The South London stage was set, as Selhurst park played host to an inaugural Barclays Women’s Super League fixture between Crystal Palace and Chelsea. Despite a warm-welcome from the fans in Croydon, Crystal Palace were left feeling isolated as the reigning champion dominated the scoresheet.
Sonia Bompastor opted for three changes to last week’s victorious starting lineup, as Lauren James, Natalie Björn, and Aggie Beever-Jones were all named in the eleven, with Sandy Baltimore, Mayra Ramírez, and Kadeisha Buchanan dropping to the bench.
As for the Eagles, Laura Kaminski was forced to make a change as Lexi Potter finds herself unavailable for selection due to the terms of her loan contract with Chelsea. Lily Woodham and My Cato make their way into the starting lineup, as Ashleigh Weerden drops to the bench.
The Lineups
CRY: Yáñez; Veje, Gibbons, Cato, Everett, Blanchard, Green, Riley, Gejl, Woodham, Stengel
CHE: Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Björn, Lawrence, Nüsken, Cuthbert, Rytting Kaneryd, Reiten, Beever-Jones, James
The Action
Play was underway at Selhurst Park, as the hosts kicked off the action with the first real chance of the evening. Katie Stengel carried possession with promise, before firing her strike just-wide of the intended target.
The reigning champions looked dangerous next, as Sjoeke Nüsken sent a promising ball through to an advancing Johanna Rytting Kaneryd down the right flank. The Swedish forward located Aggie Beever-Jones with low cross, though the latter’s strike would be blocked and deflected out by a disorganised scuffle between the Palace defenders.
Lauren James seemed to have opened the scoring, as she found the bottom corner from range, but not before Emily Heaslip would halt play just before the strike to allow Katrine Veje to be assessed for a head knock.
Rytting Kaneryd was next to pose a threat as she cut onto her left to bypass the spinning Eagles defence, but her strike would only go as far as an alert Shae Yáñez who collected the shot with ease. The Swedish forward continued to look alive down the right side, as she fired in a pin-point ball to Beever-Jones, but again Yáñez was alert and ready to deny entry to the Blues.
This time it was Ashleigh Lawrence who would carry play into the final third for Chelsea, before locating a wide-open James inside of the area. The Blues number ten would strike with intent, but would misguide her shot just-wide of the goalposts.
Chelsea began to grow impatient as the clock ran down on the opening half, as Lucy Bronze fired a strike from distance up and over the crossbar and into the stands. Despite some shaky moments at the back, the Palace defence held strong and organised in order to shut the Blues out in the opening stages.
Though the patience of the visitors would manifest into a result in the 38th minute, as Rytting Kaneryd’s well-placed cross would finally reach conversion as Beever-Jones slotted home the opening goal at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles fought hard in search of the equaliser just moments later, as Katie Stengel sent a low-cross into the area to be met by Annabel Blanchard. Though as the crowd held their breath, the Palace number 10 would fire her shot just right of the goalposts.
It wouldn’t take the reigning WSL champions long to double their advantage just after the stroke of half time, as Lucy Bronze fired a failed clearance into the back of the net for her first goal in London blue.
The floodgates seemed to open as the game ran on, as an unmarked James hammered-home a pin-point cross from Mayra Ramírez on the goal line to send Chelsea up 3-0 in the 59th minute of play.
Crystal Palace were eager to get one back on home turf, as Lily Woodham swung-in a floating cross inside of the area. Stengel managed to reach the ball at the drop, but her touch was fired just-wide of the intended target, much to the relief of a stagnant Hannah Hampton between the posts.
Despite some positive moments from Palace, it would be Chelsea who struck once again, this time through Guro Reiten. Finding herself in possession inside of the area, Reiten wheeled onto her left-foot before expertly sending her strike into the back of the net. Woes would only worsen for the hosts, as Chelsea added a fifth through a well-guided from Björn off the back of a corner sent inside of the 18-yard box.
Reiten would get her brace in the closing moments of the fixture, as Sandy Baltimore did brilliantly to weave through the Palace defence, before locating an unmarked Reiten inside of the area. The Norwegian had no problems converting, flying her strike past the outstretched arms of Yáñez for the sixth of the evening.
Just as the Eagles believed it couldn’t get any worse, Yáñez managed to palm away a strike from Ramírez, but only as far as Cat Macario, who was able to slam-home the scraps to finalise the scoreline at 7-0.
Chelsea commence the Sonia Bompastor era with two consecutive victories under their belt, whilst Laura Kaminski and her Eagles side now face a fast turnaround as they look ahead to Aston Villa in a mid-week Women’s League Cup meeting on Wednesday.
