Chelsea’s 31-match unbeaten streak across all competitions came to a halt on Wednesday with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg, marking their first loss under manager Sonia Bompastor after 28 games.
The result at City’s Joie Stadium also denied Chelsea the chance to set a new Women’s Super League (WSL) record for the longest unbeaten run. Defender Lucy Bronze, a five-time Champions League winner with Lyon and Barcelona, conceded the Blues were “miles off” their usual standards, citing a lackluster press and sloppy passing.
“We didn’t have enough effort in our press. We were really sloppy on our passing,” said Bronze, who previously played for City. “Sonia [Bompastor] said at half-time we were miles off our game. It improved a little in the second half, but that’s when they scored.”
The defeat followed Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over City in Saturday’s Women’s League Cup final, the first of four consecutive clashes between the rivals. The teams meet again in the WSL on Sunday before the Champions League return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 27.
Bompastor, who took charge in 2023, will demand an immediate response as Chelsea aim to keep their European title hopes alive. The club has openly targeted Champions League glory after falling short in recent campaigns.
Despite the setback, Bronze emphasized perspective: “That’s football—you have ups and downs. We’ve had a fantastic first half of the season. Everyone raises their game against Chelsea now, wanting to be the first to beat us. Today it happened. We just have to regroup and improve for the weekend.”
Chelsea’s last defeat before Wednesday dated to May 2023, a 4-3 WSL loss to Liverpool. Their focus now shifts to overturning the deficit in Europe and maintaining their WSL title bid.
Chelsea’s Unbeaten Run Ends as Bronze Admits Team Were “Miles Off” in Champions League Defeat
