Wolfsburg 4-0 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League – as it happened

That, then is us for tonight. Thanks all for your company, enjoy the rest of the night, and look after yourselves. Ta-ra!

Joining Wolfsburg and Juve in the knockouts are: Paris, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Lyon and Bayern. Tasty!

Wolfsburg started quickly and stayed on it. Chelsea had Jo’s chance for 2-1 just before half-time, but can’t point to anything else – they were inferior in every aspect. Emma Hayes will have to take some of the blame – her side were outnumbered in the middle of midfield and their combinations didn’t work – but the lack of intensity and making of basic errors is on the players. There’s plenty of blame to go around, no need to be sparing.

90+3 min Cuthbert curls in the free-kick, but it’s headed away easily enough.

90+2 min Harder, who’s done her best, skins Oberdorf on the outside, so Oberdorf scythes her legs away. Booking.

90+2 min Juventus now lead Servette 4-0.

90+1 min Leupolz clatters Rauch, searching for some kind of respectability, and she’s booked.

90 min There’ll be three added minutes. Chelsea need three goals.

89 min The brilliant Huth crosses from the right and Bright’s header falls for Oberdorf, who’s shot is deflected behind. The corner comes to nowt, but Chelsea have come much closer to losing 8-0 than to drawing 4-4.

86 min The group will decided on head-to-head between Chelsea, Wolfsburg and Juve, but Chelsea are also third on goal difference. The game they’ll regret is the goalless draw at home to the I bianconerri, but they’ve been absolutely gubbed in a decider, and when that happens you deserve what they’re getting, which is the cube root of nowt.

84 min That’s Wassmuth’s final contribution; she’s replaced by Wilms.

83 min And here comes Wassmuth again, hat-trick hunting! she turns up at inside-right, and this time tries an outswinger seeking the far post, and the ball skips a foot or so wide. Great effort.

82 min This has been a seriously chastening evening for Chelsea, who’ve been outplayed, out-thought and outfought – and we’ve not even commented on Stephan Lerch’s rig, grey jumper, white shirt underneath, black trouser and bright white trainers. The absolute shame.

81 min Wolfsburg send on Knaak for Roord, who’s been quietly competent.

77 min Chelsea have five up front now, but Cuthbert’s cross is headed away, then Harder ploughs through Wedermeyer and does well to evade a second yellow card.

76 min Fleming dinks a cross and Nouwen is up! But her looping header clips the bar, and goes over, with encouragement from Schult - I think.

75 min Chelsea win another corner, and again Schult comes for it and punches clear confidently. She’s not had loads to do, but she’s dealt with crosses very well indeed.

74 min Chelsea send on Fleming for Kirby, Charles for Carter and England for Reiten.

73 min I guess losing at this stage means avoiding a hiding from Barca at some later stage. Every cloud.

71 min Carter, who’s had a stinker, sends a tired cross at Lattwein, who finds Wassmuth in the middle ... but she leathers a shot into the side-netting. Wolfsburg look likelier to nab a fourth than Chelsea do a first.

70 min And Wolfsburg nearly score twice when it comes in, Wassmuth backheeling into shins, then Lattwein picking out Wedermyer with a cross, only for her to smash fresh air into the corner.

68 min Wassmuth pulls left and bounds down the line, but he cross has too much pop on it and flies over towards the opposite touchline, territory they parlay into a corner.

67 min And as I type that, my screen jumps, then I see Kirby dragging a shot wide.

67 min Juve now lead Servette 3-0, and Chelsea need two goals to run them out of it. When they played Wolfsburg at home, they were 3-1 down and came back to draw 3-3, but there’s no hint of any kind of comeback brewing.

66 min Lattwein buffets Harder and Harder’s had enough, swinging arm into torso; she’s booked.

65 min I guess Chelsea will rue that Ji miss just before half-time, but they’d been outplayed beforehand and haven’t done much since.

64 min I said during the first half that we’d barely seen Kerr, and the same is so over an hour in. Harder has done her best, but she’s been attacking the game on her own, with little support from around or behind.

62 min There’s a touch of Manchester United in the 90s about Chelsea, when the league titles keep coming but they’re really just the route for another go at Europe. It’s not going to be this season that they finally reach the holy grail.

59 min Oberdorfm who’s having a fine game, nudges a loose ball away from Leupolz who ploughs through her.

