Chelsea FC Women

Chelsea thrashed already relegated Bristol City 8-0 in the Women’s Super League on Sunday evening at Kingsmeadow as they moved three points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand and wiped out the goal difference advantage that the Citizens had.

Guro Reiten scored four, Aggie Beever-Jones a brace and Sjoeke Nusken and Niamh Charles got one each for Chelsea as the title race was blown wide open again.

Emma Hayes’ last home match as the Blues manager stated with her walking out with her son Harry to loud cheers from the Chelsea fans and finished with her telling the crowd “let me be clear, it’s not f*cking over, there’s a title to be won.”

It was all Chelsea in the opening period of the match with lots of attacking play as they looked to score an early goal and close the gap to Manchester City after they had lost to Arsenal earlier in the day, and the first chance came in the second minute but Maika Hamano sent her shot wide.

Charles got forward for the hosts in the 5th minute and was brought down in the area by Jasmine Bull with referee Stacey Fullicks pointing to the spot.  Reiten sent the ball low into the corner of the net then rushed back with it to the halfway line, an indication they wanted to score a few goals.

The visitors first chance came in the 10th minute when Zecira Musovic first kept out Carrie Jones’ effort from close-range but also stop the rebound as well.

The home side were almost relentless in their attacking but the Robins stopped any clear attempts at goal with some tackles and blocks, then Beever-Jones curled a shot just wide in the 18th minute. 

Beever-Jones then couldn’t get clean contact on a header with the ball being claimed by Bentley.

Following a scramble after a corner, Nusken bundled the ball in from close-range to score Chelsea’s second in the 23rd minute. 

Bristol City couldn’t keep hold of the ball for long when they did have possession with their clearances going straight back to a player in a blue shirt.  Beever-Jones couldn’t get on the end of a Reiten cross in the 32nd minute. 

In some rare first half attacks from the visitors, Amalie Thestrup skied an effort two minutes later, then Ffion Morgan’s run down the right finished with her cross being cleared by Nathalie Bjorn soon after.   Emily Syme’s strike then went out of the ground as the Robins had another chance.

In the final minute of the half, Erin Cuthbert’s shot from just outside the area was deflected and spun behind for a corner.   Beever-Jones almost scored a third Chelsea goal with the last action of the half but her acrobatic effort went wide of the post.

Fran Kirby came on at half time for her last home appearance for the Blues whilst Maren Mjelde came on later in the second half after it had been announced during the week that both players would be leaving in the club in the summer.

Bristol City had the first opportunity of the second half but Jones saw her effort roll across the front of goal.  Ella Powell’s cross from the left found Morgan but she put the ball narrowly wide in the 52nd minute as the visitors went close to getting a goal back.

Chelsea quickly went down the other end and immediately made it 3-0 with Beever-Jones being played in by Cuthbert and finishing low past Fran Bentley.

Reiten scored her second of the night and the Blues fourth in the 56th minute when she run at the visitors defence before sending her strike from the edge of the area in off the far post.

Just after coming on as a substitute for the hosts, along with fellow attacking player Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Catarina Macario smashed a half volley just over the crossbar after a corner was cleared only as far as her.

Thestrup had an effort for the visitors after a quick attack but this was easily caught by Musovic in the 69th minute.

Reiten completed her hat-trick in the 70th minute to make it 5-0 when she picked up Macario’s pass and blasted the ball into the net from a tight angle.

Four minutes later it was 6-0 when Macario’s free kick found Charles coming in at the far post and she drove the ball home from close-range.

The hosts looked like they could score with every attack and Hamano put an effort over seconds later.

Chelsea scored a seventh, and wiped out the goal difference gap, in the 77th minute and Reiten her fourth with a wonderful strike from just outside the area.

Kirby had a chance to score but Bentley denied her.  The crowd were willing for her to score in her final Kingsmeadow appearance, screaming for her to shot whenever she had the ball around the penalty area.

Beever-Jones got on the end of Reiten’s cross and from 6-yards out headed in Chelsea’s eighth goal in the 88th minute.

In stoppage time, Bristol City’s Sarah Stratigakis saw her low shot go just wide of the post whilst for the Blues Rytting Kaneryd saw her strike pushed away by Bentley then Reiten’s cross hit the top of the crossbar.

When speaking to the media after the match, Hayes praised her side saying “the players demonstrated everything I have taught them over the years, they drove it and had belief.”  She added “my team will not give up” and “we aren’t going to lie down easily, we are alive”.

Hayes felt Chelsea had to score at least six goals in this match to give them a chance of still winning the title and even she had forgotten how many they had scored in the end.

Line-ups

Chelsea (4-3-3): Musovic, Perisset (Rytting Kaneryd 63’), Bright (c), Bjorn (Mjelde 82’), Charles, Nusken (Kirby 46’), Ingle (Macario 63’), Cuthbert, Hamano, Beever-Jones (Lawrence 90’+2), Reiten

Unused substitutes: Hampton, Carter, Leupolz, Buchanan

Goals – Reiten 6’ (pen), 56, 70’, 77’, Nusken 23’, Beever-Jones 52’, 88’, Charles 74’

Bristol City (4-5-1): Bentley, Bull (Ward 78’), Struck, Connolly (c), Powell, Morgan (Harrison 78’), Syme (Hayles 71’), Rodgers, Jones (Stratigakis 90’+2), Napier, Thestrup

Unused substitutes: Clark, Yanez, Evans, Slocombe, Kendell

Booked - Rodgers

Referee – Stacey Fullicks