The three points taken move us four points behind Manchester United and one behind Manchester City with two fewer matches played. It’s game on in this exciting championship race!

Liverpool had caused damage to Chelsea earlier in the WSL this campaign and they threatened to do so again by taking the lead right at the start.

From that point onwards the Reds faced a blue attacking wave but chances came and went, with Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr efforts saved and a Jessie Fleming shot wide the best attempts as time was running out in the first half. However Niamh Charles headed in from a set-piece to equalise against her former club shortly before half-time.

Faced with the whole of the second half to find one more goal, Emma Hayes rung the changes early on, including introducing the attacking threat of Pernille Harder. Matt Beard’s Liverpool side defended resolutely while simply hanging on at times as the balls into the box kept coming.

With time running out in what was a rearranged fixture from the one abandoned in January, the Reds finally buckled in the 86th minute when Jessie Fleming’s shot came back off the woodwork and Kerr was there for the predatory finish.

The selection

Lauren James came into the starting line-up in the one change from last week’s Champions League second leg. She, along with Fleming, played as attacking support to Kerr. Eve Perisset moved into the back-three with Maren Mjelde dropping out.

Caught cold

After back-to-back matches against Barcelona and a semi-final in the FA Cup at Aston Villa, this was our first Women’s Super League match for a month. The stakes were high with our challenge for another title in our own hands but this being one of the three games in hand we had over the leaders. There was a seven-point gap to start to make up.

Liverpool were down in seventh place but had beaten the Blues on their patch on the opening day of the season, and they went ahead in this one with less than two minutes played.

Chelsea gave away possession in our half when Eve Perisset’s pass did not reach its target. The Reds moved the ball forward quickly for Natasha Dowie to cross. Wing-back Emma Koivisto was at the far post to turn it in.

Erin Cuthbert mounted a response with a shot from distance but that went well over. It was the start of almost non-stop Chelsea attacking for the rest of the half.

A James run won a free-kick. Perisset curled it around the wall but without sufficient power to trouble Faye Kirby between the Liverpool posts.

The Blues were applying pressure but Gemma Bonner tackled strongly as Kerr pulled the trigger. Then with 15 minutes played came a genuinely clear-cut chance, made when Perisset threaded the ball skilfully through but Guro Reiten’s shot, one-on-one with the keeper, was saved.

Kirby then kept out a Kerr header from a Fleming cross. Our top scorer is more used to linking up with someone with that name than being denied by them! The Liverpool keeper was playing her first WSL match.

Soon Fleming had the chance to go for goal herself but sent the ball narrowly wide. Hayes’ side were finding room to attack down the Liverpool right.

Charles makes it count

The goal, when it came, was from the other side of the pitch however, a corner paying big dividends. It was Perisset who delivered the ball into the near-post area and Charles was there to flick it expertly into the far side of the net.

It had begun to look as if we would go into the dressing room at half-time under the stress of being behind. The 41st-minute leveller was most welcome.

We could have conceded in stoppage time before the break however, and were thankful Perisset was back in the right place to make a vital interception inside the six-yard box when Dowie was shaping up to score.

Building to a crescendo

The formation switched to a back-four at the start of the second half but Hayes made further changes before 10 minutes of it were played by introducing Pernille Harder and Jelena Cankovic.

Both substitutes showed early signs of their qualities with Cankovic crossing threateningly to the far post and Harder very close to reaching it.

With 20 minutes remaining, Kerr fired from an angle and even though that did not quite go in, Harder again was stretching in a vain attempt to make the vital contact. Surely another goal was coming!

Kerr and Harder missed the target with further shots and Reiten had the ball in the net but the offside whistle had gone some seconds earlier. Frustrating!

There was still time - and it took the best-hit shot of the game to set up the crucial chance for Kerr. From outside the area, Fleming let fly first time. The shot smacked into the top of the post but cannoned back to Kerr who slotted beyond Kirby’s right hand.

Three vital points in the bag.

What's next?

We have visitors from Merseyside again on Sunday, for another of our remaining WSL matches. Kick-off against Everton is 6.45pm.

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Berger; Perisset, Carter, Eriksson (c); Charles, Cuthbert (Cankovic 54), Leupolz (Rytting Kaneryd 80), Reiten; James (Harder 54), Fleming (Ingle 88); Kerr.

Unused subs Musovic, Abdullina.

Scorers Charles 41, Kerr 86

Liverpool (5-3-2): Kirby; Koivisto, Bonner, Roberts, Matthews, Hinds (c); Kearns (Humphrey 82), Taylor (Robe 68), Holland (Lundgaard 60); Van de Sanden (Stengel 68), Dowie.

Unused subs Laws, Cumings.

Scorer Koivisto 2

Booked Koivisto 34, Kirby 85