Report and free match highlights as Chelsea hit already-relegated Bristol City for eight; Guro Reiten scored four and created another; the Blues have closed their goal-difference deficit on title rivals Man City, and are three points shy with a game in hand
Monday 6 May 2024 09:39, UK
Chelsea romped to a title-enhancing 8-0 victory over sorry Bristol City in Emma Hayes' final home game in charge.
Hayes had already conceded the WSL title after her side's stuttering 4-3 defeat to Liverpool in midweek, but that was before Man City were beaten by Arsenal on Sunday, presenting a glimmer of renewed hope.
Closing their goal difference deficit was the Blues' primary concern, and they went about their work in typically relentless fashion, finding the net inside six minutes when Guro Reiten struck from the penalty spot.
Sjoeke Nusken scrambled home a scrappy second, while Aggie Beever-Jones added a third shortly after the break, beating Fran Bentley with a sweeping strike from Erin Cuthbert's enterprising through ball.
Chelsea were ruthless and Bristol City were powerless to prevent the onslaught. Reiten arrowed her second of the night in the 56th minute, before substitute Catarina Macario played a clever reverse pass into the Norwegian forward to complete her hat-trick. It didn't stop there.
Niamh Charles made it six. Reiten made it seven. Then it became eight via a Beever-Jones header. Finally, the rout was complete, and now Chelsea's chances of a fifth successive WSL title have been reimagined. "Game on," Hayes mouthed to her support staff on the touchline.
Game on indeed.
"There's no team in the league that could have produced what Chelsea have produced tonight," said pundit Izzy Christiansen on Sky's live coverage. She's not wrong.
This was a performance born out of champions' mentality. They sensed an opportunity, after Man City were shocked by a late Arsenal comeback earlier in the day, and they grabbed it with both hands.
Reiten was outstanding, scoring four and creating another as the Blues registered their biggest margin of victory all season. The visitors simply could not cope with the slickness and efficiency of it all.
"Don't stop believing" rang around the PA system at Kingsmeadow at the full-time whistle. It was apt. And now there's no denying the jeopardy of the title race is back.
The intensity could be felt from the moment Reiten struck from the penalty spot after Charles was tripped inside the box. No player celebrated the breakthrough, Reiten simply collected the ball and placed it purposefully back on the penalty spot. That happened a further seven times.
Fran Kirby, who recently announced her plans to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, was introduced late on and had a hand in Reiten's fourth - Chelsea's seventh - linking impressively with Macario to get the forward in behind.
Beever-Jones' back-post header from Reiten's cross late on capped an utterly one-sided affair. Hayes was emotional at the staggering level her side produced under the spotlight. "What are the odds of that?" the boss said afterwards. "This is what Chelsea are all about."
Chelsea's emphatic win means they now trail Man City by three points with a game in hand at Tottenham to come on May 15. But, perhaps crucially, the Blues' goal difference is now one ahead of their title rivals on plus 46 going into the last fortnight of a fascinating campaign.
Emma Hayes speaking to Sky Sports: "We've had some disappointments, no question. They wanted to make sure they put in the performance that was worthy of what champions look like. We didn't want to go out with a whimper. We wanted to make sure it was a game to remember for the fans.
"What's the chances of that? If you'd told me Arsenal would beat City in the last four or five minutes and we'd win 8-0... what are the odds of that?
"I said to the players that our job was to be ready. Today was another opportunity for us to get closer to something that was slipping out of our grasp. I am so proud because everything Chelsea represents are days like today."
May 15: Tottenham vs Chelsea, kick-off 7.15pm
May 18: Man Utd vs Chelsea, kick-off 3pm
May 18: Aston Villa vs Man City, kick-off 3pm
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