Chelsea’s Women's Super League game with Liverpool abandoned after seven minutes due to frozen pitch

ByAlex Livie

Published 22/01/2023 at 14:53 GMT

Chelsea's clash with Liverpool in the Women's Super League at Kingsmeadow on Sunday lasted seven minutes before the match was abandoned due to a frozen pitch. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes and her Liverpool counterpart Matt Beard were extremely unhappy with the turn of events, as they felt the pitch was never fit for play despite the best efforts of groundstaff.

There were farcical scenes at Kingsmeadow, as Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool in the Women’s Super League on Sunday was abandoned after seven minutes due to a frozen pitch.

Despite the cold conditions and concerns from both camps, the pitch was passed fit for play in the morning of the game and again before kick-off.

When the game got underway, players found it difficult to keep their feet to indicate there was a problem.

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Referee Paul Howard was concerned to the extent that he summoned both managers for a discussion, and the game was abandoned a short while later.

Chelsea coach Emma Hayes was understandably frustrated, as she said: “You could see from the opening minutes it was like an ice rink down the side. I’m upset it even got to this stage, but it’s for the FA and officials to determine whether it’s on.

“We’ve got to take our game seriously, we can have blowers on the pitch but it’s not enough. Everybody wants to get the game on and when you’ve got emotions – say, one team wants to play, one team doesn’t want to play – you need someone else to take the decision. There’s no FA here.”

Ice is seen as ground staff members prepare the pitch after the covers are removed prior to the FA Women's Super League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Kingsmeadow

Image credit: Getty Images

With money being pumped into the women’s game, Hayes said the next step is investment in facilities.

“Investment has gone in to surfaces, the next stop is undersoil heating everywhere, we don’t live in Barbados,” Hayes said.

Hayes’ Liverpool counterpart Matt Beard said a decision should have been made to call the game off in the morning which would have saved Reds fans a wasted journey.

“I don’t know why you had to play six or seven minutes to see it was frozen,” Beard said. “It was frozen this morning, frozen in the warmup.

“I’m just gutted for our fans who got up at 5 o’clock this morning to be here. We said we were unhappy to play on it and the ref said it was alright.

“Whoever made the decision for the game to be on, it’s put players at risk today. We’ve seen Niamh Charles, Megan Campbell, Melissa Lawley slip over.

“It should have been called off at 9.30, they’d spoken about moving it back to 2 o’clock but stuck with 12.30.”

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