A much-changed Chelsea thrashed bottom side Crystal Palace 4-0 at home to go a step closer to clinching the Women’s Super League title as they moved six points clear at the top.
The unbeaten Blues need just four points from their last three matches to lift a sixth consecutive WSL title.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor made seven changes ahead of Sunday’s Champions League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge against Barcelona and bounced back from their 4-1 first-leg defeat in Spain to cruise past 10-player Palace, who failed to have a shot at Kingsmeadow.
With Chelsea leading 2-0 after a quickfire first-half double from Guro Reiten’s penalty and Catarina Macario’s low finish, the visitors had defender Allyson Swaby sent off just two minutes into the second half after a last-player challenge on Sjoeke Nusken.
Chelsea added a third from the resulting free-kick as Macario’s 49th-minute effort took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot Palace goalkeeper Shae Yanez.
There was a nice moment for Chelsea in the 64th minute as substitute Mia Fishel scored their fourth as she flicked home Lucy Bronze’s header for her first goal since returning from an ACL injury that has kept her out since February last year.
Chelsea then took their foot off the gas as their attention turned to Sunday’s second leg against Barcelona.
Domestically, Bompastor’s side remain on course for a treble, having won the League Cup in March with an FA Cup final to look forward to next month against Manchester United at Wembley.
But it is a different story for rock-bottom Palace, who are seven points adrift of safety and will be relegated on Sunday if they lose at home to West Ham for an immediate return to the Championship.