57 min Wolfsberg send on Bremer for Van de Sanden, who had a really good first half.

56 min Carter’s clearance goes straight to Rauch, out on the left, but she can’t create, then a hump over the top picks out Lattwein to finish it! But she shoots straight at Musovic, then the flag goes up.

55 min And Harder wins a corner which Wolfsburg can’t get clear, then Ji finds Reiten, who crosses ... and Kirby controls her volley well, but hits it straight at Schult.

54 min Chelsea really need to get Harder on the ball, then get around her; at the moment, she’s being forced to create by herself, because there’s no interplay of which to speak.

53 min Harder shioes Oberdorf over because she’s vex.

52 min Reiten humps over a ball from the left that Kerr touches off adroitly, but to no one – Harder isn’t quite there yet – and the flag goes up in any case.

51 min Eriksson can’t continue – though in fairness she’s not had a great night – replaced by Nouwen.

50 min Wolfsburg are playing in far more circumspect style now, looking to pass backwards when previously they went forward.

48 min Already, you can see there’s greater intensity and aggression about Chelsea, but Uefa still have them in third place. Juve now lead Servette 2-0.

46 min Immediately, Harder and Kerr combine, Harder slinging over a cross that’s a little long. But it’s coming to Kirby, beyond the far post, until Leupolz takes it away from her, heading over on the backpeddle.

46 min We go again. Can Chelsea force themselves back into this?

The players are back with us...

Meanwhile, at Anfield...

45 min There’ll be one added minute.

45 min Eriksson lands heavily on an ankle when jumping for the ball and looks in a fair bit of pain.

45 min This is good from Chelsea, Reiten, who’s been quiet, dipping inside off the left and letting one go, which Schult saves at the near post. She’s had a good first half.

44 min Chelsea could really use a goal before half-time and Cuthbert flights a ball over the top that Leupolz pulls down ... but not well enough to get a shot away.

41 min AND JI MUST SCORE! Kirby nips a decent pass into Kerr who, moving away from goal, backheels into Ji’s path! On the right of the box, she allows the ball across her body and drives low and hard, but not hard enough given the finish is to close to Schult and not close enough to her near post.

40 min Hayes has seen enough, sending on Ji for an extremely unhappy Ingle. She’ll know, though, that she’s been given the runaround.

38 min Gosh, almost a third for Wolfsburg! Wedemeyer crosses from the left and past the back post, Rauch crosses when Cuthbert misjudges the flight, but Van de Sanden’s flick is blocked by Bright.

37 min Yeah, Hayes is already talking to Ji. I’d get her on now for either Ingle or Leupolz; hell, I’d bring her on for both if I had to.

36 min Chelsea’s midfield is pretty much non-existent. Before the match, I wondered if they might be a bit too streetwise for Wolfsburg’s, but I’m a fool.

34 min ...and Wassuth is there in the middle when it comes in, but her first touch isn’t quite good enough to control a difficult ball.

33 min Rauch finds Wassmuth, who’s really coming on a game, and she forces a corner...

32 min It’s strange to say this about an Emma Hayes team, but Chelsea look really disjointed, an absolute mess. I’m surprised Ji is out of favour because she’s such a clever player, and her ability to find space and manipulate the ball is exactly wheat her team need.

31 min Kirby’s corner is decent, but Harder can’t quite get enough head to it, the ball skidding off her brow and away.

30 min Bit better from Chelsea, Ingle lumping on eo over the top and Harder control beautifully on the move, diddles Hendrich with clever feet, and because she’s got no support, has no option but to shoot from a tight angle; Schult turns it behind.

28 min Chelsea have created nothing, and since conceding the opening goal they’ve had a fair bit of the ball.

26 min As it stands, Chelsea will finish third and go out, so the Uefa site tells me - direct any arithmetical complains to them, please.

26 min Cuthbert crosses from the right and Kirby goes down inside the box; she wants a penalty, but the ref isn’t remotely interested.

22 min Oberdorf nicks away from Bright, who bodychecks her nevertheless.

21 min Yeah, Chelsea have woken up. Ingle finds Kerr who finds Kirby who crosses, but again Wolfsburg see it away without much fuss. The balance of play, though, has changed.

20 min Immediately, Chelsea have stepped it up, but again when they cross from the left, Schult punches clear. She’s commanding her box really well.

