Chelsea will face Barcelona in the Women's Champions League semi-finals for a third straight season after a rampant first half against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge earned a narrow 3-2 aggregate success.

Holders Barca had breezed past Wolfsburg earlier on Thursday, but Chelsea had rather more work to do in the finale of their four-game series against City.

While the Blues had won two of the sides' three previous meetings, their sole defeat in the first leg of this quarter-final tie meant City were in a strong position heading into the return fixture.

Yet that did not last long as Chelsea quickly took control in a decisive 3-0 victory.

Sandy Baltimore thundered in a 14th-minute opener after Lucy Bronze had hit the post, before the scorer turned provider for Nathalie Bjorn's header from a corner.

There was time for Chelsea to get the vital third before half-time, too, as Lauren James pounced on a loose pass and teed up Mayra Ramirez to bundle in.

Now with something to lose, Chelsea were not quite so confident after the restart, although Erin Cuthbert's strike against the crossbar was the closest either team came to adding to the scoring.

City created precious little and will rue the damage Chelsea have done to their season, beating them in the League Cup final, Women's Super League and now the Champions League in the past fortnight.

WE BELIEVED. https://t.co/q0QLW8ai8a

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 27, 2025

Data debrief: Blues bounce back before big Barca test

The first leg saw Chelsea beaten by a fellow British side for the first time in the Women's Champions League, but normal service resumed back at the Bridge.

And perhaps there was a positive omen in being made to work for this two-legged victory, too. This was only the second time Chelsea had advanced from a knockout tie in this competition after losing the first leg, with the other example coming en route to their only final appearance to date in 2020-21.

Of course, their subsequent opponents in the final were Barcelona, who blew Chelsea away as they have done so routinely in recent seasons. The Blues will have to beat the best to be the best in Europe.