mayra Ramirez (8/10):
Her final product was lacking at times but she always posed problems with her desire to run at the defence and get into dangerous positions. Great finish to put Chelsea in the lead.
Lauren James (9/10):
A thorn in City's side all night. Created plenty of chances and was full of running. It was impossible to get the ball off her at times.
AFPSubs & Manager
Aggie Beever-Jones (N/A):
Replaced Ramirez for the closing stages to inject some fresh energy into the attack after plenty of hard work from the Colombian.
Oriane Jean-Francois (N/A):
A late sub in stoppage time.
Sonia Bompastor (7/10):
Brought Baltimore back in and she dealt with Kerolin much better, after Niamh Charles had struggled to do so when the two met in the league at the weekend. That completed her strongest line-up possible and it got the job done ruthlessly.