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TRUE BLUES STUN AS CHELSEA RETAIN SUBWAY CUP TITLE FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

image via @chelseafcw

Chelsea FC:

Lineups: Hampton (GK), Bronze, Buchanan, Buurman, Baltimore, Walsh, Cuthbert ©, Nusken, James, Rytting Kaneryd, Thompson

Subs: Beever-Jones (46’) Bjorn (62’), Kaptein (67’)

Manchester United:

Lineups: Tullis-Joyce(GK), Le Tissier ©, Lundkvist, Park, Mallard, Terland, Riviere, Naalsund, Janssen, Zigiotti, Wangerheim

Subs: Rolfo(59’), Schuller(59’), Awujo (87’)

Chelsea take on Manchester United today in a bid to win the first domestic silverware of the season. Both teams entered the competition in December where Chelsea faced Liverpool and Manchester United hosted Tottenham Hotspur.

For Chelsea, a 9-1 win meant that they were through to the semi finals with ease, but for Manchester United, a winner from Fridolina Rolfo in the 86th minute meant that they too were through to the semis. Here, the red devils travelled to north London where they beat Arsenal 1-0 with thanks to Elisabeth Terland. The blues were much the same, travelling to the blue side of Manchester and also winning 1-0, a first half goal from Wieke Kaptein being the difference maker.

Chelsea took the kick off in the south west through Lauren James and it was her who won the first corner of the game within the same minute.

Sandy Baltimore, however took the corner short and United were able to disposess Chelsea meaning the reds were on the counter attack. Here Hannah Hampton made her first save of the game, knocking thr ball out for a corner.

With the opening stages looking even on both sides, it was Kadeisha Buchanan who made a crucial tackle to stop Elisabeth Terland from getting through on goal, in her first start in 16 months.

Elisabeth Terland once again had a chance for a shot on goal in the 11th minute, however the ball was taken well wide of the goal in her resulting shot.

Chelsea’s counter attack meant that Lauren James found herself in open space before the fifteenth minute mark, and with an effortless pass from Keira Walsh, the attacker had the chance to shoot on goal, this however went just wide of the cross bar, resulting in a goal kick for the reds.

A mistimed run from Erin Cuthbert in the 19th minute meant that Ellen Wangerheim was allowed through on goal, however, the Sweden international couldnt quite get the shot off, forcing Hannah Hampton into yet another save.

A Manchester United throw-in was met by a shaky touch from Domnique Janssen, allowing Lauren James to collect the ball on the right hand side, shooting directly into the back of the net from outside the 6 yard box.

Manchester United responded accordingly however, with Lisa Naalsund blocking Keira Walsh’s pass and linking up with Julia Zigiotti who passed the ball out to Melvine Malard, the forward’s cross however proved too heavy for her companions, soaring past the goal and out for a Chelsea throw.

At the half way point of the first half, Sandy Baltimore barged Jess park off the ball in a fantastic effort to dispossess the England international inside the box, Chelsea’s counter attack led to a throw in inline with the opposite box.

Just three minutes later, United were on the attack once again, however Dutch youngster Veerle Buurman was able to put in a crucial tackle to switch the ball to the other side of the pitch where the resulting shot was sent just wide of the far post.

Erin Cuthbert found the ball in the 33rd minute after a miscommunication in  the opposition’s defence, and with her quick feet, today’s captain was able to get a shot off from range, this was however shot well wide of goal.

The Chelsea captain once again had an opportunity on goal, running in from range however despite the improvement on her previous attempt, this too what shot over the cross bar.

Just minutes later, Alyssa Thompson found herself 1-on-1 with the United Keeper; however, a touch too much meant that the ball was olayed directly into the gloves of Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Moments before half time, United were on the attack once again, with an accidental nod forward from Buurman which gave Melvine Malard the ball, the Dutch international however, was able to recover the attempted pass to Wangerheim,

With 1 minute added time announced, United had one final bid for an equaliser before the whistle, this however was met by Hannah Hampton who met the ball in the dying stages

Half time: Chelsea 1- 0 Manchester United 

With a switch of sides, Aggie Beever-Jones took to the field in place of Alyssa Thompson ahead of the second half.

Lauren James came close to both hers and Chelsea’s second in the 53rd minute, the ball however her run went out of bounds before she could get her shot off.

