Chelsea can always count on Sam Kerr! Blues snatch late win against stubborn Liverpool to boost WSL title hopes

• Liverpool got off to dream start
• Chelsea grabbed late winner through Kerr
• Now four points behind Man Utd with two games in hand

TELL ME MORE: Emma Hayes' side seemed to suffer the effects of a Camp Nou hangover early on, and the Reds capitalised when Emma Koivisto popped up at the back post to tap home Natasha Dowie's cross. Chelsea responded well to falling behind, though, and grabbed a deserved equaliser when Niamh Charles came back to haunt her former side by nodding in from a corner just before the break.

But the Blues struggled to build from there, a combination of sloppy finishing and heroic defending by the opposition frustrating them for much of the game. Guro Reiten did finally have the ball in the back of the net nine minutes from time, only for the offside flag to go up.

Then came the inevitable: Sam Kerr. She reacted quickest to the rebound when Jessie Fleming's long-range strike cannoned off the bar and finished in typically predatory fashion. The result means that if Chelsea win their remaining five WSL games, they will clinch a fourth successive title.

THE MVP: Football is a cruel game, as 19-year-old Liverpool goalkeeper Faye Kirby can tell you. The Reds shot-stopper's best save came in the first half when she threw herself across goal to prevent Sam Kerr's cute header from nestling in the far corner. She projected confidence onto the rest of her team-mates throughout and will be gutted that her side could not quite hold on for a point.

THE BIG LOSER: Reece James was among those in the crowd at Kingsmeadow this evening and he would have been disappointed to see his sibling hooked for Pernille Harder early in the second half. Lauren James had flashes of excellence before the break but sometimes held onto the ball for too long. Chelsea will be hoping she can raise her game for the final part of the season.

MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Chelsea have back-to-back home games against Everton and Leicester City to contend with as they look to further trim the gap on WSL leaders Manchester United. Meanwhile, Liverpool are next in action against Manchester City on Sunday.

MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