Emma Hayes has warned her Chelsea team not to get carried away after they won 1-0 at Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League tie.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Erin Cuthbert’s first-half strike secured a narrow win at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Company for the Blues in the semi-final tie. It is the first time Barcelona have lost a match at home in over five years and the first in two years in which they have failed to find the net.
Big Picture
Hayes insisted his team’s job was not done yet as they needed to defend their 1-0 aggregate lead in the second leg when they welcomed the Spanish giants to Stamford Bridge. The Blues manager warned that his opponents could play much better than they did on Saturday.
Hayes’ statement
Hayes said this on DAZN. No one should get carried away with it. To be honest, I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get the second goal. It’s hard to get there, but they executed the plan I asked them to do. So from that perspective, I’m happy.”
She added, “It’s a tough place. A lot of teams come here and crash one or two early, so We have to accept that they have great players, they are world class in everything they do and we have to expect them to create chances, but for the most part we do them.
“I think I know how to get results away from home.” He didn’t perform well in the home game against Barcelona. He performed poorly when he played at home. I think Barcelona is on a different level and I think that’s obvious. Maybe they don’t feel like they’re at their best today.”
What’s next for Chelsea?
Chelsea will host Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-final in London on April 27th. The Blues are aiming to reach the Women’s Champions League final for the second time in their history and win their first title before Hayes departs to take over as USWNT manager.