Chelsea Ladies manager Emma Haynes claims her side are underdogs for the FA Women’s Super League title after slumping to a 1-0 defeat to lowly Notts County.
Chelsea have a one point advantage at the top of the table over Liverpool after Jess Clarke’s first-half header secured a shock win.
“I’m proud of the effort from my players, they put a lot in. They wanted to win the game,” said Haynes.
“We just lacked that bit of quality in the final third to get that winner and conceded a poor set-piece that gave them their win.
“We showed why we are a work in progress and why Birmingham and Liverpool are still favourites for the title.
“You have got to take your chances. We got in behind and created several chances to finish but it wasn’t to be.
“Notts County are fighting for their lives. They’ve proved all season they are difficult to break down and they proved why they do not give much away.”
The result means a point for County against bottom side Everton Ladies next time out will guarantee another year of FA WSL 1 football and Passmoor believes their latest result will give his side a great deal of confidence.
“I thought Chelsea were excellent in the first-half. We chased a few shadows. We re-grouped and chased the system a bit,” said manager Rick Passmoor.
“Credit to the players, we have had all the injuries yet the girls gave it everything. We’ve had two players who shouldn’t have played.
“We treated it like a cup-tie. It was not pretty but when we went forward we caused them problems. Fiona O’Sullivan was absolutely outstanding and Aileen Whelan, a local girl learning her game, played her socks off.
“At this stage of the season, where we are, we needed the three points. Never mind building plans or anything like that, it’s about staying in the division.
“If you look at the team, the character and spirit we have got is second to none. A lot of other teams would not have turned up.
“This will literally give us lots of confidence and is a huge relief for everyone.”
