Chelsea were up against it from the beginning. Chastity Grant put Aston Villa ahead within the opening two minutes with a smart finish, shocking the Kingsmeadow crowd into silence.

But then, the Blues rallied, and a top-class finish from Sam Kerr drew us level before a header from Naomi Girma and a powerful Lauren James effort from the edge of the box put us 3-1 up.

Things were seemingly under control, but Villa had other ideas. Kirsty Hanson hit a clinical brace on the counter to level the scores back up in what was a breathless opening 45 minutes.

The majority of the second half was deadlocked as both sides had unsuccessful chances to re-take the advantage. But Chelsea capitalised on a key moment with just eight minutes of normal time remaining when Sjoeke Nusken delivered a superb finish from a high-quality team move.

That we were able to keep fighting back time and time again in this clash shows what this side is made of in the face of some real adversity against a vastly improved Aston Villa side. We now take an important step towards qualification for next season's UEFA Women's Champions League with three WSL matches still to play this season.

Early set-back

Sonia Bompastor made three changes from the side that made the short journey to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, bringing in Ellie Carpenter, Wieke Kaptein and Sam Kerr for Sandy Baltimore, Kadeisha Buchanan and Erin Cuthbert.

And it was the visitors who shocked Kingsmeadow with a goal inside the first two minutes. Grant was first to pick up a loose pass and laid the ball off to Lynn Wilms on the right-hand side. The Dutch defender crossed the ball into the middle, and Grant lifted her shot over Hannah Hampton and over the line.

The Blues looked for a response through James, when she had a shot charged down in the penalty area, followed by a shot that went just wide from Veerle Buurman. Alyssa Thompson looked lively on the wing and was involved in several consecutive attacks during the opening quarter of an hour, but we still couldn't find the equaliser.

Fighting back

Villa were allowing James plenty of space on the edge of the area, and after her wonderful finish away at Arsenal earlier in the week, the Chelsea No10 fashioned two separate attempts: one from the left and one on the right.

James then tried something different, chipping in a perfectly-weighted pass over the top for Sjoeke Nusjen, but the midfielder dragged her shot wide.

For all those chances from James, it was Kerr who finally pulled us level. Nusken was the provider with a pinpoint through-ball from midfield, and the Australian striker did what she does best, and found the back of the net with a killer finish.

Turning on the style

After looking dangerous from the get-go, our number 10 had her moment when she bent the ball to the far corner. Girma headed in at the back post to make sure it had crossed the line.

If the first shot was placed with precision, the second was struck with power. James dribbled across the 18-yard line seeking an opening, and when she found one, she drilled her strike home into the bottom corner. The Blues were cruising at 3-1, but there was more to come from Aston Villa.

Villa pull level

Refusing to give up, the visitors mounted a rapid counter-attack with a series of neat passes up the pitch. With Chelsea racing to get back, Wilms whipped in another cross from the right, and Kirsty Hanson was able to tip the cross into the back of the net from close range.

Buoyed by their second, the Villans poured forward once more. Wilms completed a hat-trick of assists with a side-footed pass across the box for Hanson to grab her second with a bending shot from six-yards out.

As the second half began, the away side continued their assault on the Chelsea goal. Hampton was forced to punch over the bar from Wilms following a Villa corner, and we escaped unscathed.

All eyes inside the ground looked towards the referee when Kerr was tripped in the box by goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, yet rather than signalling for a penalty, the match official indicated for an offside.

Pushing for more

On a hat-trick, Hanson cut inside and thumped a shot against the angle of the woodwork. Kingsmeadow breathed a sigh of relief when it bounced back out.

Midway through the second-half, Thompson went close with back-to-back chances. First, the ball bounced high above her from a Baltimore cross, and she could only head over the bar, before the American forward went to round Roebuck, but the goalkeeper just about gathered the ball.

Then came the introduction of Niamh Charles, as the England defender made her first appearance for Chelsea in 2026, replacing Thompson in attack. Next, Villa were forced to replace their goalkeeper as Sabrina D'Angelo was brought on for the injured Ellie Roebuck with just over 10 minutes to play.

The breakthrough

Villa had pushed us all the way in this tough encounter, but our quality shone through as we edged them out for the win. Carpenter drove towards the box with a determined run before laying the ball off to Kerr.

The striker immediately recognised that Nusken was in a good position and a deft touch picked her out as the German bent the ball into the small gap around the goalkeeper.

Our supporters were in raptures as we had surely done enough to take the three points, but there was still some defending to do when the fourth official indicated there would be eight minutes of added time.

A dramatic match almost came to an extraordinary climax when Villa had a shot from close range, but Hampton bravely snuffed out the danger. This was a victory that displayed the resilience of this team, a good sign ahead of our task against Arsenal in the Women's Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

What it means...

We move into second in the WSL table, two points clear of both Arsenal and Manchester United.

What comes next...

We return to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening to face Arsenal in the second leg of our Women's Champions League quarter-final, and you can buy tickets for this exciting London derby here.

The teams

Chelsea: Hampton, Carpenter, Girma (Baltimore 54) Buurman, Bronze, Nusken, Walsh (c), Kaptein (Cuthbert 54), Thompson (Charles 72), James (Potter 97), Kerr
Unused subs: Peng, Spencer, Buchanan, Sarwie, Shooter
Scorers: Kerr 20, Girma 23, James 27, Nusken 82

Aston Villa: Roebuck (D'Angelo 79), Patten (c), Jean-Francois, Wilms, Maritz, Hanson, Kendall, Grant (Salmon 75), Deslandes, Taylor (Hijakata 68), Nighswonger
Unused subs: Maltby, Scott, Seymour, Lea
Scorers: Grant 2, Hanson 31, 35
Booked: Nighswonger 90+6

Referee: Callum Jones