Back in April, the margins between Chelsea and Barcelona seemed unbridgeable, 4-1 defeats home and away cementing the sense that European football's finest club were streaking away from the field. Seven months later and the English champions know just how close they are.

What were the margins Thursday? The inches that Ellie Carpenter somehow contrived to find when it seemed so much easier for the scorer of a brilliant opener to double her tally. The flick of the post that denied Wieke Kaptein off Alyssa Thompson's delicate touch. The subatomic particles by which Catarina Macario was offside when her header had unleashed delirium at Stamford Bridge.

On many another day, this would have been a win to send a statement to the rest of Europe. Then again, if Chelsea continue to perform at this

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