- Albion draw 1-1 with Chelsea
- Aileen Whelan breaks the deadlock
- Adelina Engman scores a late equaliser
- Albion’s attention turns to a Continental Tyres Cup match against Charlton next week
Both goals came in the closing ten minutes as Aileen Whelan fired Albion in front before Emma Hayes’s side bounced back to claim a point.
It was an Albion performance that showed plenty of resolve against a Chelsea side awash with full senior internationals, and one that will give Hope Powell a lot of encouragement going forward.
Powell made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Bristol City on the opening day of the season, as Danique Kerkdijk replaced Fern Whelan to make her first Albion start, while Ini Umotong came in for Kayleigh Green upfront.
Albion’s defence were kept busier during the opening 45 minutes, and had to deal with Chelsea’s fluid movement in attack. England international Millie Bright was the first to have a clear-cut opportunity when she played a neat one-two with Drew Spence, but fired her attempt over the bar.
Bethany England and Erin Cuthbert looked lively for the Blues in the opening 45 minutes, and England flashed an effort wide before Cuthbert stung the fingertips of man of the match Megan Walsh moments later.
Fliss Gibbons epitomised Albion’s resolve in the opening 45 minutes when she made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to deny Cuthbert following England’s cut-back.
Cuthbert’s movement was causing Powell’s side cause for concern, and she drifted an enticing cross into the box that narrowly missed Spence before getting on the end of Maren Mjelde’s searching ball with a sliding effort that went just over the bar.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic though, and Ann-Katrin Berger had her defence to thank after spilling a corner from Gibbons, while Lea Le Garrec came close to breaking the deadlock in Albion’s favour with a long-distance strike that went just past the left post.
Walsh had to be alert shortly after the re-start when making a late two-handed save to deny Spence, before gathering Cuthbert’s follow-up attempt.
Albion and the majority of the 1,352 spectators inside The People’s Pension Stadium were encouraged as the score remained goalless. Ellie Brazil’s cross narrowly missed the waiting Umotong inside the area before Le Garrec shot over the target from distance.
The French midfielder then turned provider from a corner, this time through Victoria Williams, who stretched to head the ball wide at the far post.
Powell’s team continued to hold firm, but could have easily been undone in the blink of an eye when Guro Reiten flashed a ball across the face of goal but it missed several waiting Chelsea players.
But it was Albion that struck the opening goal courtesy of Whelan who was brilliantly teed up by Kerkdijk’s header inside the box and fired an unstoppable strike past Berger in the 84th minute.
It looked like the Seagulls would hold for a famous win against their illustrious opponents, but substitute Engman took advantage of some indecision in the Albion box and scored from deep inside the box in stoppage time.
The game finished 1-1 and Albion will turn their attention to the Continental Tyres Cup tie away at Charlton next week full of confidence after this performance.
ALBION: Walsh; Lundorf, Williams, Kerkdijk, Gibbons; Connolly, Bowman, Le Garrec (Simpkins 84); Brazil, Umotong (Green 65), A.Whelan.
SUBS NOT USED: Harris (GK), F. Whelan, Barton, Natkiel, Nilden.