It’s now Chelsea’s title to lose after Beth England's return to form – one of three Chelsea players to score twice in a 9-0 away thrashing of Leicester City as the Blues leapfrogged Arsenal and went to the top of the league.
Chelsea were 3-0 up in just seven minutes at the weekend, then kept their foot on the gas as they pummelled the Foxes, boosting their goal difference in the process.
Chelsea can cement their lead as Reading visit Kingsmeadow on Sunday, with kick-off at 6.45pm and the FA partially relenting on sanctions by allowing tickets to be sold once again.
In a nutshell, if the Blues win their remaining five league matches (including home and away against Spurs) they will retain the title for a third consecutive year, irrespective of Arsenal results.
Quickfire goals from Guro Reiten, Sam Kerr and England set the tone at the King Power on Sunday, with Aniek Nouwen adding a fourth before England, Reiten and Kerr each completed braces. Subs Lauren James and Jessie Fleming scored in the dying moments to make it 9-0. A rare starting front pairing of Kerr and England worked well.
Emma Hayes was chuffed. "Our execution and game plan was first class," she said. "Everybody had a good game, including those [coming on] from the bench. It was relentless, ruthless and consistent throughout the whole 90 minutes – that’s the most pleasing thing."
She said that the squad's depth - now that most of the long-term injured, bar Fran Kirby, were fit again - held the key to the remainder of the season.
"Depth drives the standards in training every day, and we’re seeing it in games. The fact that we’re without Fran, without Pernille [Harder] and still have the depth to compete like we are is a real testament to the whole group."
Lauren James broke her scoring duck for the Blues, having arrived from Manchester United last summer and been nursed to full match fitness by Hayes. "I've made no secret of the time we’ve taken to get her to that place," added the manager. "There’s a reason for it, and perfect timing to get her first goal. It was a superb cameo from her when she came into the game."
Summing up the task facing Chelsea over the next two months, Hayes added: "We win every game, we win the title. That’s it!"
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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