Looking for a reaction to our Champions League exit, we started well enough. Aggie Beever-Jones reached double figures for the season when she headed her side ahead early in the game but we could not add to the lead before half-time, despite having the lion’s share of possession.

A deflected Catarina Macario shot and a saved Sjoeke Nusken effort were the closest Emma Hayes’s side came to doubling the advantage before the break as Liverpool increasingly showed the potential to trouble us, especially on the break.

However it was from a set-piece that they scored an equaliser soon after the restart. Sophie Roman Haug netted from a corner and that also proved to be the Reds’ route to taking the lead for the first time – Gemma Bonner’s header doing the damage midway through the second half.

At that stage it seemed as if recent exertions were catching up with Chelsea but a chaotic close to the game was underway. Beever-Jones brought us back level at 2-2 with her second of the game, only for Liverpool’s Leanne Kiernan to quickly re-establish their lead.

A third goal in four minutes went Chelsea’s way – Macario shooting and the ball ricocheting in to make it 3-3 – but the killer blow came in added time when Bonner scored with the fourth goal of the game that came from a corner overall, and her team’s third. This time there was no further Blues response.

With this game one of the two we had in hand over Manchester City, the leaders remain six points ahead having played one game more, and have a +8 better goal difference. Third-place Arsenal are two points behind Chelsea having played an extra game.

When Chelsea took on Liverpool earlier in the season we ran out 5-1 winners, our best league win against the Reds, but they are having a strong season and are fifth in the table and had taken 13 points from the previous possible 18.

In our meeting at Stamford Bridge in November, Lauren James had netted a hat-trick but was injured for this re-match. However, captain Millie Bright was back in the starting line-up today for the first time since November and there were also places for Fran Kirby and Beever-Jones, as Emma Hayes made three changes from Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

Just the start we wanted

The first goal came from the first corner of the game. It had been won by Macario and it was the American international who took it. When her dipping delivery arrived on the edge of the six-yard box, Beever-Jones barely had to leap to head the ball powerfully past Teagan Micah for a lead inside the first 10 minutes. It was a deserved one too based on the early balance of play.

As the Blues went in search of more, Macario had a deflected shot saved after Kirby had caught Liverpool napping and embarked on a penetrating run.

When it was our turn to lose possession in a dangerous area, Ashley Lawrence was sharp to the threat and cleaned up. Jess Carter had earlier shown good pace to thwart the Reds’ first attack.

It was Lawrence who raced back to stop Liverpool again as they did not make the most of a two-on-two counter-attack after a Chelsea corner was cleared. This was developing into a spell with a degree of raggedness in the Blues’ play.

Five minutes before half-time, Liverpool further worried the visitors with their closest shot yet. It came following the conceding of a free-kick that earned Carter a booking. When that fell to Sophie Roman Haug, she diverted it wide of the far post.

With Hannah Hampton then kept fairly busy by long-range attempts, and Liverpool captain Taylor Hinds having a shot on the turn deflected wide, when half-time arrived there was a feeling the Blues had not made the most of our fast start and had let the Reds gain a foothold in the game.

Pegged back

Liverpool started the second half on the attack. Chelsea were now playing Macario deeper than Beever-Jones and it was from that position that she was back to hack clear a dangerous shot.

The Blues could not keep our opponents out for much longer though and they levelled with 50 minutes played. It was their turn to score from a corner, at the same end as Chelsea but delivered from the other side. Roman Haug was first to the ball in a crowd and gave Hampton no chance with her header.

Hayes reacted to the heavy blow by bringing on Sophie Ingle and Maika Hamano but Liverpool continued to look the stronger side. Hampton pulled off a very good save to prevent Mia Enderby giving them the lead.

Goal rush

However another Liverpool corner led to another Liverpool goal. Sent over to the near post, on this occasion defender Bonner applied the scoring header that went in via a touch off Erin Cuthbert.

Another Chelsea swap followed – Nathalie Bjorn, Guro Reiten and Eve Perisset introduced - and Macario for the second time in the game saw one of her shots deflected, this time wide.

The response from the Blues continued and Yana Daniels cleared a Beever-Jones header out from under her own crossbar.

We did breakthrough – and when it came it was with the night’s second strike from Beever-Jones. Cuthbert won the ball and Reiten found Niamh Charles in space for a pull-back, which the young striker sliced high into the net. 2-2.

Sickeningly, the home side re-established their lead almost straightaway, thanks it has to be said to a great defence-splitting pass by Ceri Holland, slotted home by Kiernan.

But the reigning champions were still fighting, and just two minutes later we were back level. Cuthbert got round the back of the Liverpool defence and found Macario whose low shot went in eventually, bouncing out off a red-socked leg on the line and then back in via goalkeeper Micah.

Nine minutes of added time were just beginning when Liverpool went ahead again, and this time Bonner’s header was decisive; as a flying save that then kept out a Beever-Jones rocket proved to be our last shot of this topsy-turvy game.

What it means

It is advantage City in the 2023/24 league championship contest and no longer in our own hands, but the Blues remain in contention should the leaders slip up. We have Bristol City at home and away games at Tottenham and Manchester United to come. Manchester City are at home to Arsenal and then visit Aston Villa.

What's next?

It is WSL all the way to the end of the season now with the Blues' third-to-last game coming on Sunday evening, a 6.45pm kick-off against Bristol City at Kingsmeadow. Man City host Arsenal earlier in the day.

Chelsea Hampton; Lawrence (Perisset 68), Carter, Bright (c) (Bjorn 68), Charles; Nusken (Ingle 56), Kirby (Hamano 56), Cuthbert; Rytting Kaneryd (Reiten 68), Macario, Beever-Jones
Unused subs Musovic, Cox, Buchanan, Mjelde
Scorers Beever-Jones 9, 80, Micah o.g. 83
Booked Carter 40

Liverpool Micah; Clark, Bonner, Fisk; Koivisto (Daniels 45+4), Holland (Kearns 82), Nagano, Hobinger, Hinds (Matthews 71); Enderby (Kiernan 71), Roman Haug
Unused subs Spencer, Lawley, Chadwick, Leath
Scorers Roman Haug 51, Bonner 66, 90+2, Kiernan 81
Booked Bonner 89

Referee Lisa Benn