Chelsea 3-1 Leicester City Stats: Blues Maintain Title Charge as Substitutes Shine in Crucial WSL Victory

Chelsea maintained their title pursuit with goals from Macario, Beever-Jones and super-sub Cuthbert. Explore the key facts and stats in our comprehensive post-match breakdown.

Match Overview

Final Score: Chelsea 3-1 Leicester City
Date: March 5, 2025
Competition: WSL Round 16
Venue: Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

Chelsea back in business with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City in WSL Round 16, bouncing back from last weekend’s dropped points. Catarina Macario opened the scoring early, and Agnes Beever-Jones doubled the lead shortly after half-time. Leicester pulled one back through Yuka Momiki, but Erin Cuthbert sealed the win with a late goal. The result extends Chelsea’s lead at the top of the WSL table, maintaining their strong form.

Phases of Play Analysis

First Half (1-0)

The opening period saw Chelsea establish control early with 65% possession, culminating in Catarina Macario's 8th-minute strike giving the hosts a deserved lead. Despite their dominance, Chelsea struggled to convert their territorial advantage into clear-cut opportunities, recording just one shot on target from eight attempts. Leicester's organised defensive setup, with Ruby Mace prominent before being substituted due to an injury in the 41st minute, frustrated the hosts. Leicester showed occasional threat on the counter, managing two shots on target from their four attempts.

First Half Stats Breakdown:

• Chelsea: 1 shot on target from 8 attempts (13% conversion)

• Leicester City: 2 shots on target from 4 attempts (50% conversion)

• Chelsea passes: 298 (85% accuracy)

• Leicester City passes: 158 (70% accuracy)

• Chelsea created more danger with 5 corners to Leicester's 1

Second Half (2-1)

The match opened up significantly after the break with both teams showing greater attacking intent. Chelsea's persistence paid off in the 51st minute when Beever-Jones extended their lead with Mayra Ramirez providing the assist. Leicester responded quickly, with Momiki reducing the deficit just four minutes later after good work from Asmita Ale. Chelsea then assumed control again, creating several opportunities before Cuthbert, introduced as a 70th-minute substitute, sealed the victory with a well-taken finish in the 86th minute following Niamh Charles' second assist of the season.

Second Half Stats Breakdown:

• Chelsea: 4 shots on target from 10 attempts (40% accuracy)

• Leicester City: 2 shots on target from 4 attempts (50% accuracy)

• Chelsea passes: 278 (83% accuracy)

• Leicester City passes: 141 (70% accuracy)

• Chelsea created 1 big chance with 66% possession

Tactical Analysis

Chelsea's Approach

Chelsea deployed their customary 4-2-3-1 formation under manager Sonia Bompastor, focusing on controlled possession and positional play. Their tactical approach included:

1. Dominant ball retention: 84% pass accuracy with 576 total passes

2. Wing play: Utilising Beever-Jones and Rytting Kaneryd to create width with 43 touches in the opposition box

3. Quick transitions: Exploiting Leicester's defensive lapses with precise forward passing

4. Key half-time adjustments: Introducing Ashley Lawrence and Wieke Kaptein for Nathalie Björn and Catarina Macario

5. High press: Restricting Leicester to just 35% possession throughout the match

Leicester City's Approach

Leicester City lined up in a matching 4-2-3-1 formation under Amandine Miquel, focusing on defensive resilience and counter-attacking opportunities. Their tactical plan consisted of:

1. Compact defensive block: 29 clearances and 9 interceptions disrupting Chelsea's attacking rhythm

2. Direct build-up: 55% accuracy on long balls, bypassing Chelsea's press

3. Transitional threat: Creating 4 shots on target from just 8 total attempts

4. Adaptive approach: Making 5 substitutions to counter Chelsea's dominance

5. Set-piece defence: Successfully limiting Chelsea's effectiveness from 6 corners

Individual Performances

Key Performers - Chelsea

Niamh Charles (8.3 rating) - Player of the Match

• 1 assist

• 2 chances created

• 48/56 passes completed (86%)

• 2/2 tackles won (100%)

• 12 recoveries

• 5 duels won (71%)

Catarina Macario (8.0 rating)

• 1 goal

• 1 chance created

• 31/38 passes completed (82%)

• 1/2 successful dribbles (50%)

• 2/3 tackles won (67%)

• 7 passes into final third

Agnes Beever-Jones (7.9 rating)

• 1 goal

• 1 chance created

• 27/36 passes completed (75%)

• 1/5 successful dribbles (20%)

• 4/4 tackles won (100%)

• 7 recoveries

Mayra Ramirez (7.8 rating)

• 1 assist

• 2 chances created

• 1/5 shots on target (20%)

• 18/22 passes completed (82%)

• 5 duels won (38%)

• 9 touches in opposition box

Key Performers - Leicester City

Yuka Momiki (7.7 rating)

• 1 goal

• 1 chance created

• 1/1 shots on target (100%)

• 16/27 passes completed (59%)

• 8 duels won (73%)

• Most fouled player (3 times)

Asmita Ale (7.5 rating)

• 1 assist

• 1 chance created

• 28/41 passes completed (68%)

• 5/11 tackles won (45%)

• 13 duels won (76%)

• Match-high 12 passes into final third

Ruby Mace (7.1 rating)

• 8/13 passes completed (62%)

• 3/4 tackles won (75%)

• 3 interceptions

• 4 duels won (67%)

• 2 clearances

• Yellow card in 7th minute

Janina Leitzig (5.2 rating)

• 2 saves (40% save percentage)

• 3 goals conceded

• 20/22 passes completed (91%)

• 8/10 accurate long balls (80%)

• 8 recoveries

• 2 saves inside box

Momentum Analysis

1. Minutes 6-12: Strong Chelsea momentum (+76%) with early pressure leading to Macario's goal

2. Minutes 18-21: Leicester momentum surge (-33%) following the early setback

3. Minutes 27-30: Peak Chelsea dominance (+100%) as they created multiple chances

4. Minutes 51-53: Chelsea's momentum surge (+76%) building toward Beever-Jones' goal

5. Minutes 55-58: Decisive Leicester period (-100%) culminating in Momiki's goal

6. Minutes 62-67: Chelsea's response (+100%) reasserting control

7. Minutes 84-86: Final Chelsea surge (+49%) leading to Cuthbert's clinching goal

Substitution Impact

Chelsea's substitutions:

• Nathalie Björn → Ashley Lawrence (57'): Rating difference -0.14, maintained defensive solidity

• Catarina Macario → Wieke Kaptein (57'): Rating difference -1.69, fresh legs in midfield

• Oriane Jean-Francois → Erin Cuthbert (70'): Rating difference +0.37, game-changing impact with goal

• Johanna Rytting Kaneryd → Sjoeke Nüsken (85'): Minimal impact with limited time

Leicester City's substitutions:

• Ruby Mace → Saori Takarada (41'): Rating difference -0.9, struggled to maintain midfield control

• Shannon O'Brien → Deanne Rose (66'): Rating difference -0.43, limited offensive contribution

• Missy Goodwin → Nelly Las (66'): Rating difference -0.73, unable to influence attacking momentum

• Hannah Cain → Shana Chossenotte (81'): Minimal impact with limited time

• Janice Cayman → Samantha Tierney (81'): Minimal impact with limited time

Set Piece Analysis

Set pieces played a minimal role in both teams' attacking threat:

• Corners: Chelsea 6, Leicester City 1

• Accurate crosses: Chelsea 4/16 (25%), Leicester City 2/10 (20%)

• Chelsea created several opportunities from set pieces, utilising Macario's delivery (5 corners taken)

• Leicester defended resolutely from set-piece situations

Key Match Insights

1. Defensive Resilience: Despite Leicester's organised defence (29 clearances), Chelsea's attacking quality ultimately prevailed

2. Tactical Adaptability: Chelsea's substitutes made decisive contributions, with Cuthbert scoring just 16 minutes after coming on

3. Technical Quality Gap: Chelsea's pass accuracy (84% vs 70%) highlighted their technical advantage

4. Influential Wide Play: Niamh Charles' standout performance underlined Chelsea's threat from wide areas

5. Momentum Management: Chelsea's ability to respond decisively after conceding demonstrated their championship mentality

Conclusion

Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Leicester City was a testament to their superior quality and tactical cohesion. Despite Leicester's disciplined defensive display and opportunistic goal, Chelsea's ability to control possession and create quality chances ultimately proved decisive.

The match highlighted several key factors that influenced the outcome:

1. Chelsea's superior technical execution, evidenced by their significant advantage in possession and passing statistics

2. The impact of Chelsea's well-timed substitutions, particularly Erin Cuthbert's introduction

3. Leicester's resilience in defensive situations but inability to sustain attacking momentum

4. Chelsea's patience and persistence in breaking down a well-organised Leicester defensive unit

This result keeps Chelsea firmly in control of the the WSL title race, while Leicester will take some positives from their performance against one of the league's elite teams, particularly their clinical finishing with 50% of shots finding the target.