Chelsea slump to shock Women's Super League defeat at Reading

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:01 am

Reigning champions Chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 defeat on Saturday as Deanne Rose's fourth-minute goal gave Reading their first-ever win over Emma Hayes' side in the Women's Super League.

Chelsea, who had racked up seven straight wins in the league since losing to Arsenal on the opening day, looked tired after beating Jonas Eidevall's team in last week's FA Cup final and being held to a 0-0 draw by Juventus in the Champions League in midweek.

- McNamee: Ballon d'Or tainted by lack of respect for women's game 

Rose capped off a long solo run with the only goal of the game and, though Chelsea had a pair of efforts cleared off the line, they could not make their superior firepower count in the face of a sterling defensive effort from the home side.

The result leaves Chelsea second in the table on 21 points from nine games, one behind Arsenal who host bottom side Leicester City on Sunday. Reading are fifth on 13 points.