Barcelona Women 0-1 Chelsea Women: Erin Cuthbert's strike inflicts first Barca home defeat in five years
Chelsea Women stunned Barcelona Women in their Champions League semi-final first leg, with a 1-0 win inflicting a first home defeat in five years on the Spanish side.
Barca had gone unbeaten on home soil since a 3-2 defeat to Sporting de Huelva in February 2019, but came unstuck against a resilient Chelsea side who followed their game plan to perfection.
Emma Hayes' team held their nerve as their Spanish hosts dominated possession from start to finish, and after a shaky opening they grew into the game themselves and offered a threat on the break in both halves.
It was from one such quick counter they scored the goal to give them a first-leg advantage, as Erin Cuthbert curled past Cata Coll after a smart one-two with Melanie Leupolz on the edge of the box.
Chelsea's back three, marshalled by the colossal performance of Jess Carter, remained stoic throughout and were not seriously threatened in open play until Salma Paralluelo fired wide in the dying minutes from Caroline Graham Hansen's excellent cross, before Alexia Putellas did likewise with the last kick of the game.
The hosts were initially awarded a penalty midway through the second period for a handball by Kadeisha Buchanan, but a VAR review showed Paralluelo, who was stood just behind the Chelsea defender, was offside and interfering with play.
That reprieve and those two late misses gave Chelsea a stunning lead to take back to Stamford Bridge next Saturday, with the hope of finally beating Spain's best side within their grasp.
Chelsea have had their European dreams dashed by Barcelona in two of the last three seasons, bowing out to the Spanish side in 2023 but more painfully losing 4-0 in the 2021 final.
This was Hayes' final shot at revenge in the Chelsea boss' last
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