When Chelsea defeated Liverpool 6-3 a fortnight ago, no-one would imagine that two games later Emma Hayes’s side would fail to find the back of the net and be facing a confidence crisis.

Yet here we are, last week’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup final was followed by a 2-0 defeat at home to unbeaten Manchester City on Thursday night.

The league’s most fearsome foursome have struggled to find any form in the two outings and this latest defeat has started to raise questions about how good this team really is.

There is no question that Hayes has built a dominant team. The problem is, they are starting to become flat-track bullies and when lining up against teams that are stronger than them or sides that allow nothing in behind the defence, Chelsea are struggling to come up with any answers.

The ease in which City defended at Wheatsheaf Park made it seem like supporters in attendance were not watching the top two teams in the Women’s Super League.

Drew Spence spurned a glorious chance at 0-0 but couldn’t beat Karen Bardsley.

And when Demi Stokes put the visitors a goal up just before the break, it wasn’t surprising. Nick Cushing’s side had the better chances in the opening 45 minutes and deserved to take the lead.

At 1-0, there was still a chance for Chelsea to nick a goal against the run of play but that hope ended when Jennifer Beatie’s deflected header found the back of the net.

The introduction of Gemma Davison gave the Blues some impetus, as she constantly beat Stokes but her final ball often found a light blue shirt instead of a dark one.

Another substitute, Ji So Yun, had Chelsea’s best chance but leant back when shooting from inside the box and saw the ball cannon off the bar, bounce on the line and then bounce back out.

Goal-line technology may have given the goal to Ji but there was little argument from the Chelsea players, suggesting that either the ball never did cross the line or that they had given up the will to fight after a very difficult week.

If it is the latter, Hayes will have to dig deep to lift the spirits in the dressing room or risk seeing the season unravel very quickly.