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Chelsea put their Champions League defeat to Barcelona behind them with a dominant 4-0 victory over struggling 10-player Crystal Palace. Guro Reiten opened from the spot before Catarina Macario scored a brace. Mia Fishel rounded off the night to restore their six-point lead at the top of the WSL.
Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea manager, praised her side’s performance to gain a “crucial result” but warned that “nothing is done yet” in terms of the league title. “We are in a good position but nine more points need to be played and it’s enough for Arsenal to come back,” she said. “Everything is possible. I will only relax when it is mathematically done.”
Chelsea were clear favourites coming into this encounter. The fortunes of the two could not have been more different – the hosts were unbeaten in the league and had scored over three times more goals than their opponents; Palace, meanwhile, were rooted to the bottom, fighting for survival.
The one doubt surrounding Chelsea was how quickly they could recover from the weekend’s disappointment against Barça which all but destroyed their quadruple hopes. Bompastor rotated heavily, making seven changes to bring fresh energy into the side. The experienced Guro Reiten made her first start since returning from a back injury while Macario also returned in a changed attacking line. Naomi Girma made her second start since joining in January, replacing Nathalie Björn in defence.
Leif Smerud’s Palace side had not played a competitive fixture in three weeks, a quirk of the scheduling which did little to help them gain momentum. They had at least been able to replenish an injury-hit squad over the break with Clarissa Larisey recalled alongside Mille Gejl.
Chelsea set the tone early on with the visitors having to resolutely put bodies on the line to protect their goal. Macario had an effort blocked before Allyson Swaby’s instinctive reaction deflected a goalbound strike from Aggie Beever-Jones just wide. It was only a matter of time before Chelsea found the breakthrough and two goals in two minutes put them in firm control. The first came when a cross from the influential Reiten struck Molly-Mae Sharpe’s hand in the box. The Norwegian stepped up to take the penalty, coolly dispatching her eighth league goal of the season.
Chelsea took advantage of Palace’s naivety to double the lead when Girma and Sandy Baltimore combined to exploit the space left by an advanced Lily Woodham. Baltimore found Macario in the area and she drove a low effort past Shae Yanez.
Palace’s evening got worse immediately after the break when they were reduced to 10 players after Swaby saw red for denying a goalscoring opportunity, bringing down Sjoeke Nüsken just outside the box. The punishment became even more severe when Macario stepped up to convert the free-kick, aided by a heavy deflection.
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There remained time for a special moment for Mia Fishel, who came on to add a fourth. It was her first goal since recovering from an ACL injury which had kept her out for over a year. “I’m really happy for her,” Bompastor said. “It is a special moment for her individually and for the team. I saw [her trademark] celebration. It was good to see it back and all the players around her were really pleased.”
It was a comfortable win for Chelsea, one that leaves them four points from securing their sixth successive league title. They will now turn their focus back to Barcelona on Sunday with Bompastor insisting that “everything is possible” as they look to turn around their 4-1 first-leg deficit. Palace’s survival hopes, meanwhile, continue to dwindle as they remain seven points behind 11th-placed Aston Villa with three games to play.
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