Chelsea women's player ratings vs Man Utd: Catarina Macario's brilliance helps earn the Blues a battling point but perfect WSL start comes to an end

Chelsea's perfect start to the new Women's Super League season came to an end on Friday night, as the Blues were held to a stalemate by Manchester United in a 1-1 draw. Sonia Bompastor's side began their title defence in winning fashion through each of the first four weeks of the season but that run was stopped by the Red Devils, who avoided defeat for just the second time in 12 meetings with the London club.

It was United who started the better of the two on the night, with Ella Toone taking advantage of all the space afforded to her by the Chelsea midfield, until the Blues broke the deadlock with less than 10 minutes on the clock. It was a great team goal sparked into life and then finished by Wieke Kaptein, but Catarina Macario's backheeled pass which set the Netherlands international up to strike was the highlight of it all.

That lead didn't last long, with Anna Sandberg scoring her first Man Utd goal in style to cancel it out on just 20 minutes. From there, the two exchanged dominant spells, creating plenty of openings apiece. Chelsea's best fell to the scorer, but Kaptein was denied by a brilliant Phallon Tullis-Joyce save, while Melvine Malard really should've given the hosts the lead midway through the second half, only to drag her effort wide after finding herself through on goal. In the end, a point was probably the fair result and the Blues will likely be happy with it to some degree, given they were not at their best on the night.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Leigh Sports Village...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Distribution was good. Didn't have many saves to make.
Ellie Carpenter (6/10):
Kept a handle on Rolfo well overall and offered plenty going forward, both in possession and in her pressing.
Nathalie Bjorn (7/10):
Popped up with a couple of crucial interventions at the back and was very secure on the ball.
Millie Bright (5/10):
Was a little loose in possession at times and had a big lapse in the second half which gifted Malard a chance she should've converted.
Sandy Baltimore (6/10):
Had a tricky task marking Park, who so often drifted inside. Stuck to her task well, though.

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Midfield
Keira Walsh (5/10):
Good in possession but often found herself chasing shadows out of it, which was more due to the set-up of the XI than any of her own faults.
Erin Cuthbert (5/10):
Like Walsh, was part of a midfield that gave the opposition too much space in central areas, something that couldn't be solved by her insane work rate alone.
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Pressed well and carried a consistent attacking threat, as best highlighted by her goal, before being subbed off early in the second half as Bompastor switched things around.
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Attack
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (5/10):
Posed a real threat to United when she was able to get on the ball and drive down the right, but also had too many periods where she was quiet.
Catarina Macario (7/10):
Did so much hard work out of possession and in holding the ball up to kickstart Chelsea attacks. A fantastic assist for the opening goal, too.
Aggie Beever-Jones (6/10):
Wasn't as much of a goal threat in a wider role, though did have a great chance in the first half which she will want back. Offered other things to the attack there though, with some good drives on the ball especially to get the team forward.

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Subs & Manager
Alyssa Thompson (6/10):
Another lively appearance for the deadline day signing, who did plenty of work on and off the ball down both flanks after being introduced early in the second half.
Sam Kerr (N/A):
Brought plenty of energy to the front line as Chelsea tried to find a late winner.
Sjoeke Nusken (N/A):
Had a little more joy in midfield than Cuthbert, albeit not much.
Guro Reiten (N/A):
A late sub as Bompastor rolled the dice once more and she did make an impact, but couldn't find the breakthrough.
Sonia Bompastor (5/10):
Set up her team in a way which so often gifted United space in midfield, allowing them to spring counter-attacks quickly and put Chelsea under some real pressure at times. Was a surprise that she didn't change that as the game progressed, instead making the midfield lighter with her subs.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager