Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by a resilient BK Häcken in their return to Champions League action. The Blues dominated possession but struggled to make it count when faced with a solid defensive performance from the Swedish side.
Chelsea returned to the relative home comforts of Stamford Bridge after a chastening loss to their title rivals Arsenal. The 4-1 defeat had been their heaviest in any competition since losing to Wolfsburg in December 2021 and raised questions about an Emma Hayes team that had been showing strong form in the opening months of the season.
With a serial winning team like Chelsea, a strong bounce back would have been anticipated. This encounter against the current leaders of Group D was crucial with their Champions League ambitions well-documented. They came in unbeaten in the competition having recorded a draw and win over Real Madrid and Paris FC respectively.
Hayes rang the changes in response to her team’s display at the weekend. With captain Millie Bright still injured, Kadeisha Buchanan came into central defence while Zecira Musovic started in goal with Ann-Katrin Berger rested. In addition, Guro Reiten, Fran Kirby and Sophie Ingle all came into the starting lineup.
BK Häcken have, however, proved stern opposition so far this campaign with two wins from their opening two games. Hayes called them “atypical” in pre-match with Mak Lind’s side strong across the pitch and able to cause problems in transition. The Swedes, however, do have the challenge of currently playing out of the Damallsvenskan season, making European competition a tough ask.
As expected, Chelsea controlled the ball from the start with their attacking line trying to find the spaces but lacking their customary bite. The hosts were restricted to set piece deliveries in the early stages with Häcken defending them resolutely.
Kirby was at the heart of every attack, attempting to lift the energy levels with her trademark creativity and vision. She was supported by Reiten, who has missed much of the campaign so far through injury, and caused Häcken a few issues with her deliveries.
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It was, however, a half of few clear-cut chances with just two of Chelsea’s ten created on target. Sam Kerr had a first-time hit off a corner fade narrowly wide before Erin Cuthbert, arriving on the edge of the box, thumped a volley off the underside of the crossbar. It bounced mere inches the wrong side of the goalline, an opportunity that summed up the Blues’ first half.
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The visitors had been restricted to a handful of counter attacks but came out in the second half with renewed intent to push forward, aided by the introduction of Monica Jusu Bah. She almost had an immediate impact when she raced forward but was tracked all the way by a diligent Buchanan.
Chelsea weathered the surge from their opponents before moving through the gears once more to place the resilient Häcken defence under sustained pressure. Jennifer Falk was required to make a superb save to deny Johanna Rytting Kaneryd from point-blank range before a trademark header from Kerr clipped the top of the crossbar. Chances also came and went for Kirby and Niamh Charles as Chelsea’s clinical edge continued to prove lacking.
Hayes tried to ignite proceedings with the introduction of Lauren James and Sjoeke Nüsken. The former immediately added impetus and set up Kerr to head home. The Australian, however, had misjudged the run and strayed into an offside position.
In a game that saw uncharacteristically few opportunities from a Chelsea side that is known for its attacking proclivity, the hosts had to settle for a point that kept them in second place in Group D. It was a result that will heap the pressure on Hayes’ side ahead of the return match in Gothenburg next week.
