Reiten's spot kick propels Chelsea five points clear at the top of the WSL after 1-0 defeat of previously unbeaten Manchester United

By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium

Chelsea 1v Manchester United 0

Guro Reiten's first half spot kick was the difference as Chelsea beat previously unbeaten Manchester United 1-0 in a tense encounter at windy Kingsmeadow.

The three points propels the champions even further clear of the rest – the five points difference to second-place Manchester City will be a tough barrier to break.

That's eight win out of eight for Sonia Bompastor's quest Londoners.

United were aggressive,and determined, Chelsea held their never and when needed the ball too.

It was a just about deserved win for Chelsea, with United claiming a late strike that rattled the Chelsea woodwork would have been a justified equaliser.

Chelsea weathered the early win-assisted pressure from United.

Mayra Ramirez got in the way of a goal-bound effort from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo) on six minutes

Chelsea's pressure continued and two minutes later Maika Hamano had a shot blocked by Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

\A quick break by the Blues on 16 minutes saw an exchange between Hamano and Ramirez which led to Tullis-Joyce clipping Ramirez for a spot kick and a yellow card to boot.

Up stepped Guro Reiten to slot the ball home to put the champions 1-0 up.

There were no changes from either side at half-time.

United started the second half taking the lion's share of the ball, and Hannah Hampton had to be at her best to parry away a deflected United effort for a corner on 50 minutes.

Catarina Macario replaced Hamano, while Aggie Beever-Jones replaced Reiten on 56 minutes.

A Ramirez run and shot, o 56 minutes saw Tullis-Joyce parry the b all away for a corner .

Maya Le Tissier spared United blushes by blocking a JoJo shot after United failed to clear their lines on 66 minutes. Ramirez was unlucky with her hold, twist and shot on 75 minutes as Chelsea wrestled the majority of possession off United, who still looked dangerous on the break.

Ramirez definitely should have scored following a quick break on 87 minutes. JoJo did all the hard work on the right. She cut the ball back to the Colombian. But she shot directly at the goalkeeper who gleeful snaffled the ball.

United, while always just a goal behind, showed they could attack with venom and it was just a piece of luck for Chelsea when on 90 minutes substitute Melvine e Malard thumped a venomous right-footer that smacked off the angle of crossbar and post.

Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Nusken, Ramirez, Cuthbert, Reiten, Bjorn Baltimore, Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo), Bronze, Hamano

Subs: Musovic, Macario, Lawrence, Perisset, Kaptein, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Bernabe, Beever-Jones

Man United: Tullis-Joyce, George, Le Tissier, Clinton, Awujo, Riviere, Bizet, Janssen, Turner, Da Silva-Ferreira, Williams

Subs: Middleton-Patel, Sandberg, Malard, Galton, Ladd, Miyazawa, Watson, Simpson

Referee: Emily Heaslip