.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
Manchester City went crashing out of the Women's Champions League in a spectacular collapse as they lost 3-0 to Chelsea in the second leg of their quarter-final tie. City held a 2-0 lead heading into Thursday's match at Stamford Bridge, the last instalment of four straight games against the London side, but drowned under the pressure as the Blues sent wave after wave of attack and pummelled their rivals.
City twice came agonisingly close to conceding in the first 10 minutes. Their sleepy defence allowed Lauren James to break through and send a low pass across goal, only for it to bounce out for a corner. A few minutes later, Nathalie Bjorn headed off the post.
The visitors could only hold out for so long and the breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Lucy Bronze's effort hit the post and fell to Sandy Baltimore, who lashed in with a beautiful finish.
Nick Cushing's team managed to slow the game down and apply pressure further up field for a spell, but they would have gone 2-0 down from another Bjorn header, but for a goal line clearance from Vivianne Miedema. Bjorn was not to be denied again shortly afterwards, though, when she met Baltimore's corner and sent it looping over Khiara Keating.
Just before half-time, City fell further behind. James pounced on a horrendous pass from Leila Ouahabi, allowing James to break forward and cut back to Mayra Ramirez, whose sloppy finish found the net. It was almost 4-0 in stoppage time when Ramirez found herself in another great position, but her shot was an easy one for Keating to save.
Chelsea's intensity dropped in the second half but City were still unable to carve out more than one real chance to at least force extra time, despite Mary Fowler and Miedema's attempts to poke their way through.
Kerolin found herself in a promising position in the 90th minute but her shot was more like a pass into the arms of Hampton as Chelsea held on.
GOAL rates City's players from Stamford Bridge...
