Sonia Bompastor said she was unhappy with the mistakes her Chelsea side made during their 4-2 win over Brighton in the Women's Super League on Sunday.
In the Blues' penultimate league match this year, they signed off with a victory in an enthralling encounter with the Seagulls at Kingsmeadow.
A brace from Sjoeke Nusken with further goals from Beever-Jones and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd gave Chelsea all three points, with Jelena Cankovic and Kiko Seike on target for the visitors.
And Chelsea were worthy of their triumph, with an expected goals total (xG) of 4.08 from their 31 shots, compared to Brighton's 2.19 from their 18 attempts.
The Blues' victory also saw them equal Arsenal's record from the 2018/19 season, winning each of their first nine WSL matches of the season.
WINNERS WIN! #CFCW pic.twitter.com/dBoKxFKYJG
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 8, 2024
Although only in the early stages of her tenure, Bompastor also broke a record held by the legendary Emma Hayes on Sunday.
The Frenchwoman has won 13 games in a row in all competitions, surpassing Hayes' club record of 12 consecutive wins in the 2021-2022 season.
But it was a hard-fought win against a Brighton side who play a similar possession-based style. As a result, both parties lost their opposition opportunities.
However, this was not too worrying for Bompastor as she said she was encouraged by her party's resilience in sticking to their game model.
“The two teams made some big mistakes today, especially in the build-up and trying to build from the back line and the goalkeeper,” Bompastor said.
“That's something that's going to happen when you have two coaches that have a philosophy that they want to build.
“I prefer my team and my players to be confident enough and brave enough to try again, even though sometimes you can be in that position if you lose some balls.
“Sometimes it's about making a better decision, executing faster, scanning better, checking – so a lot of little details that are really important at a high level.
“The best teams are the ones that make the fewest mistakes. There will always be mistakes in the game, and I want my players to be brave enough to try again.”
Chelsea remains undefeated at the top #BarclaysWSL pic.twitter.com/4RcX0hRgVU
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) December 8, 2024
But Chelsea are being closely followed by Manchester City, who also won 4-0 on Sunday, beating Leicester City thanks to an inspired performance from Khadija Shaw.
Shaw scored the first two goals of the match for the Citizens in the first half, while Jessica Park and Mary Fowler were on target for the hosts after the break.
Shaw increased her tally at the top of the club's all-time goals chart to 88 after 98 appearances in all competitions, representing her 13th goal in 14 appearances this season.
And Taylor highlighted Shaw's importance, both on and off the ball, to his side during their win over the Foxes, calling her a 'complete' striker.
“I'd like to say I helped her in that area, but I think it's all on Bunny,” Taylor said.
“She comes at the right time. They were very different in the sense that she puts the first one back where he almost reaches and makes it difficult for the keeper and I think she controlled it well from Kerstin's cross.
“Leila's is a little more where she comes over her defender and attacks him with power. For me she is a very complete striker, Bunny.
“I recently talked about what she gives us without her goals. Her goals are the icing on the cake with so many opportunities to score.”
“She backs that up with the numbers. The work she does without the ball is great, and it allows us to dominate.”
A helping hand for Bunny #BarclaysWSL @ManCityWomen pic.twitter.com/L70Yx8hIUu
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) December 8, 2024
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