Chelsea FC News

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Teddy Curd; Silko Thomas (Somto Boniface 60), Derrick Abu, Josh Tobin, Luke Badley-Morgan; Sam Rak-Sakyi, Leo Castledine (c); Zain Silcott-Duberry, Louis Flower, Edwin Andersson (Richard Olise 78); Malik Mothersille (Ronnie Stutter 67).

Unused Subs: Prince Adegoke, Ollie Starkey.

Scorers: Luke Badley-Morgan 31; Silko Thomas 42; Taylor Jay-Hart 57 (OG); Louis Flower 90.

Booked: Derrick Abu 59.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Oliwier Zych; Harvey Rhoades, Finley Munroe, Caolan McBride, Ealing (Jaden Barber 55); Teddy Rowe (Charlie Lutz 70), Taylor Jay-Hart, Kyrie Pierre, Kahrel Reddin; Chisom Afoka, Ruben Shakpoke (Dewain Sewell 45).

Unused Subs: James Wright, Luke Softley.

Scorer: Finley Munroe 89.
 

On the lifelong friendships that have been created over the years Telford commented.

‘These girls and the staff have been my family for five years and it sounds so cliché but we all spend so much more time with each other than we do with our actual families, so you have to lean on each other, you have to be there in the tough times and through Covid times where people have had nobody here and we’ve just had each other. I can’t thank the girls enough for supporting me in such a difficult time.

‘Some of the girls will be my family forever and I won’t ever lose contact with them. It will break my heart when I have to take my little placard out and walk out the door. But I know at the end of a phone, any one of them will be there for me and that’s ultimately such a blessing because they are such a fantastic group and genuinely some of the best people I’ve known.’

Reflecting on her important relationship with Emma Hayes who has been at the club with her for the past five years and how far the club has come in that time.

‘When you look at what she’s built and what she’s done. This building we weren’t even allowed in and now it’s our own. The legacy that she (Emma) has built here that will go on to forever be Chelsea Women’s Football Club will always have her name up in lights.

‘She’s again one of the best managers in the world and one of the best people in the world who has not just made me a better player, but a better person. I’ll miss her but I always know that I’ll leave always being a friend as well as her being my manager.’
 

The number 28 extended her stay at Chelsea in February last year and as part of the new deal, she also took up part-time coaching, offering support to our Under-16 and Under-18 goalkeepers at Cobham. Since then, the senior team have gone on to secure the domestic quadruple and reached the final of the Champions League in Sweden for the first time in the club’s history.

Telford has also had a glittering international career to date, making her Lionesses debut in 2007, appearing in three World Cup squads, most recently at France 2019 where she featured in a 1-0 win over Argentina. She also stepped in against the USA in the World Cup semi-final. Telford was also selected for the 2017 European Championship squad and last year, was selected for Team GB, going on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Blues reached this stage with a 4-2 victory last Wednesday over West Ham United, following a phenomenal hat-trick from Pernille Harder and a further goal from Erin Cuthbert.

The semi final between Chelsea Women and Man United will take place on Wednesday 2 February, kick-off 7pm.  The match will be live on FA Player and details are as follows: 

To buy tickets to the semi-final please click here!

Important Information
All supporters attending our home games this season will need to provide evidence they are at low risk of transmitting Covid-19 to enter Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow. This is to increase the safety and comfort of our supporters, players and staff as we remain hosting capacity crowds.

Supporters will need to provide proof of full Covid-19 vaccination (with both doses received at least 14 days prior to the match) or proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test (LFT – from age 11 and over) carried out within 48 hours of the fixture kicking off.

Proof of full vaccination should be supplied via your NHS Covid Pass on the NHS app, or a vaccination letter. Supporters displaying a negative Lateral Flow result should do so on the NHS app, or via a text message or email from NHS Test and Trace.

Stewards will check your Covid-19 status at your point of entry. If you are using your phone, please ensure it has sufficient battery.

Ticket sales information

Monday 24 January from 10am: Chelsea Women season ticket holders can purchase one ticket.

Tuesday 25 January from 10am: Tickets on general sale.

Tickets for this fixture will only be available in the West Stand and South Stand areas. The North Stand for this fixture will be occupied by away supporters.

