The Halfway Line spoke to Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert after the Blues triumphed 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City.The Scottish international spoke on how she is enjoying her new role in the midfield under Sonia Bompastor.
Despite missing a small part of the opening of season through injury, Cuthbert noted that she is comfortable and capable to deliver what is asked of her, saying “I’m really enjoying it. I feel like I’m now back to a position where I feel capable and a good physical condition to be able to do about what I do in the game.”
When asked about the result, Cuthbert expressed “I’m happy- delighted. It’s exactly where we want to be with an 100% record right now. Again, the league’s not won or lost yet.”
“The postponement of the game [against Manchester United], we were on catch up a little bit, but it feels good to be back to the top. So hopefully we can stay there.”
High praise for ‘brilliant’ Chelsea teammates
Guro Reiten and Mayra Ramírez were the goal scorers at Stamford Bridge, with the two players both in firing form so far this season. Cuthbert packed on the praise for her teammates, expressing ” [They’re] brilliant. You just feed them the ball, and they know how to find the net. So, you know they’re causing all sorts of problems up there. It’s really enjoyable to play behind them.”
Maika Hamano put in a masterclass shift against the Cityzens, in what was perhaps her best performance in a Chelsea shirt thus far. The young Japanese midfielder has performed well since the start of Bompastor’s reign in West London, and limited the impact of Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa whilst also being Chelsea’s main creative outlet on the night.
Cuthbert, with a beaming smile, said on the youngster: “Honestly, she runs for days. The energy that girl’s got is unbelievable, and the legs she’s got is just incredible. She had pretty much one job to do today, and she was just outstanding at that job.
The midfielder added, “I think a lot of their game comes through Hasegawa, so to do a little bit of a job on her was was a bit of a thankless task. You know, she executed it brilliantly.”
Chelsea ‘exactly where we want to be’ says Cuthbert
The last time the two sides met in London, Manchester City broke Chelsea’s unbeaten streak at home in a 1-0 win at Kingsmeadow. Cuthbert was quick to remind the media that a few things had changed since then, noting “It’s new manager, new surroundings, new everything.”
Speaking on what motivated the team heading into Saturday’s meeting with City, Cuthbert explained “I think for us, we just want to get back to the top of the table. It was pretty clear or objective. We wanted to win at home and the fans really helped us.”
Chelsea now prepare for two more games before the international break, as they host Celtic and Manchester United over the coming week. Speaking on where she deems Chelsea to be, Cuthbert said “We’ve got a lot to go, it’s exactly where we want to be right now.”
“We’ve got a tough game coming up midweek against Celtic, they made it really tough for us [last week]. Then obviously, Manchester United. So the games are coming thick and fast, so if we’re not on it then, then that’s when we get punished. I think, Sonia has made it clear that she wants us on it from the first person, it doesn’t matter who’s playing.”