Lauren James recieved the first card of the game in the 56th minute due to a dodgy tackle on Julia Zigiotti after being dispossessed by the Sweden international.

Chelsea earned themselves another corner in the 58th minute, Sandy Baltimore finding in which the rebound was sent back into the box, finding the head of Kadeisha Buchanan who headed the ball just wide of goal

Fridolina Rolfo replaced Jayde Riviere and Lea Schuller replaced Ellen Wangerheim in the 59th minute in a bid to find an equaliser for the red devils.

Nathalie Bjorn replaced Kadeisha Buchanan in the 62nd minute, the Swedish internaational making her return from injury after more than three months. This moment however was short lived, with the defender going down on the ball after just 3 minutes and signalling to come off the field just moments later. Wieke Kaptein replaced the defender in the 67th minute.

Lauren James was able to feed the ball into the box in the 70th minute, coming close to the head of Aggie Beever-Jones, Maya Le Tissier got there first however, nodding the ball backwards and forcing Phallon Tullis-Joyce into a high save.

In the 77th minute, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd broke free down the right flank, crossing the ball to Aggie Beever-Jones, the academy graduate was able to chest the ball down and get her boot to it, doubling the defecit infront of the Blues fans.

5 minutes later, Lauren James was through on goal again, with defenders leavingher in yards of space, the England international was able to shoot at goal, however Tullis-Joyce was there to knock the ball out for a corner, this however led to nothing.

In the 86th minute Mamchester United made the final sub of the game, bringing Simi Awujo on in place of Julia Zigiotti.

The substitute earnt the red devils a corner in the final minutes of normal time in a final bid to get a goal, however, even with Phallon Tullis-Joyce in the box, the northern team were unable to find the net.

With 8 minutes of added time on the clock, Lexi Potter replaced Lauren James in the middle, with the youngster taking on a slightly different role to usual.

The 94th minute saw yet another attempt from Manchester United sore above the goal.

Full time: Chelsea 2 – 0 Manchester United

An impressive performance from both teams today, however it was Chelsea who sealed the victory at Ashton Gate, adding to their trophy cabinet once more to retain the title.

Categories
FA Cup Uncategorized

Chelsea Victorious as Manchester United Eliminated from FA cup

Screenshot

photo via chelseafcw on instagram

Chelsea XI: Hampton (GK), Carpenter, Buurman, Nusken, Cuthbert ©, James, Thompson, Girma, Rytting-Kaneryd, Bronze, Walsh

Substitutes: Baltimore (46’), Kerr (72’), Buchanan (91’), Reiten (91’), Kaptein (91’)

Manchester United XI:Tullis-Joyce (GK), Le Tissier ©, Lundkvist, Park, Mallard, Naalsund, Janssen, Zigiotti Olme, Wangerheim, Miyazawa, Turner

Substitutes:  Terland (70’), Awujo (70’), Schuller (106’), George (106’)

The fifth round of the cup saw teams up and down the country face off in a bid to progress to the quarter finals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup this weekend. For Chelsea FC it meant a repeat opf last year’s FA Cup Final as they hosted Manchester United at home for the first time in the competition.

The teams have met three times in the competition before, with the blues claiming victories in both finals at Wembley Stadium and the Red Devils seeing victory at home to progress to the finals in 2024.

More recently, the teams faced off in the Barclays Womens Super League in Manchester where the sides drew 1-1 thanks to a goal from each side inside the first 20 minutes.

Manchester United took the kick off in South London through Lisa Naalsund however were unable to keep [ppossesion for long, with Chelsea’s counter attack earning both a free kick and a blocked shot going out of play.

The resulting corner gave Keira Walsh an option to shoot in the edge of the area however her shot was blocked once more.

The following moments continued with Manchester United having the upper hand however failing to prove any real threat infront of goal.

It wasnt until the 6th minute that Chelsea regained their possession, with Alyssa Thompson speed working in the Blues favour and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd breaking free in the middle of the field, a touch too many however meant that Domnique Janssen could do just enough to stop the winger from getting the shot off.

The ninth minute brought trouble for Manchester United once again, with Alyssa Thompson forcing a stellar save from the United goal keeper.

Unfortunately for the Blue’s, the two resulting corners led to nothing, and the Red Devils were in possession once again.

A relatively quiet ten minutes meant that neither team provided much promise infront of goal, with several throw-ins taking place instead.

