Chelsea women player ratings vs Arsenal: Lauren James loves Stamford Bridge! Lionesses star steps off the bench to help settle London derby with Arsenal & give Blues one hand on WSL title

Lauren James stepped off the bench to make another telling contribution for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as they battled to a 1-0 win over Arsenal.

The WSL leaders appeared set to drop points for just the second time this season as the clock ticked down in west London.

Catarina Macario had endured a frustrating afternoon in front of goal, but the Brazilian was not left to count the cost of her misses.

Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze did a decent job of containing the threat posed by England colleagues Alessia Russo and Beth Mead, with defences on top for the most part.

James was, however, to lure Kim Little into a risky challenge inside the penalty area with eight minutes remaining, and Guro Reiten showed no sign of nerves as she rolled the resulting spot-kick into the bottom corner.

GOAL rates Chelsea’s players at Stamford Bridge...

Getty
Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Relieved to discover that Arsenal’s forwards did not have their shooting boots on, with the majority of efforts on goal from the Gunners failing to threaten the target.
Lucy Bronze (6/10):
Not involved as an attacking threat as much as she would like, and found herself chasing balls in behind on too many occasions.
Nathalie Bjorn (5/10):
Can dive into challenges, allowing her to be beaten easily as others are forced to clean up the mess that she failed to deal with.
Millie Bright (7/10):
Alessia Russo’s quick feet troubled the Chelsea captain in the first half, but the commanding England international stood up to that test well.
Niamh Charles (6/10):
Needed to stay alert against a lively Arsenal forward line and put in one vital block which deflected a close-range effort from Beth Mead wide of the target.

Getty
Midfield
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (6/10):
The Blues were looking for more creativity from those in the final third, but their Swedish star struggled to get going.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Set the tempo of play for Chelsea in the middle of the park and was always willing to press high and be a nuisance, while going close with one strike from distance.
Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):
Effort can never be called into question and helped to prevent Arsenal from carving out too many chances, while also dropping in as a third centre-half.
Sandy Baltimore (5/10):
Capable of offering much more and was replaced shortly after firing a wild shot high over the crossbar, which rather summed up her afternoon.
Getty
Attack
Catarina Macario (5/10):
Had a sight of goal inside the opening 60 seconds, but said failure to find the net set the tone for a frustrating outing that saw the Brazilian fluff her lines.
Mayra Ramirez (5/10):
Struggled to get into the game after being charged with the task of leading the line and it came as little surprise to see her replaced at half-time.

Getty
Subs & Manager
Maika Hamano (6/10):
Introduced at the break to add more legs in midfield, as Macario was pushed up top, and was subjected to some heavy challenges.
Lauren James (7/10):
Has previously starred at Stamford Bridge, with the Lionesses forward showing quick feet to win the penalty that settled the contest.
Guro Reiten (7/10):
Proved to be the match winner as she confidently stepped up to the spot after being introduced off the bench.
Aggie Beever-Jones (6/10):
Made little impact on proceedings as the Blues battled their way over the line against opponents that finished with 10 players on the pitch.
Sonia Bampastor (7/10):
Has previously admitted how much dropped points annoy her and will be delighted to have seen substitutes make an impact.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager