Matildas skipper Sam Kerr has returned to Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow home at the end of her dramatic week to watch the Women’s Super League champions take another crucial step towards the title with a vital late, late 2-1 win over Everton.
Kerr, who was acquitted of racially aggravated harassment on Tuesday following a high-profile court case in London, has since been given a resounding vote of support and confidence from the club.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said that Kerr wouldn’t be disciplined by the club as her post-hearing apology had been “enough”.
After also returning to training, Kerr, who is still not fit enough to earn a place in the squad as she continues her long recuperation from an ACL injury, took her place among the crowd to watch Chelsea make hard work of the victory that puts them seven points clear at the top as they seek a sixth straight title.
It was the sort of afternoon when Kerr’s goal-scoring nous would have been welcome for the wasteful Blues as they laboured and fell behind to a Kelly Gago goal for Everton, without injured Matilda Clare Wheeler.
But Colombian star Mayra Ramirez levelled in the 62nd minute before Chelsea, striving desperately for the three points after sub Aggie Beever-Jones’s header hit the bar, eventually prevailed three minutes into stoppage time as England star Lauren James struck the winner.
It left still-unbeaten Chelsea on 40 points, with Manchester United, who beat bottom club Crystal Palace 3-1, on 33 points and Arsenal on 30 after hammering old foes Tottenham 5-0.
It proved a remarkable north London derby for the six Matildas in action, with the Arsenal trio of Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley all enjoying the bragging rights as their side could have embarrassed woeful Spurs even further.
For Spurs’ Australia central defender Clare Hunt it proved the most miserable of days, as she scored an own goal, deflected another strike past her luckless goalie and got booked for fouling Arsenal striker Alessia Russo, who was giving her the run-around.
Hunt’s wretched afternoon began after 15 minutes when Spurs tried to play their way out from the back only to lose possession when a poor ball out to Hayley Raso ended up with the Aussie winger slipping over, allowing Arsenal to repossess.
Cooney-Cross took advantage with a lovely cross as Russo got ahead of Hunt, with her glancing header coming off the defender’s hip and into the net.
Foord enjoyed roaming free and set up goals after the break for Frida Maanum, whose strike also owed much to a big deflection off the hapless Hunt, and Russo.
Mariona Caldentey had fired home Arsenal’s second when her first shot rebounded back off Hunt and into her path again, while Emily Fox netted Arsenal’s fifth with a booming shot in the 90th minute.
AAP
