Blues in seventh heaven as they clip Eagles wings in devastating fashion, winning 7-0 at Selhurst Park
By Paul Lagan at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace 0 v Chelsea 7
Chelsea were in seventh heaven as their class, technical ability and experience routed newbies Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park, to continue their 100 per cent win record this season.
Guro Reiten hit a brace and the other scorers were Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze, Lauren James, Natalie Bjorn, and Catarina Macario
The Eagles will hope that they can improve on their resolute defensive attitude and turn the display into last-gasp clearances to halt the tide of goals conceded.
At the other end of the pitch, quick counter-attacks were the order of the day, but a lack of clinical finishing could not turn half-chances into goals.
The Blues on the other hand look like they are going to be once again a serious force to be reckoned with.
A speculative angled effort by Katie Stengel, on three minutes did little to trouble Hannah Hampton, but could suggest the value of the quick breakaway if Chelsea right back Lucy Bronze was not back quick enough to protect the area.
A bit of a shambolic defending at the other end, almost saw Aggie Beever-Jones score but the ball was ping-ponged away for a corner.
This was quickly followed by a trademark Lauren James run and shot on eight minutes, but her left-footer went over the crossbar.
James got a yellow card on 15 minutes for a needless bundle off the pitch of Josie Green.
Chelsea continued to dominate the ball without clear cut chances, while Palace were holding their back line well and hoping for a sniff of an effort on the break.
Palace's resistance was broken in the worst possible way on 39 minutes.
Thinking they were going to score at the other end, with another quick breakaway, the ball was intercepted by Millie Bright who thumped it forwards to Joanna Rytting Kaneryd. The winger powered I to the Palace penalty area and cut the ball back to in-running Beever-Jones who smashed the ball past Yanez to put the WSL champions 1-0 up.
Palace almost equalised two minutes later when sloppy defending allowed Blanchard to clip the ball just wide of Hannah Hampton's left post.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
It took just three minutes for Chelsea to nab number two.
Lauren James took a quick free-kick on the left – tapping the ball to Ashley Lawrence. The left back scooped the ball in to the box where a glancing header by defender Aimee Everett saw the ball fall invitingly to Bronze, who, rather than just smashing the ball wildly – struck a beautiful shot, that hod power and accuracy and it ended up inside the far cornet of Yanez's net.
Eagles boss Laura Kaminski replaced Indiah-Paige Riley with Molly-Mae Sharpe on 54 minutes.
Chelsea then replaced Rytting Kaneryd and Cuthbert with Maya Ramirez and Wieke Kaptein.
Ramirez's first touch of the ball was to set up James who just tapped in from close range on 58 minutes to make it 3-0.
Soon it was time for more Chelsea players to get minutes under their belts – on came Sandy Baltimore and Eve Perisset – off trotted Bronze and Lawrence.
Palace have had their half-chances, Stengel, again saw a half-volley inch wide of Hampton's left post on 68 minutes.
Catarina Macario then entered the pitch replacing Sjoeke Nusken on 70 minutes.
Four minutes later and a clinical passage of intricate one-touch play by the Blues cut the Eagles apart and Guro Reiten, so often on the spot without being given the ball, was this time, and arrowed home a smart left-footer from just inside the home side's penalty area.
Macario takes all the set pieces , and on 77 minutes a corner by her was not cleared by Eagles at all and it fell to Nathalie Bjorn who tucked home easily.
Ashleigh Weerden came on for Green a minute later.
Reiten then slotted home on the 90 minutes to make it six while Macario slide home number seven seep into added time.
Teams: Palace' Yanez, Veje, Gibbons, Cato, Everett, Blanchard, Green, Riley, Geji, Woodham, Stengel
Subs: Maj-Majasaari, Sharpe, Weerden, Pritchard, Larkin, Atkinson
Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Nusken, Cuthbert, James, Reiten, Lawrence, Bjorn, Kaneryd, Bronze, Beever-Jones
Subs: Musovic, Ramirez, Macario, Perisset, Baltimore, Kaptein, Hamano, Mpome, Buchanan
Referee: Emily Heaslip
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