London City boss Eder Maestre had urged his players to provide “an exciting experience” for the home fans at The Den, which was staging a Lionesses game for the first time as their regular home – the Copperjax Community Stadium – is being used by Bromley’s men on Saturday afternoon.
However, there was little for Lionesses fans to get excited about in a first half dominated by Chelsea, who looked unlikely to relinquish their grip on proceedings once Rytting Kaneryd had put them ahead.
The second half, though, was an entirely different story.
Fourteen of the Lionesses’ 15 attempts came after half-time, with the majority of their best opportunities coming in the final 20 minutes as they chased an equaliser.
A combination of Hampton and the woodwork preserved the Blues’ narrow advantage until the closing stages, but there was nothing the Chelsea and England goalkeeper could do about Goodwin’s late header into an unguarded net.
This could well be a damaging result for Bompastor’s side, who were the only team in the top four to drop points on Saturday after victories for Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal – who still have two games in hand on their London rivals in the race for the Champions League places.
Chelsea’s frustrating afternoon was compounded by an injury to Beever-Jones, who appeared to roll her ankle after a second-half challenge from Roddar.
Beever-Jones, who looked inconsolable as she left the pitch, joins a lengthy Chelsea injury list that already includes the likes of Millie Bright, Niamh Charles and Mayra Ramirez.
But with a Champions League quarter-final trip to Arsenal coming up in midweek, the Blues have little time to feel sorry for themselves.