Midday at the Merseyside brings a match wrapped in tension: Chelsea Women arrive second in the table after stalling against Arsenal, a result that opened the door for Manchester City to break away. That stumble allowed the leaders to stretch the gap to four points, leaving today’s game in hand as a necessary lifeline rather than a luxury.

Even though Chelsea Women have come to today’s match at Stamford Bridge unbeaten, this record doesn’t mean they’re in their best moment. Outside of a few matches where they managed to overwhelm the opposition very early on, the Blues haven’t been ...