It was in the 25th minute where the game started to pick up again, Chelsea’s press resulting in multiple goal kicks whilst Manchester United’s attempts were also sought wide. 

The 28th minute saw Alyssa Thompson link up with companions, Sjoeke Nusken and Lauren James, the attackers shot was however shot wide once more.

The 29th minute saw yet another corner from Chelsea, with Erin Cuthbert’s corner kicked directly into Tullis-Joyce’s gloves in an impressive attempt on goal.

Just three minutes later, Erin Cuthbert was through on goal once again, with the Manchester United goal keeper called into action once again.

Chelsea’s dominance continued in the following moments, allowing Dutch youngster, Veerle Buurman to get in on the action. Her shot was however blocked with the reds defence blocking the shot once again.

The 41st minute saw Ellie Carpenter break free on the right, progressing on goal with wealths of space however her resulting cross was unable to find the feet of any blue’s.

With Chelsea’s dominance on the up, Lauren James received a ball within the attacking third, her shot however was seen wide by the United defence.

Half time: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United

The beginning of the second half saw Chelsea substitute Johanna Rytting Kaneryd for Sandy Baltimore in aims for fresh legs to help break the deadlock. 

A missed step from Maya Le Tissier saw Chelsea come close to a goal, however, Tullis-Joyce got her gloves to it once again, sending the ball out for a throw-in.

Chelsea’s dominance continued into the opening stages of the second half, with Alyssa Thompson forcing Tullis-Joyce into yet another save.

Maya Le Tissier stood over the ball in dangerous territory in the 55th minute, however the kick was blocked by Chelsea’s defence, with the follow up from Naalsund being blocked once more resulting in a corner for the visitors.

Moments later, the red devils earnt another corner however Veerle Buurman kicked the ball out of bounds at the far post.

United came close to a surprise opener in the 65th minute when Ellen Wangerheim rattled the post with a shot from range.

Just two minutes later, Manchester United proved threatening again with Melvine Malard taking a shot from range once again, this however was shot well wide of the goal.

The 70th minute saw Elisabeth Terland and Simi Awujo take the field in place of Ellen Wangerheim and Julia Zigiotti Olme.

The following moments saw Chelsea regain their form from the first half, with yet another shot on goal.

Alyssa Thompson made way for Sam Kerr in the 72nd minute, with the Blues continuing to look for the opener.

This addition proved a great benefit to Chelsea, with Tullis-Joyce forced into another save.

With a penable tackle from Domnique Janssen, Chelsea earnt a free kick on the edge of the box which was once tapped wide by the red defence  in the 77th minute.

This corner however, proved the one for the hosts with Naomi Girma collecting the ball at the far post before passing it off for Sam Kerr who was able to tap it in from close range.

Manchester United acted accordingly with another free kick earned in the attacking half. 

Maya Le Tissier stood over the ball once more, with an aim on goal eventually finding Simi Awujo who was able to level the scoring in the 81st minute.

With the score level in the 86th minute, the game looked likely to head to extra time, the teams at an equal threat to one another.

With 3 minutes added time announced, the game had seemingly amped up once more, with both sides getting increasingly hungry for the winner.

This however proved not the case, with the full time score being 1-1 and the game heading to added time.

Full time: 1-1

The beginning of extra time saw Chelsea make three more subs in  Wieke Kaptein, Guro Reiten and in her return from injury, Kadeisha Buchanan.

Chelsea’s substitutes proved to be the games biggest threat once again with Wieke Kaptein linking up with Sam Kerr who shot was blocked once more.

The first half of extra time continued much the same, with Chelsea continuing to be the more dangerous side, putting the United defence to hard work. The red’s however, saw a lot less of the ball, but still provided a dangerous attacking threat.

Yet another corner was won by the hosts in the 97th minute, with Sandy Baltimore pinging it to the head of Veerle Buurman whose shot rebounded to the feet of Naomi Girma who put the blue’s ahead once again.

With one minute added time on the clock, Chelsea continued to have the upper hand and the score remained with Chelsea.

First half extra time: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United

The start of the second half of extra time saw Gabby George and Lea Schuller replace Millie Turner and Lisa Naalsund.

With 108 minutes on the clock, it was clear that Manchester United were struggling to find a clear opportunity on goal, spells of possession few and far between.

Chelsea earned a free kick from a tug from Maya Le Tissier on the edge of the box however, Erin Cuthbert’s shot was blocked by the red devils two man wall.

