Sonia Bompastor's side will have to overturn a three-goal deficit against the European champions in the second leg to make it to this season's final
Chelsea's chances of reaching just a second Women's Champions League final were all but destroyed by Barcelona on Sunday as the holders took advantage of too many lapses in concentration to turn what was a tight contest into an eventual 4-1 victory in the first leg of their European semi-final.
The Blues were well in the game for the most part, trailing just 2-1 with only 16 minutes to play. However, a late collapse allowed the Catalans to score twice more and almost certainly kill the tie before it even gets to Stamford Bridge next week.
What will frustrate Chelsea even more is that it was some of the most experienced players who were guilty of the errors that Barca pounced on. Lucy Bronze didn't track Claudia Pina as she raced into the box to tap in for 2-0, after Ewa Pajor had profited from Alexia Putellas' sensational through ball to break the deadlock in the first half, and the England defender also lost Irene Paredes for Barca's third, which came after Sandy Baltimore had rifled an effort in at the other end to halve the deficit and give the Blues hope.
Millie Bright almost handed Pajor another late on when she lost the ball in her own box, but the Poland striker's uncharacteristic miss would be the last let-off. In the final minute of the 90, Pina extended her lead in the competition's Golden Boot race with another strike, this time after poor tracking from Keira Walsh.
It was harsh on Hannah Hampton to have to pick the ball out of the back of her net for the fourth time, after doing little wrong and even denying Putellas from the penalty spot early on, but it was representative of the gluttony of errors in front of her.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Estadi Johan Cruyff…
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Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Did brilliantly to adjust and save Putellas' penalty early on. Was confident in collecting crosses and positioned herself well to thwart most shots on target, with there not much she could do for the goals.
Lucy Bronze (3/10):
The lack of tracking on Pina for the second goal was inexcusable, and the loss of Paredes for Barca's third was even more costly.
Nathalie Bjorn (6/10):
Regularly popped up with some big interventions at the back and did well to keep up with Barca's runners.
Millie Bright (5/10):
A generally solid display but with a few lapses, including when she was caught out by Putellas' through ball for Pajor's strike and nearly handed the Poland star a second late on.
Sandy Baltimore (5/10):
Had a tough time dealing with Graham Hansen and didn't cover herself in glory for Barca's second. Showcased her fantastic qualities in the attacking third with a fine goal, though that is likely to count for nothing now.
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Keira Walsh (3/10):
Beaten far too easily one-v-one and left a lot to be desired in her tracking of runners at times. That was punished emphatically late on with Barca's fourth.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Covered every blade of grass out there in a relentlessly hard-working performance.
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Got stuck in plenty to limit how much Barca created. Off on the hour as Chelsea tried to twist.
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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (4/10):
Was full of running but lacked end product.
Mayra Ramirez (4/10):
Didn't offer enough of an outlet, which was a surprise given how good she can be at doing that.
Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
Produced Chelsea's first shot on target when she troubled Coll with a well-hit free-kick. Was quiet otherwise, though. Off after an hour.
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Catarina Macario (6/10):
Made an impact in her half-hour, with the remarkable quality she brings to the table on show for all to see in the pass that set up Baltimore to halve the deficit. Made a case to start next week.
Guro Reiten (6/10):
Provided a good outlet down the left and troubled Barca on a few occasions. Chelsea will hope she can be fit to play a bigger role in the second leg.
Naomi Girma (N/A):
Made her return from injury in the closing minutes.
Sjoeke Nusken (N/A):
Another late sub.
Sonia Bompastor (6/10):
Deployed a midfield with plenty of steel, though perhaps could've opted for Nusken over Walsh to take that up another level and give Chelsea more strength out-of-possession. Her team kept things tight to stay in the tie, as she would've hoped, and her subs were given plenty of time to make an impact, which they did. Little she could do about the individual errors, however.