'Not to be' - Chelsea boss Emma Hayes concedes WSL title race defeat after the Blues' shock defeat to Liverpool

Chelsea went into Wednesday night's game six points behind City, but with two games in hand. They knew they needed to win to keep the pressure on, then, but came up against a Liverpool side that wouldn't give up. The Reds came from 1-0 down to win 4-3 in second-half stoppage time, with Gemma Bonner's late header the difference despite Chelsea twice equalising.

The title is now in Man City's hands and though there is a chance they drop points on Sunday against third-placed Arsenal, they are in a commanding position with two games left to play. It means that Hayes' final season at Chelsea, before she departs to become head coach of the United States women's national team later this month, could be the Blues' first without a trophy in five years.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Hayes said: "Fair play to Liverpool. They executed their game plan. I'm not going to be harsh on the players, everything they've delivered over a long period of time. They wanted to do it, I know they want to win the title and all of those things, but it's not to be I'm afraid. I want to make sure for the remainder, we just keep pushing and we finish the season in the best way we can."

Asked if she believes the title race is over, Hayes responded: "Definitely. I've been here before. I think you have to win this game, you have to keep the pressure up. Of course, there's a slim chance of doing that. It's mathematically there. But no, I don't think the title is there anymore."

It's been an extremely difficult few weeks for Chelsea, who were fighting on four fronts going into the Continental Cup final on March 31. However, defeat to Arsenal in that came before an FA Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Manchester United and a loss at the same stage in the Champions League to Barcelona at the weekend.

Chelsea will need to pick themselves up and go again on Sunday though, at home to already-relegated Bristol City, while hoping that Arsenal can take points off Man City earlier in the day to improve their chances of sending Hayes out with a title.