Sonia Bompastor not looking for excuses after Chelsea draw as Villa earn first win under Natalia Arroyo

Sonia Bompastor refused to use fatigue as an excuse after Chelsea dropped points to West Ham on Sunday. Goals from Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones fired the Blues to a 2-0 lead within 21 minutes, but Shekiera Martinez’s second-half double meant the Hammers stole a point. It was the first time in more than seven years that Chelsea had squandered a two-goal lead in the WSL. The reigning champions went into the match having played Manchester City four times in 12 days, but Bompastor did not want to make any excuses. “It’s always difficult with this quick turnaround to have all the energy but that’s not an excuse,” the manager said. “We are Chelsea, we have the depth in the squad and the quality in the squad enough to finish this block with a better result. But sometimes it happens.” Emillia Hawkins