Moments later, England youngster, Layla Drury took to the field, replacing Hinata Miyazawa in a bid to level the scoring once more.

Manchester United’s closest attempt came from Lea Schuller in the 114th minute, with her header coming close to the goal line but Hannah Hampton beating the ball to it.

From then on, Manchester United looked to have regained some control on the pitch, earning a free kick in similar territory to their previous goal and even sending Tullis-Joyce up for the kick.

The red devils however failed to get their goal, with Hannah Hampton proving her worth once more.

With a minute added time announced, Phallon Tullis-Joyce found the opposite box once again in a desperate bid for an equaliser, this however proved too little too late, with the full time whistle blown once more.

Full time, extra time: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United

Categories
Lionesses

Squad Announced as England begin FIFA World Cup Campaign

Photo by Aimee Reynolds

England are back in action next month as they begin their bid to secure a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

In 2023, the team placed second in the competition in Australia & New Zealand, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final in Sydney and the team are out for vengeance this year.

Earlier today, a new 25-player squad was announced in lieu of the qualifying matches against both Ukraine and Iceland, with the squad as follows:

Goal Keepers:

Hannah Hampton, Anna Moorhouse, Ellie Roebuck

Defenders:

Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Grace Fisk, Alex Greenwood, Taylor Hinds, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Poppy Pattinson, Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy

Midfielders:

Laura Blindkilde Brown, Grace Clinton, Lucia Kendall, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh

Forwards:

Aggie Beever-Jones, Freya Godfrey, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Alessia Russo

One big noticeable change sees Ellie Roebuck called up in place of Khiara Keating, the goal keeper being called up in the primary squad for the first time since October 2023, having missed out on play opportunities both due to a stroke and a lack of playing time prior to illness.

In terms of defence, Poppy Pattinson earned herself her maiden call up to the senior team, with Jess Carter, Alex Greenwood and captain Leah Williamson all returning to the side after missing out on the November/December fixtures due to injury and recovery protocol. Niamh Charles misses out through injury once more.

With just five players named in the Lionesses midfield, we see Ella Toone and Missy Bo Kearns miss out through injury. This, combined with the recent retirement of Fran Kirby leaves England with a unique midfield mix and veterans Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh likely to play alongside more inexperienced players in Laura Blindkilde Brown, Grace Clinton and Lucia Kendall – the 21-year-old earning her debut just five months ago.

England’s attack looks much the same to previous squads, with Lauren James returning to the squad for the first time since England’s triumphant summer and Beth Mead missing out through injury. Meanwhile, Freya Godfrey maintains her spot in the squad after an impressive performance against Manchester City as Sarina Wiegman looked on.

England face Ukraine in Antalya, Turkeyon Tuesday 3rd March at 17:00 GMT with the sides facing each other for the first time since 2014.

Four days later, the Lionesses return to home soil as they face Iceland for the first time since 2009 on Saturday 7th March at 12:30 GMT with the match taking place at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.

Categories
WSL

Lauren James Shines as Chelsea Beat Liverpool 2-0

image via @girlsontheball

Chelsea FC:

Starting XI: Hampton (GK), Carpenter, Buurman, Nusken, Cuthbert ©, James, Thompson, Girma, Baltimore, Rytting Kaneryd, Walsh

Subs: Bronze (45’), Kerr (67’) Potter (74’) Beever-Jones (83’), Kaptein (83’)

Liverpool Fc:

Starting XI: Falk (GK), Fisk ©, Shimizu, O’Sullivan, Kapocs, Nagano, Clark, Holland, Bergstrom, Bernabe, Thomas

Subs: Enderby (45’) Csillag (74’), MacLean (83’)

Liverpool FC looked to gain on their good run of form this weekend in a trip to Kingsmeadow to face current champions, Chelsea. With the Blues sat third in the league after two consecutive losses to both Manchester City and Arsenal earlier in the year, Chelsea are looking to regain their usual winning ways.

Last time out in the WSL, the teams drew 1-1 in Liverpool, but more recently, Chelsea thrashed the reds 9-1 in the league cup, but can the Blues bring that again at home?

Chelsea took kick off through Lauren James however, the opening stages saw Liverpool looking more confident on the ball.

In just the fourth minute, Liverpool found the back of the net through Alice Bergström, however the goal was ruled out due to a handball.

