Millie Bright believes there is even more to come from her Chelsea side despite scoring 19 goals in our last three games but recognises we will have to take that momentum into what she is expecting to be a 'feisty' Women’s League Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
It’s the first of three huge games for Chelsea as we face Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the Women’s Super League on Saturday, with tickets for that clash still available here. We will then return to Manchester to face the Cityzens once more on 1 February, this time with the aim of cutting their lead at the top of the WSL table.
While Bright is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead tonight, she is relishing the opportunity to face another side on top form in Wednesday's semi-final.
‘There’s no doubt at all that they're one of the teams that are in the best form right now,’ said the captain. ‘They're sitting at the top of the league for a reason – six points clear – and they're in the cup semi-final for a reason as well.
‘They are definitely a tough team to face, and they're in really good rhythm at the moment. They have confidence, scoring in many different ways, and similar to us, I think they've really found their rhythm. It's two top teams coming up against each other, and it's going to be a feisty one!’
Bright headed home Chelsea’s opening goal in a 5-0 win over WSL 2 side Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, a result which saw us advance to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round.
The scoreline was a repeat of our 5-0 win over West Ham in the WSL from the week before, but the skipper explained that all our recent results have been hard fought, no matter how it has appeared from the outside.
‘I've been meaning to get on the end of one of those crosses for a long time!' smiled Bright. ‘I'm really happy to contribute, and I think the things that we're working on in training are starting to pay off.
‘We're showing that we can score in many different ways, which is a real strength as a team, especially with the games we've got coming up against really tough opponents.
‘I know the scoreline against Palace makes it look like it was a little bit easy, but it's one of those where we had to really work for every single goal. It’s credit to the quality and the mentality of the girls.
‘We needed to keep that momentum rolling that we built before the Christmas break, and now we’re improving in each game, taking the momentum from each match into the next one.'
The Blues have netted 19 times in our last three games, but Bright explained that this Chelsea side is always pushing to improve. The next trio of matches will likely prove to be a stern test, but the team have enough experience to place the focus solely on what is in front of us.
‘There are still things that we want to be better at, but I think that's just part of the DNA of being a Chelsea player,’ Bright continued. ‘You always want more; you always want better. But it's massively important to be in good flow and to have good confidence within the group.
‘Now it's all eyes on City, and we’re not looking any further than that until that game's done and dusted. Every game for us now is a must-win game in all competitions, that's how we see it.’