West Ham 0-7 Chelsea: Sam Kerr scores four as Blues reach League Cup final

Sam Kerr's 4 goals against West Ham took her tally for the play to 20

Sam Kerr struck 4 goals successful a scintillating show arsenic Chelsea ruthlessly brushed speech West Ham to scope a 4th successive Continental League Cup final.

West Ham errors contributed to each extremity and their generosity continued to manus Kerr her third, with Hawa Cissoko's stumble allowing the Australian to tally wide and slot home.

After Lauren James struck a 5th goal, Kerr was again near unmarked to nett her 4th earlier Guro Reiten netted the Blues seventh with a deflected effort.

The Blues, beaten by Manchester City successful past season's final, volition look Arsenal for the trophy astatine Selhurst Park connected 5 March.

The lone interest for Emma Hayes' broadside was Kirby limping disconnected with an wounded successful the archetypal half.

• Best enactment and absorption from the League Cup semi-final

In the 3 seasons anterior to this, Chelsea person won 7 of the 9 large home trophies connected offer.

That could go 10 from 12 by the extremity of 2022-23 if each goes to plan, with the Blues apical of the WSL, into the 5th circular of the FA Cup and present done to a 4th League Cup final. Few would stake against them successful this form.

From the precise start, the gulf successful people betwixt themselves and the Hammers was glaringly apparent, with the Blues quicker connected and disconnected the shot and overmuch smarter successful their question and passing.

And successful Kerr, Hayes' squad person arguably the astir ruthless finisher successful the women's game.

At the weekend, West Ham did Chelsea a favour by holding rubric rivals Arsenal to a goalless draw, courtesy of a stubborn and awesome rearguard that drew praise from Hayes.

However, she volition not person expected the assistance the Hammers offered to her broadside connected Thursday, with sloppy passes, antiaircraft errors and a welcoming precocious antiaircraft enactment allowing the Blues to tally riot.

Kerr was near successful abstraction to pat successful the archetypal from a Reiten free-kick, Kirby had acres of country to tally wide for the second, with clumsy play astatine the backmost liable for goals 3 and four.

Their accidental of a archetypal League Cup last gone and their tone broken, West Ham were picked disconnected with easiness aft the interruption by Kerr and company.

It was understandable that Hammers brag Paul Konchesky named an unchanged broadside from the crippled with Arsenal, but successful hindsight the contented of this - aft specified a immense carnal effort 4 days earlier - tin beryllium questioned.

So firmly were West Ham placed connected the backmost ft by their opponents, they were incapable to pivot into a meaningful forward-thinking stance astatine immoderate point.

The closest they came to what would lone person been a consolation was a tame changeable from Kate Longhurst aft Chelsea had failed to decently wide a shot into the box.

They indispensable present acceptable themselves for different knockout game, this clip against Aston Villa successful the 5th circular of the FA Cup aft the planetary break.

Chelsea volition transportation a 20-game unbeaten tally successful each competitions into their ain FA Cup necktie - a tantalising formal rehearsal for the League Cup last against Arsenal.