Yahoo News Emma Hayes disappointed despite Chelsea Women's huge Champions League win over Barcelona
Chelsea Women's boss Emma Hayes has admitted her disappointment that her team couldn't secure a second goal against Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final first-leg victory on Saturday. She highlighted the slim margins at play when facing the current champions.
Captain Erin Cuthbert's strike in the first half gave the Blues a crucial 1-0 lead as they prepare to return to west London for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next weekend. It took Chelsea some time to find their footing in the fiercely contested match between two old rivals, but they managed to deliver a solid performance and secure a narrow yet deserved win on the road, something the club has historically struggled with.
Saturday's victory marked Barcelona's first competitive home loss since February 2019 and Chelsea's first win in four attempts.
In her pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game, Hayes insisted there was no room for talk of fairytales as her team continues their quest for their first-ever European silverware, the only trophy that has eluded Hayes during her successful tenure at Chelsea.
The manager, who is set to move to the USA, maintained a similarly measured and focused stance after her team's narrow 1-0 win in Spain, emphasising just how fragile the advantage is when facing a European powerhouse like Barcelona.
"It's just half-time," Hayes remarked to DAZN after the match. "Nobody should get carried away with that and to be honest I'm disappointed we didn't get the second goal. It's a difficult place to come, they carried out the game plan I asked them to do so from that perspective I'm happy.
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"A lot of teams come here and go 1-0 or 2-0 down early on and you have to ride that. They have unbelievable players that are world-class in everything they do but for the most part we limited them."
Barcelona could hardly muster a decent attack, finally forcing Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton into action in the second half's injury time. Chelsea's 3-5-2 formation effectively neutralized Barcelona's midfield stars Aitana Bonmati, Keira Walsh, and Patricia Guijarro. Mayra Ramirez's tenacity up front played a vital role in Emma Cuthbert's opening goal.
Jess Carter and Kadeisha Buchanan turned in impressive defensive performances, particularly Carter who earned Player of the Match honors with her tireless efforts against Barcelona striker Salma Paralluelo. However, Chelsea couldn't capitalise on their opportunities, with Ramirez coming close twice but failing to convert.
"I think I know how to come away from home and get a result," added Hayes. "We've been on the end of a few of those ourselves, you just have to stay in the game, especially coming to a place like Camp Nou where they have so much quality in the team.
"We have not performed against Barcelona at home. We have under-performed when we played at home. Barcelona have another level in them and I think that's clear. Maybe they don't feel they were at their best today and we have to anticipate that."
On a late VAR call that saw a Barcelona penalty overturned for an offside, Hayes commented: "For the first time ever we've had a VAR decision that's gone in our favour. You do need a little bit of luck. She [Salma Paralluelo] is offside and she's interfering. That's the rules."
Chelsea's next Champions League fixture sees them again facing Barcelona, this time in London at 5:30pm next Saturday.