From then on, Liverpool continued to look positive in front of goal, with Chelsea’s only real chance coming through James once again, who was seen miles offside in the attacking third.

The first corner of the game came in the 9th minute, a kick in favour of Liverpool cleared by the blues defence.

A loose ball was soon met by Liverpool captain Grace Fisk and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd in a race down the left flank, with the latter winning the ball, however nothing came from it as the Red’s defence proved too solid to break down.

Fans could be heard around the stands in the 13th minute, Chelsea fans showing appreciation to former General Manager, Paul Green.

It wasn’t long before Hannah Hampton was forced into yet another save after Bergström’s cross edged close to the goal line.

Alyssa Thompson and Sandy Baltimore’s quick feet on the right proved threatening for the reds defence, with the ball skimming across the goal line and into Jennifer Falk’s gloves.

The first half continued much the same, both teams equal on goal, but neither team managed to find the back of the net.

Minute 36 saw a promising shot from Lauren James once again, a no-look over head pass gliding just wide of goal.

Moments later Ellie Carpenter broke free once again, passing back to Sjoeke Nusken who laid the ball off for Alyssa Thompson, the pass however proved too powerful for Thompson to get a hold of, with the ball rolling out for a goal kick.

Lauren James’ fancy footwork saw Alice Bergström spun before a cross to Sjoeke Nusken, who found her first goal in the league, to bring the blues 1-0 up before half time.

Liverpool however, acted accordingly to this with a spell of high pressure in the attacking third, this however led to nothing, with the Blues lead continuing into the break.

Half time: Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool

The second half saw substitutes from both sides with Lucy Bronze replacing Sandy Baltimore and Alice Bergström being replaced by Mia Enderby.

Hannah Hampton was forced into a save in the 50th minute however it proved no real threat for the England Keeper. 

Chelsea came close to a second in the 63rd minute, with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd finding Lauren James once again, who’s touch was shot wide.

However just a minute later, James’ shot found the back of the net with some cheeky footwork before gliding the ball past Liverpool’s Jennifer Falk, bringing the Blues 2-0 up.

This also saw Chelsea’s second substitution of the game, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd making way for Sam Kerr.

The substitute came close to scoring the Blue’s third of the game, however the shot proved too easy for Falk, the keeper collecting the ball with ease.

The 74th minute saw a further two substitutes, Lexi Potter replacing Keira Walsh and Aurelie Csillag replacing Martha Thomas.

A double substitution in the 83rd minute saw Wieke Kaptein and Aggie Beever-Jones replace Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson whilst Liverpool’s Cornelia Kapocs was replaced by Kirsty MacLean.

These substitutions saw another surge of energy from the reigning champions with the blues regaining the confidence in front of goal.

The 89th minute saw the ball at the feet of Ellie Carpenter, with a clear opportunity on goal, however, one touch too many meant Falk was first to it and the score would remain 2-0.

With both teams kept at bay for the final minutes of added time, the full time score was 2-0 to Chelsea, a positive return home after a worrying couple of games for the West London club.

Full time: Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool

Categories
WSL

Chelsea Thrash Crystal Palace 5-0 in Bid to Retain FA Cup

Photo: Wing Chong for Constancy Sport

Chelsea XI: Hampton (GK), Bright ©, Buurman, Cuthbert, James, Reiten, Thompson, Girma, Kaptein, Rytting Kaneryd, Kerr

Substitutes: Bronze (46’), Nüsken (46’), Carpenter (60’), Potter (60’), Sarwie (71’)

Crystal Palace XI: Yanez (GK), Napier, Arthur, Cato, Everett ©, Sharpe, Weerden, Nolan, Ladd, Blanchard, Larkin

Substitutes: Howat (62’), Hughes (78’), Riley (78’)

Chelsea FC looked to keep their hopes of a quadruple winning season alive this afternoon in another London Derby at home to Crystal Palace. For Palace, this was their final real chance at collecting silverware this season, with the team currently sitting fifth in the WSL 2, eight points behind current league leaders Charlton Athletic, despite their current game in hand.

The sides met three times last season, including in the quarter finals of this same competition where the blues won 1-0 at home once again. The Eagles were also victim to an 11-0 loss on aggregate in the league, but with relegation at the conclusion of last season, the teams performances against WSL sides has seemingly improved, so can the team claim their first win against Chelsesa and knock the current champions out of the cup?

