West Ham 0-4 Chelsea: Blues ease to victory to return to top of WSL

Niamh Charles scored connected her 100th quality for Chelsea

Chelsea returned to the apical of the Women's Super League array with triumph astatine West Ham, putting them successful rod presumption to support their rubric with 2 games remaining.

It was a regular triumph successful London arsenic Pernille Harder capped disconnected different awesome show with a goal.

Niamh Charles, Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert were besides connected the scoresheet.

Victory ensures Chelsea beryllium 2 points wide of challengers Manchester United - who they bushed astatine Wembley connected Sunday - having played 20 matches each.

In a pulsating rubric race, Chelsea besides extended their vantage successful extremity difference, moving 4 supra Manchester United.

They held a constrictive 1-0 pb astatine the interruption acknowledgment to Charles against a stubborn West Ham broadside who person not won a crippled successful the WSL since December.

Harder's objective decorativeness soon aft the interruption doubled their pb and Chelsea were ne'er truly troubled astatine the Chigwell Construction Stadium arsenic Ingle pounced connected a rebound to marque it 3-0 and substitute Cuthbert added a sublime fourth.

"Once again it's a large squad effort due to the fact that we've played truthful galore games back-to-back," Chelsea manager Hayes told Sky Sports.

"We privation to support cleanable sheets, that's important. We got an aboriginal extremity but didn't physique connected it. We struggled successful creating the overload similar we wanted to and had to set that astatine half-time.

"I don't speech astir goals, I speech astir performance. I wanted them to spell retired and physique connected the archetypal fractional performance."

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Chelsea borderline person to rubric

This effect means Chelsea could triumph the WSL rubric this play if they bushed Arsenal and Manchester United neglect to bushed rivals Manchester City.

They are astatine the concern extremity of the play and Chelsea showed their acquisition and superiority to instrumentality their chances and marque airy enactment of a struggling West Ham side.

Harder, who had an tremendous interaction disconnected the seat successful their FA Cup last triumph implicit United 3 days ago, returned to the starting XI arsenic 1 of 7 changes made by Hayes.

So beardown is Chelsea's depth, they were capable to rotate cardinal players Guro Reiten and Cuthbert, arsenic good arsenic making 3 changes to the backline, without seeing immoderate driblet disconnected successful performance.

Ingle, different of those to instrumentality aft impressing astatine Wembley, was the 1 to descent it done to Harder aft half-time, earlier adding a extremity herself, heading successful a rebound from adjacent range.

Victory besides capped disconnected a celebratory evening for Charles, who made her 100th quality for the nine aged conscionable 23 and reacted quickest to the rebound from Sam Kerr's changeable to people successful the archetypal half.

West Ham concerns linger

Erin Cuthbert came disconnected the seat to people successful the 93rd infinitesimal for Chelsea

While Chelsea's momentum continues, it was different unwelcome decision for West Ham, who person present gone 10 games without victory.

They performed good successful patches - England planetary Lucy Parker impressing successful midfield, portion guardant Viviane Asseyi had a fewer half-chances.

They came adjacent to scoring astatine the extremity erstwhile substitute Amalie Thestrup had an effort cleared disconnected the enactment by Jess Carter and Kate Longhurst struck inches wide from agelong range.

But portion they failed to instrumentality their uncommon opportunities, Cuthbert showed ruthlessness astatine the different end, extending Chelsea's vantage successful stoppage-time with a good strike.

It has been a concerning extremity to the play for Paul Konchesky's broadside arsenic they were good beaten by Chelsea.