Sonia Bompastor praises ‘brave’ Chelsea display as WSL leaders extend winning run with defeat of Brighton
SONIA BOMPASTOR hailed Hannah Hampton for helping Chelsea snuff out Brighton despite a clearance leading to an Albion goal.
The Blues goalkeeper pulled off some stunning saves as Sjoeke Nusken’s brace contributed to a 4-2 defeat of the Seagulls on Sunday.
The hosts registered their ninth win in nine games to maintain their flawless run and five-point lead at the summit.
Bompastor’s side also equalled Arsenal’s record of nine straight victories in the top-flight set during 2018 to 2019 campaign
And the six-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow included two goals conceded by Chelsea and Albion following wobbly moments at the back.
This included Hampton’s 71st-minute attempted clearance paving the way for Kiko Seike netting Brighton’s second goal.
Blues boss Bompastor said: “Hannah had a great game even when you analyse her performance and you can also see the (second) goal we conceded.
“But I don’t care about that when we get a win.
“For me it’s more important for my players to try even if they don’t succeed. I want them to be brave and confident enough to try again.
“And when you look at her performance the balance is more positive.
“She made some great saves that allowed us to stay in the game and that’s what I focus on.”
The Seagulls, who had forward Fran Kirby absent due to a calf injury, pushed their hosts all the way as they mounted a late fightback.
The visitors had nine shots on target during the match and prompted some quality saves from Hampton, including a close-range stop from a Seike strike late on.
Bompastor added: “Before the game in the press conference, someone told me you are dominating the league and it was not good for the league
“This game showed we have a competitive league.
“We were expecting a difficult game with players returning from international duty.
“And at this time of the year they are fatigued and at these times it’s important to focus on performance and having good energy to win”
Ex-Blues midfielder Jelena Cankovic had a ninth-minute strike cleared off the line in a frantic first half.
Jorelyn Carabali forced Hampton to save her headed effort with an outstretched leg at the half hour point.
And the deadlock was broken when Nusken exploited Brighton’s attempts to pass out from the back, easing the ball across the line in the 35th minute.
Albion goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley was caught dawdling by Aggie Beever-Jones as Chelsea took a 2-0 lead in 40 minutes
But the Seagulls rallied with Cankovic pulling a goal back with a swept-in effort close to half-time.
The second half saw highly-rated forward Michelle Agyemang come on for the visitors.
But their hosts took a 3-1 lead with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd netting after Baggaley’s 51st minute save of Lucy Bronze’s shot deflected off her
But Agyemang, on loan from Arsenal, gave Brighton hope of a possible draw as her charge down of Hampton’s clearance teed up Seike’s walloped finish
The Japan striker had a late shot stopped by Hampton before Chelsea put the game to bed with Nusken’s injury-time header.
And the result saw Albion drop to fifth before their league clash with Tottenham on Saturday, as Arsenal moved up to third spot with Manchester United sitting fourth.
Brighton boss Dario Vidosic said: “We knew we had to come out and we wanted to try to win.
“We probably could have scored five or six.
“We made a few little mistakes that we normally don’t make, but that’s all part of the process.
“But I’m really proud (of the players’ performance) after a short period with disruptions leading into this.
“We lost three players in Fran (Kirby), Maisie (Symonds) and Madison (Haley to injuries) during the international break.
“To put in the performance we did it would have been just that we got something out of it.
“We didn’t but we’ll learn from this and we’ll be ready to go again on Wednesday night (in the League Cup against Bristol City).”