Chelsea see off resolute Charlton 4-0 to reach 5th Round of FA Cup
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium
Chelsea 4 v Charlton Ath 0
FA Cup 4th Round
It was always going to be a Chelsea win, but Charlton can hold their heads up high and be proud of a robust, resolute display against the champions of England.
The 4-0 scoreline reflects accurately the difference in ability, style of play and ultimate class between the two sides, but the Blues had to work to get their openings.
Charlton can now, in footballing parlance, concentrate on getting away from the lower ends of the Championship, while the west Londoners can confidently look forward to greater success in the FA Cup.
Chelsea started tentatively, which is exactly what Charlton wanted, and the visitors even had a couple of half-chances early on, which Hannah Hampton dealt with effectively.
Charlton's two defensive backs remained solid, thwarting Chelsea who could not find any space o attack.
A shot by Lauren James on 22 minutes, was the first effort by the Blues on goal. Jessica Gray was equal to the task.
Another James pinger and an Erin Cuthbert blaster suggested the Blues were getting closer, and on 40 minutes their possession superiority was justified as a byline clipped backwards header by Mayra Ramirez looped over Gray and into the back of the net.
A terrific finger-tip save by Gray thwarted Ramirez on 43 minutes with her near post header.
Into added time and referee Joanne Hornwood awarded The Blues a penalty when Ramirez was bundled over.
Up stepped Guro Reiten who coolly slotted home number two.
With the game just about won, head coach Sonia Bompastor opted to make three substitutions, off went James, Sandy Baltimore, and Catarina Macario – on came Aggie Beever-Jones, Niamh Charles, and Wieke Kaptein.
Beever-Jones took just three minutes to notch her goal and the Blues' third when she slotted home a smart left-footer.
Cuthbert's day ended along with Ramirez on 55 minutes – on came Maika Hamano and Sjoeke Nusken.
It was all over on 73 minutes when following a fine team move, Charles was running in and smacked the ball home from the edge of the penalty area to make it number four.
Another sensational last-gasp save from Gray denied Beever-Jones a simple rap-in after a lung-busting run on nth right by Lucy Bronze set up thee striker,-. Gray's sublime, acrobatic parry, clipp3d the goal-bound ball over the crossbar.
As the game drifted to the last embers of added time, Kaptein crashed to the ground following a challenge.
She was treated for ten minutes before being carried off on a stretcher.
Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Ramirez, Cuthbert, Macario, James, Reiten, Bjorn, Baltimore, Bronze, Jean-Francois
Subs: Musovic, Nusken, Lawrence, Perisset, Kaptein, Charles, Hamano, Bernabe, Beever-Jones
Charlton: Gray, Newsham, N'Dow, Pearse, Bradley, Filis, Brazil, Hutton, Barton, Muya, Skells
Subs: Whitehouse, Siber, Bashford, O'Rouke, Primus, Chime, Mitchell-Ramon
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