Sonia Bompastor reflects on 'frustrating' shock Chelsea draw | OneFootball

Sonia Bompastor has urged her players to look at the bigger picture following their disappointing 2-2 draw away at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

The reigning champions league leaders were held for just the second time this season, having to come from behind just to snatch a point on the south coast ad avoid defeat. Despite initially taking the lead through Sandy Baltimore, Marisa Olislagers put the hosts back on level terms shortly after, and captain Vicky Losada fired them in front before half-time.

Just as she was in a comeback win over Everton last time out, Lauren James was the saviour with a second half equaliser to keep Chelsea's unbeaten run firmly intact. Despite the fact 30 minutes were left on the clock after the goal, Bompastor's side were unable to find a late winner.

The manager has reminded her players and the fans alike to keep perspective as they maintain a strong lead at the top of the table. The work put in at the start of the season to push so far ahead in the title race has allowed for one or two wobbles in the business end of the campaign.

"I said to the team at the end, of course it's really frustrating and we love to win and hate to drop points, but we have to look at the bigger picture," Bompastor told the club website after the game. "We are five points clear and that's the main thing.

"We need to realise no game is going to be easy until the end of the season. We need to keep the right mindset and be ready to attack every game with the right intentions."

Naomi Girma's Chelsea debut ended prematurely / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages

One of the big talking points from the game against the Seagulls was record signing Naomi Girma's debut for the Blues. She made her first appearance for the club following a big-money move from San Diego Wave in January and lasted a little over 50 minutes before signalling to the bench to come off with a niggle.

"She's learning about the league, the team and her teammates," Bompastor added, highlighting that Girma will need time to adapt. "As you could see, the first game is never easy because it's a competitive league.

"It was good for us to have her start this game, building minutes and being able to play with the team. We'll need to assess her tomorrow, but it doesn't look too bad, but we will see."

Chelsea will hope Girma's injury isn't too serious as they were already without Niamh Charles, Guro Reiten, Maika Hamano and Erin Cuthbert. The majority of those players returned from international duty with minor injuries, while Cuthbert is still recovering from a rib issue sustained last month.

Now, attention shifts to a midweek WSL clash against Leicester City, brought forward from its original date due to Chelsea's League Cup final involvement. Wednesday's game will be followed by the visit of Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The month will then conclude with four matches back-to-back against Manchester City across the League Cup final, WSL and Champions League.