Chelsea’s Lauren James took the kick off, with the Blues’ wealth of experience in the competition showing from the off.

The first shot on target of the game came from Crystal Palace’s Abbie Larkin, providing a cross from the left hand sude straight into the gloves of Hannah Hampton. Chelsea however, were quick on the counter attack, immediately proving threatening in the Eagle’s box.

The opening stages were relatively even in south London with Chelsea earning the first corner of the game after Alyssa Thompson’s shot slid wide of the goal.

By the tenth minute, Chelsea had found their rhythm with Naomi Girma ensuring Palace stayed out of the attacking third and out of trouble.

A foul from Molly-Mae Sharpe meant Chelsea had a free kick in dangerous territory and with  Erin Cuthbert standing over the ball, her cross met the head of Millie Bright who knocked it straight into the back of the net, giving Chelsea the lead in just the 13th minute.

In the 17th minute Chelsea were on the attack again and with a miss timed attempt at the ball from Lauren James, the ball found the feet of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd who’s cross met the head of Sam Kerr in the box, her shot was however blocked by Palace’s Shae Yanez.

In the 22nd minute Chelosea found a second through the boots of Sam Kerr, the striker’s first goal in the competition since her goal in the final at Wembley Stadiumn in 2023, warranting her iconic backflip celebration.

Lauren James came close to finding the Blue’s third in the 26th minute however a dodgy touch meant that her attempt bounced directly into the keeper’s gloves.

With Chelsea on the attack once again, Guro Reiten was brought down in the box, earning a penalty in the 29th minute. Guro Reiten was the chosen penalty taker, who of course slotted it home with ease.

Despite being 3-0 down, Palace still proved their determination, with Ashley Weerden breaking through the Chelsea defence moments later.

Chelsea came close to a fourth in the 35th minute, with a cross finding the feet of Johannan Rytting Kaneryd whose shot crossed the front of goal, failing to be picked up by a Blue’s player.

Alyssa Thompson thought she found a fourth just moments later with the forward finding the net from the left, however was punished for her foul in the lead up, meaning the score remained 3-0.

Crystal Palace had the opportunity to shrink their deficit through a free kick infront of goal, however with the pass taken short, Chelsea saw straight through their plan, keepinng th ball well clear of goal.

With a minute of added time announced, the Blue’s had the final effort of the half, a Guro Reiten cross effortlessly finding Erin Cuthbert, whose shot was impressively saved by Shae Yanez meaning the half time scire was 3-0 Chelsea.

With a change of sides, the second half was underway with two changes from Chelsea, Lucy Bronze replacing Naomi Girma and Sjoeke Nusken replacing Lauren James, the two players likeloy being rested ahead of a busy couple of weeks.

The first corner of the second half came in the 50th minute, however Erin Cuthert’s kick failed to meet any Chelsea players.

Sam Kerr found both her second and Chelsea’s fourth goal of the game at the 50th minute mark with yet another header from the Australian international.

Moments later Hannah Hampton was called into action with Ashleigh Weerden finding herself against Wieke Kaptein and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, not a single blues defender in sight.

Chelsea consistently proved threatening throughout the second half with Alyssa Thompson finding Chelsea’s fifth from a rebound after Sjoeke Nusken forced a world class save from Shae Yanez.

Palace’s second set of substitutions saw Molly-Mae Sharpe and Abbie Larkin make way for Indiah-Paige Riley and Elise Hughes.

Ashleigh Weerden once again came close to making a breakthrough in the 80th minute however substitute Ellie Carpenter steered the ball clear of the Chelsea goal, prompting another Chelsea attack.

With yet another shot on target, Lucy Bronze’s shot from range in the 83rd minute forced Shae Yanez into another great save.

Hannah Hampton was forced into action in the dying stages when Ashleigh Weerden’s cross came close to the head of Elise Hughes inside the box.

The final substitution of the game saw Izzy Sibley replace Ashleigh Weerden with three minutes injury time on the clock.

This didn’t stop Alyssa Thompson however, the forward still searching for Chelsea’s sixth despite the Blue’s dominant display.

With the full time score being largely in Chelsea’s favour, the blues found themselves progressing to the fifth round once again and breaking their streak of seemingly underperforming in this competition against the side, but will they be able to keep up their strong form against Manchester City and Arsenal in the coming weeks?

Images via Wing Chong (@thoughtsofawing)