Chelsea 1–0 Manchester City: Baltimore's strike sends Chelsea top of the WSL and hands the champions a first defeat
Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to go top of the Women's Super League, Sandy Baltimore firing the only goal in first-half stoppage time. City, the champions, lost for the first time this season and finished with 10 players after goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita was sent off on 75 minutes for bringing down Alyssa Thompson. Chelsea have 26 points from 10 matches, one ahead of City, and are now the league's only unbeaten side.
Key points
- Chelsea 1–0 Manchester City at Stamford Bridge — Baltimore's stoppage-time strike settled first against second.
- City lost for the first time this season and played the last 15 minutes with 10 after Yamashita's red card.
- Chelsea go top on 26 points from 10 games, one ahead of City, and are the league's only unbeaten side.
Watch: the moment itself
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Video: BBC Women's Football · Watch on YouTube
What happened
The division's only two unbeaten teams met with top spot at stake: City started the day two points clear, and Chelsea's first shot on target — Baltimore's fierce finish from the right corner of the box — decided it.
City pressed better after the break and nearly levelled more than once, but the sending-off left them chasing the game a player down.
Match facts — all verified
- ✓ VerifiedChelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in the Women's Super League on Saturday; Sandy Baltimore scored the only goal just before half-time, in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.Manchester City — 10-player City fall to first defeat of the season at Chelsea (14 Nov 2026) · Reuters — Chelsea hand champions Man City first WSL defeat this season to go top (14 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedCity goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita was sent off on 75 minutes for bringing down Alyssa Thompson as she ran through on goal; substitute Eartha Cumings finished the match in goal, and Aggie Beever-Jones hit the crossbar from the free kick that followed.Manchester City — 10-player City fall to first defeat of the season at Chelsea (14 Nov 2026) · Reuters — Chelsea hand champions Man City first WSL defeat this season to go top (14 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedThe win moves Chelsea top of the WSL on 26 points from 10 matches, one point ahead of City, whose nine-game unbeaten start to the league season ended; Chelsea are now the division's only unbeaten side. Vivianne Miedema returned for City, playing her first WSL minutes since March.Reuters — Chelsea hand champions Man City first WSL defeat this season to go top (14 Nov 2026) · Manchester City — 10-player City fall to first defeat of the season at Chelsea (14 Nov 2026)
- ✓ VerifiedChelsea next visit Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday; City travel to BK Häcken in Sweden the same evening.Reuters — Chelsea hand champions Man City first WSL defeat this season to go top (14 Nov 2026) · Manchester City — 10-player City fall to first defeat of the season at Chelsea (14 Nov 2026)
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The result, the scorer, the red card and the new standings are settled across the club's own report and Reuters.
What we don't know yet
- The length of Yamashita's suspension — it had not been confirmed in the reporting read.