League Cup semi beckons for the Blues after 5-0 thrashing of dogged Durham
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium
Chelsea 5 v Durham 0
Chelsea cruised to the expected high-margin victory over Durham and are in the semi-final of the League cup again.
The 5-0 scoreline did not reflect the true dominance between the sides. In truth, the west Londoners should have done better and scored more.
The North East side, fifth in the Championship came to defend, and hope for a break. They defended well, but never got a break as such – a corner with two minutes left on the clock, the best they achieved.
A sensational 25 yarder by Maika Hamano on four minutes was almost just rewards for a complete domination of the opening exchanges.
But goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders was equal to the task and finger-tipped the ball away with her right hand for a corner.
Lots of possession, but little by way of goalmouth action followed. While there was a sense of inevitability about which team would score, the longer the match progressed, the greater the confidence of the opposition would grow.
That inevitably occurred on 23 minutes when following a quick free-kick taken in the Chelsea half, Durham were caught out and the ball was fed wide before being sent into the six-yard box where Aggie Beever-Jones was on hand to almost loop the ball with her head into the back of the net.
A Hamano turn and shot, on 27 minutes was looking like number two, but Saunders was again in position to snaffle the effort.
Skipper for the night Guro Reiten thought she would try a turn and shot, and, like Hamano's it was goal bound on 33 minutes, but also like Hamano's, Saunders made the save look easy.
Chelsea replaced Johanna Rytting Kaneryd with Wieke Kaptein at half-time.
The Blues doubled their lead through a thumper from Orian Jean-Francois on 62 minutes.
The Blues then made two subs off went Beever-Jones, for Catarina Macario, Nusken came off for Erin Cuthbert.
They were followed by Eve Perisset for Nathalie Bjorn on 65 minutes.
Cuthbert does what she normally does, dominate the ball and the area she inhabits, but she also scores and she bundled over number three on 73 minutes.
Oh dear! substitute goalkeeper Rylee Foster, who came on at half-time fumbled an easy ball on her goal-line and up popped Reiten to slot home number four.
Seconds later and Durham had crumbled and Hamano notched her goal and the Blues' fifth.
From then on it was watch the clock and see the game out – Chelsea did.
Teams: Chelsea: Musovic, Nusken, Reiten, Lawrence, Bjorn, Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo), Charles, Hamano, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones
Subs: Hampton, Bright, Ramirez, Cuthbert, Macario, Perisset, Kaptein, Bronze, Bernabe
Durham: Saunders, Ayre, Wilson, Blake, Crosthwaite, Bradley, Novak, Wilson, Foster, Ryan-Doyle, Holmes
Subs: Foster, Hepple, Lambert, Johns, Salicki
Referee: Kirsty Dowle
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