Chelsea, the reigning Women's Super League champions, delivered an emphatic performance on Friday, defeating newly-promoted Crystal Palace 7-0. The victory saw Chelsea take an early lead in the league standings, setting the pace ahead of the weekend's fixtures. Despite a solid defensive start by Palace, Chelsea's relentless attack eventually broke through, with Aggie Beever-Jones scoring the opening goal in the 38th minute, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Palace, who suffered a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their opening match, initially managed to keep Chelsea at bay. However, after the break, the game quickly unraveled for them. Chelsea's new signing, Lucy Bronze, doubled the lead just minutes into the second half with a powerful strike, marking her first goal for the club since her move from Barcelona. From that point on, Chelsea’s dominance became overwhelming for the hosts.
Lauren James soon added a third goal, capitalizing on a close-range opportunity, while Guro Reiten and Nathalie Bjorn contributed with two more goals within minutes of each other. Chelsea’s clinical finishing left little room for Palace to recover, and their defense was unable to cope with the continued pressure.
Reiten found the net again in the 90th minute, and Catarina Macario completed the 7-0 rout in stoppage time. The win leaves Chelsea at the top of the table with six points from two games, three points clear of Brighton & Hove Albion, who face Manchester City on Sunday. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace sit at the bottom of the standings with no goals scored and 11 conceded in their first two matches.
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