Everton’s Grit Shatters Chelsea’s Invincibility: Historic 34-Game WSL Unbeaten Streak Comes Crashing Down

There’s something almost poetic about football’s ability to humble the mighty. Everton Women delivered a masterclass in underdog defiance. Chelsea, the juggernaut of the Women’s Super League under Sonia Bompastor, saw their remarkable 34-game unbeaten run, a record that stretched back over a year and a half, snapped most unexpectedly. A solitary goal from Honoka Hayashi proved enough for Bjørn Sørensen’s side to claim a 1-0 victory, turning what should have been another routine win for the Blues into a stark reminder that no streak lasts forever. It wasn’t just a loss; it was a jolt to a team that had come to embody dominance, forcing questions about complacency amid their possession-heavy style.

From the outset, the tactical setups told a story of contrasting philosophies. Chelsea stuck to their tried and true 4-1-4-1, a formation that morphs seamlessly into attacking waves with Keira Walsh pulling strings from deep, allowing the likes of Catarina Macario and Lauren James to roam and create chaos. Ellie Carpenter and Sandy Baltimore bombed forward from full-back, stretching the pitch and feeding into a fluid front line where Aggie Beever-Jones acted as the focal point, though she often dropped deep to link play. Everton, meanwhile, hunkered down in a no-nonsense 4-4-2, with Courtney Brosnan barking orders from the back and a defensive unit Rion Ishikawa, Ruby Mace, Martina Fernández, and Hikaru Kitagawa prioritizing shape over spectacle. Their midfield, anchored by Clare Wheeler and Ornella Vignola, was all about disruption, while Toni Payne and Yuka Momiki lurked as counter threats, ready to pounce on any overcommitment from Chelsea’s high line.

As the game progressed, Chelsea’s shape evolved into a more aggressive 3-2-5 when in possession, with Walsh slotting between the center-backs Naomi Girma and Lucy Bronze to build from the back. This facilitated those intricate passing webs, especially down the left, where Baltimore’s overlaps created overloads, but Everton’s compact block held firm, forcing the Blues into sideways passes and speculative shots. The Toffees’ own transitions were rare but purposeful, often bypassing midfield with long balls to relieve pressure. The xG tale was lopsided. Chelsea amassed 1.50 from a barrage of 30 efforts, with 1.39 xGOT reflecting quality chances wasted, while Everton scraped 0.61 but converted their one big opportunity with ruthless efficiency.

First Half Overview

The opening 45 minutes felt like a siege on Everton’s goal, yet it was the visitors who landed the first and only blow. Chelsea wasted no time asserting control; their heatmap lit up like a Christmas tree in the opposition half, with heavy traffic on the flanks where Carpenter and Baltimore pushed high. Walsh was the conductor, her passing network a web of precision 88% accuracy from Chelsea’s 709 total passes, feeding Thompson and James, who darted into pockets, trying to unpick Everton’s low block.

But football has a way of punishing lapses, and in the 12th minute, Everton struck gold on the break. It started with a midfield turnover Maika Hamano, who struggled all half, coughing up possession under pressure from Wheeler. Payne seized the moment, her rare venture forward as seen in Everton’s sparse attacking heatmap. Culminating in a whipped cross from the right. Hayashi ghosted in unmarked at the back post, slotting home a left-footed finish from close range (0.38 xG). Peng in the Chelsea goal had no chance; it was a classic counter, exploiting the space left by advancing full-backs. Suddenly, the unbreakable Blues were trailing, and the momentum tilted, if only briefly, as Everton grew bolder in duels, winning 48% on the ground through Vignola’s tenacity.

Chelsea responded with fury, their set-pieces a constant menace, 18 corners across the match, but Everton’s aerial prowess, led by Fernández, 4/5 duels won, kept headers at bay. In the 6th, Macario forced Brosnan into a sharp low save with a left-footed drive from the left channel (0.12 xG), assisted by Baltimore’s run. The 17th brought a flurry from James: a blocked curler from outside the box (0.09 xG), followed by another that grazed the post. Thompson’s 32nd-minute strike from the right (0.21 xG) drew another fine parry from Brosnan, who was already emerging as the game’s unsung hero with her reflexes under siege.

Individually, it was a mixed bag. Walsh shone for Chelsea, recovering six balls and dictating tempo, but Hamano floundered, losing possession seven times and looking out of sorts in midfield battles. James had flashes of brilliance but lacked end product, missing three chances worth 0.32 xG combined. For Everton, Kitagawa was immense at left-back, her heatmap a fortress with four tackles and three blocks, while Brosnan’s five first-half saves were pivotal. A contentious moment came in the 21st when Beever-Jones tangled with Mace in the box replays showed contact, but the ref waved away appeals, leaving the home fans fuming. By the break, Chelsea’s xG sat at 0.75 to Everton’s 0.45, but the scoreboard read differently, thanks to wasteful finishing and Everton’s dogged clearances.

Second Half Overview

If the first half was about absorption, the second was pure Everton resilience against Chelsea’s onslaught. Bompastor shook things up at the 55th, hauling off the fading Macario, just 75% pass accuracy, and James for Sjoeke Nüsken and Sam Kerr. Kerr’s presence shifted the dynamic, pushing Beever-Jones wider and adding aerial threat, while Nüsken brought fresh legs to crash the box. The formation edged toward a 4-2-4, with more direct balls into the channels, but Everton countered with their own tweaks: Holmgaard for Wheeler at 56′, adding steel, and a triple change at 67′ van Gool, Snoeijs, and Robinson for Vignola, Momiki, and Payne to inject energy without budging from their 4-4-2 shell.

Chelsea’s heatmap deepened in Everton’s third, racking up 64 box touches, but their networks started fraying long-ball accuracy dipping to 59% as frustration mounted. Around the 60th, momentum surged for the hosts: Carpenter blazed over from range (0.07 xG), then Kerr nodded wide from Thompson’s cross (0.15 xG). Bronze’s 63rd-minute rocket from 35 yards forced Brosnan into another stunner, her sixth save overall, facing 1.39 xGOT. Sub Kaptein, on at 75′ for the underwhelming Hamano, nearly leveled in the 83rd with a right-footed snap-shot (saved low) and another blocked effort, her energy a clear upgrade.

Set-pieces kept Chelsea alive, nine in the half alone, but Everton’s 85 clearances Fernández and Mace were immovable, thwarting them. Controversy bubbled in stoppage time: Hobson subbed on at 84′, booked for hacking down Rytting Kaneryd, and Ishikawa was yellow-carded at 93′ for a cynical trip on Thompson. No reds, but it amped the drama. Chelsea’s second-half xG hit 0.75, capped by Baltimore’s 98th-minute free-kick clanging the bar (0.18 xG) and Walsh’s rebound blocked. Everton’s lone chance, a Hayashi break in the 95th, sailed wide (0.08 xG), but their 13 interceptions and 43% duel success sealed the deal.

Hayashi’s goal and grit, 70% aerials won, defined Everton, but Brosnan stole the show. As the final whistle echoed, Everton’s triumph wasn’t just three points; it was the end of an era for Chelsea. Bomber’s side dominated stats (30 shots, 18 corners) but fluffed lines like James’s 43rd-minute miss (0.14 xG) and Kerr’s 62nd header. For Sørensen, it’s a blueprint for survival; for Chelsea, a wake-up call in a league that’s closing the gap. Football, eh? Always ready with a twist.

Player Ratings

Player of the Match: Courtney Brosnan (Everton)