Blues into 6th round of FA cup, coming from behind to beat Everton 4-1
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium
Chelsea 4 v Everton 1 FA Cup 5th round
Chelsea made hard work of it but eventually class told as the Blues dispatched a rugged but attack-shy Everton 4-1 to cruise into the sixth round of the FA Cup.
Everton had the audacity to take the lead, but it was a great one from Sara Holmgaard, straight from a corner.
Catarina Macario set the tone for the comeback with a spot kick on 36 minutes and the goals came from Mayra Ramirez, Maika Hamano with her first touch from off the bench and late one by a Sandy Baltimore spot kick.
It was a slow start by the home side and a low defence block by the away side, so typical of teams playing the Blues which dominated the opening exchanges.
But the first effort of the game was a surprise header by Niamh Charles on six minutes which, while on target, failed to trouble Courtney Brosnan.
But it was Everton who took the lead on 17 minutes.
It was a goal straight from a corner that Hannah Hampton could do nothing about but watch the ball sail into the far corner of her net from s powerful Sara Holmgaard effort.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had a header blocked for a corner two minutes later as Chelsea sought a quick equaliser.
James had a couple of near post shot on target, but nether suggested a goal.
Ashley Lawrence picked up the ball on the right and powered in to the area, where she was upended by Emma Watson and a penalty was awarded.
Up stepped Catarina Macario who thumped the ball home to make it 1-1 on 36 minutes.
The comeback was complete seconds into added time and it came from the right boot of Mayra Ramirez who found space on the left, and took advantage of Brosnan's error in trying to reach the ball. It allowed the Colombia striker time and space to loft the ball over the stranded keeper and drop into the back of her net to make it 2-1.
There were no changes by the home side at half-time.
Ramirez had the first chance of the restart but slammed her right-footer I to the near side netting on 54 minutes.
Charles then had a long-range effort go wide.
The first change saw Charles exit the pitch for Sandy Baltimore.
Chelsea soon brought on Maika Hamano and Sjoeke Nusken, off went Macario and Rytting Kaneryd.
Hamano too just two minutes to score with her first touch on 71 minutes.
A James free-kick was headed on by Ramirez. The ball hit the base o the goal and into the path of the in-running japan attacking midfielder who tapped home to make it 3-1.
Another double substitution saw Aggie Beever-Jones and Oriane Jean-Francois on for Ramirez and Keira Walsh with 13 minutes left on the clock.
Nathalie Bjorn left the pitch injured on 86 minutes, but as they had already made their five substitutions, they had to play out the match with 10 players.
Jean-Francois too Bjorn's centre-back position.
Chelsea were given a penalty when the lineswoman suggested to the referee Harley Hetherington that Beever-Jones was fouled by Lucy Hope After consultation between the pair she eventually pointed to the spot.
Baltimore coolly dispatched the spot kick to make it 4-1.And that was that.
Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Ramirez, Cuthbert, Macario, James, Lawrence, Bjorn, Rytting Kaneryd, Charles, Walsh
Subs: Liefting, Nusken, Reiten, Baltimore, Kaptein, Hamano, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones
Everton: Brosnan, Mjelde, Fernandez, Hayashi, Payne, Ladd, |Hope, Watson, Holmgaard, Snoeijs, Gago
Subs: Ramsey, Vanhaevermaet, Lawley, Payne, Sarri, Stenevik, Thomas, Olesen
Referee: Harley Hetherington
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