18 min Wolfsburg are dominating midfield at the moment, Huth and Oberdorf too slick for them. I wonder if we’ll see Ji at half-time, if things don’t change.

18 min Chelsea win a corner and Schult punches to Bright on the edge ... but she can’t quite work an angle for the shot.

15 min Juventus have taken the lead against Servette; them failing to win that one would be an outrageous shock.

15 min Harder races down the right and crosses low to the near post, where Reiten arrives ... but Hendrich is on-hand to clear.

14 min Van de Sanden crosses into Erikssen, winning the corner, which goes short, and Oberdorf shoots past the near post.

13 min Chelsea try and counter, Cuthbert sticking one in behind for Harder to chase, but Janssen gets body in between player and ball, and though Harder, being Harder, tries to run through her, the ref is having none of it.

11 min We’ve barely seen Sam Kerr thus far, and here come Wolfsburg – again down the right. Oberdorf crosses, and Carter does really well to control and clear a difficult ball.

10 min Apparently the first goal is going to be important. Great stuff from our commentary team.

9 min Nice from Wolfsburg, Oberdorf playing a one-two off Wassmuth and larruping a shot that bounds just by the far post.

8 min Lovely from Huth, who weaves into the box, leaving Eriksson for the second time tonight. But at the key moment, she rushes, unsure whether to pass or shoot, and the ball runs through to Musovic.

8 min Harder looks lively, turning up at centre-forward and trying to play Kirby in down the left, but Wedermeyer intercepts.

7 min I wonder if Wolfsburg will target the space down the side of Millie Bright, who’s a decent player but not that mobile, especially for someone playing with lots of space around them. That’s what I’d be doing, anyway.

5 min That said, it is Wolfsburg pushing the pace; they’re not threatening, but they are having more of the ball.

4 min Harder harries Rauch and that tells us plenty about how Chelsea are going to play – they’re not going to just let time pass, and as I type that, Harder skates into the box at inside-right, lashing a shot that flies just over the near angle.

2 min Nice from Huth, pulling right and squaring up Eriksson before swinging over a nasty low cross, but she slips in the delivery so Musovic collects easily enough.

1 min Wolfsburg have no choice but to go for this, and Chelsea don’t really know any other way; they might be tempted to sit back, but I can’t see Emma Hayes tolerating that.

1 min And off we go!

And here they come...

The players are tunnelling...

Thinking again about Chelsea’s weekend defeat, I guess Hayes rested her best players assuming the replacements would still get the job done. Before it, they’d not been beaten since that Arsenal game and avenged the defeat in the cup final. Which is to say they’re in decent form – as are Wolfsburg.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Lena Oberdrof gets on tonight. She’s only 19 and has a serious amount of talent; the question is whether she can handle the wiles and physicality of Chelsea’s midfield.

It’s hard to disagree with Thomas Frank at this point. Take a two-week break, start again in the new year.

Elsewhere...

In other Chelsea news...

But if we’re talking front threes, take a look at Chelsea’s! Kirby, Kerr, Harder is not a law firm but is the business – the absolute business – and it’s because of them that I think Chelsea will win tonight. Harder is an absolutely beautiful footballer, one of those players who you know is special the first and every subsequent time you see them play, while Kerr is just a force of nature and Kirby an excellent foil. Every time Emma Hayes submits a team sheet, she’s saying “Get out the way of that” and most teams can’t.

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, are top of Frauen-Bundesliga by a point – they also had a disappointing result at the weekend, drawing 1-1 at Leverkusen. Their front three of Van de Sanden, Wassmuth and Roord represent a proper threat, but Chelsea are much more settled than they were when the teams drew 3-3 at Kingsmeadow.

As a result of that defeat, Chelsea are four points behind Arsenal at the top of the table, having worked hard to close the gap that opened when they lost at the Emirates on the season’s opening weekend. They’ve improved a lot since then – in fairness, they looked undercooked and still made it close – which made that defeat all the more surprising.

Chelsea are without Ann-Katrin Berger and Drew Spence, who’re coronad, and Spence is one of four players – England, Fleming and Andersson are the others – who started the weekend’s shock defeat at Reading but don’t start tonight. Kirby and Harder were rested for that one and they return, likewise Ingle and Reiten.