Chelsea FC Women season ticket holders need to purchase a ticket for this match as it is NOT included in the season ticket package.

Tickets for this match will go off sale online on Wednesday 2 February at 3pm. Tickets can then be purchased in person at the Kingsmeadow ticket office on matchday. Only card payments are accepted.

Disabled Members Application Process

Disabled supporters can apply by telephone sale on the disability line 0371 811 2012 or international 0044 207 915 1950 or by submitting the application form to access@chelseafc.com during the relevant sales period as detailed above.

Supporters who are registered disabled wishing to apply by email can download the Kingsmeadow home ticket application form which can be found by clicking here

To receive a personal assistant ticket disabled members will need to apply by telephone sale or via the application form and not purchasing online.

Dispatching of tickets

Supporters will need to ensure they have a valid email address registered in their online account as all tickets are print@home and will be dispatched via email immediately.

Supporters should print the tickets off in advance of matchday as there is no facility at Kingsmeadow to print them.

Duplicate tickets

Duplicate tickets will only be given to the individual season ticket holder or member.

Supporters should visit the ticket office on the day of the match with photo ID and where applicable the season ticket/membership card.

Loyalty points
Supporters will receive zero loyalty points for this match.

Opening times
The ticket office opening times can be found by clicking here

Ticket prices
Tickets for this match are priced as follows:

Unreserved Seating
Adults £5
Juniors (under-20) £1
Seniors (over-65) £1

Unreserved Standing
Adults £3
Juniors (under-20) £1
Seniors (over-65) £1

Tickets cannot be refunded once purchased unless a match is postponed or abandoned. Refunds will only be made in accordance with the Match Ticket Conditions of Issue.

Venue
This match will be played at Kingsmeadow, Kingston Road, Kington Upon Thames, KT1 3PB.

All ticket sales are subject to availability.

Match dates and ticket on-sale dates are subject to change. Please check this website for the latest information.

‘It was a tough match but I’m very happy because the effort was outstanding and it was a deserved win,’ he said.

‘It is so hard to create chances against them but we were relentless and kept on believing so it was a good team effort and an excellent result.’

Ziyech’s first home league goal was a beauty but Tuchel was happy not just with the Moroccan’s special strike to open the scoring…

‘It was one of the his best matches because he was very reliable and to be fair it’s maybe also his best position to have the wide position on the right wing. That position does normally not exist when we play our 3-4-3 when we have our wing-backs.

‘He was good because it gave him the opportunity to take risks where it’s possible to take risks and he was very reliable on the ball in moments where it was necessary. You can always rely on him in terms of counter-pressing and work-rate for the team so it was well done.’

On the goal, he added further praise…

‘I was right behind it. I had the feeling that it was a bit too high but it dropped in the right second and it was a brilliant goal.

‘The build-up was good, the movement around Hakim to bring him into this position, the effort from Callum before the goal, the dribbling and switch of side around the opponents’ box, the overlap by Azpi and the shot was of course brilliant.

‘It was one of the very nice goals so far. I’m very happy because he deserves it first of all today and it was a very important goal to get the lead.’

There were also positive words for the performance of Romelu Lukaku…

‘It was a very good team performance from him. He was absolutely reliable and put in a huge effort. It’s a bit the story of our team. I have the feeling that we work really hard off the ball and sometimes are maybe not in full confidence or a calm state of mind when it comes to the opponents’ box.

‘But the effort is something we define as a benchmark and a standard for us, so he gave everything in terms of work-rate.’

Tuchel gave his thoughts on whether a four-man defence could become a permanent feature…

‘It’s one way forward. We tried a 4-1-4-1 formation today because we tried a 4-4-2 against them in the first match which gave us an advantage and then they reacted to it in the second match so we thought maybe it could be an approach to give the players a new solution.

‘It gives us more options than only to play a 3-4-3 but we don’t decide now.’

Finally, the boss highlighted the importance of going into a break with the confidence of a win…

‘Now we go into a break and it was important to go into this break with a victory. There’s no doubt about it because if you don’t have the results and the performances you want, there’s no substitution for a win and that feeling.

‘You cannot produce it artificially so we needed this but we needed also to do things better and keep on believing. The guys are very tired now because it was a long run but it was important for us.’