Chelsea Held to Champions League Draw Against Barcelona
In a highly anticipated Women's Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea and Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw on Thursday, November 20, 2025. The match, valid for Matchday 5 of the competition, saw both sides sharing the spoils after a tightly contested affair.
Chelsea took the lead in the 16th minute through a stunning strike from Australian international Ellie Carpenter. After receiving a pass from Aggie Beever-Jones, Carpenter drove forward before unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the area that found the back of the net.
However, Barcelona responded swiftly, with Ewa Pajor leveling the score just eight minutes later. Following a corner, the ball fell to Pajor in a crowded box, and she made no mistake, smashing her shot into the roof of the net.
The first half was briefly disrupted by technical issues, causing a delay in play. Despite the setback, both teams remained focused and continued to create chances.
In the second half, Chelsea thought they had regained the lead when Catarina Macario, who had just come on as a substitute, headed the ball in, but her effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. The decision left Chelsea players and fans frustrated, as they believed they had found a late winner. Carpenter then missed a golden opportunity to secure the victory for the hosts, failing to hit the target from close range.
Chelsea captain Erin Cuthbert stated that the team's performance was the most important thing. The draw means Barcelona are currently top of the group, while Chelsea sit in sixth position. Only the top four teams will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals.
The match was a tactical battle, with both teams effectively canceling each other out. While Barcelona have dominated previous encounters, Chelsea displayed a much-improved performance and were unfortunate not to come away with all three points. A draw was arguably a fair result, with Chelsea producing 0.99 expected goals (xG) to Barcelona's 0.91. Both sides registered three shots on target from nine total attempts.
