Report: Palace beaten by Chelsea at Selhurst Park

Summary:

• Kaminski makes two changes, giving Woodham and Cato their first starts.
• Riley tests Hampton after pouncing on a Chelsea defensive mix-up.
• James fires narrowly wide for the visitors moments later.
• Beever-Jones gives Chelsea the lead after a rapid counter attack.
• HT: Palace 0-1 Chelsea
• Bronze doubles Chelsea’s advantage shortly after the restart.
• James makes it three just before the hour mark, tapping in from close-range.
• Reiten slams home a fourth after a slick move.
• A corner is bundled home for Chelsea’s fifth.
• Reiten adds her second and Chelsea’s sixth in the final minute.
• Macario adds a seventh in stoppage time.
• FT: Palace 0-7 Chelsea

After getting some valuable experience under their belts against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend, Kaminski was able to make two changes to the side, with summer signings Lily Woodham and My Cato making their first starts for the club.

The Eagles got off to a confident start, weathering the early storm as the title favourites dominated possession without troubling Shea Yañez in goal.

The ball did find the back of the net early on, a long-range effort from Lauren James taking a major deflection to nestle in the bottom corner, but the whistle had long gone after referee Emily Heaslip spotted a head injury in the build-up.

There were opportunities for Palace to pounce against the run of play, and the first fell to Indiah-Paige Riley, who showed fantastic awareness and aggression to press high, latching on to a mishit ball forwards by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Her first touch took her towards goal and she was able to get her shot away, forcing the ‘keeper into a smart save to atone for her error.

The chance served as a wake-up call for the visitors, who surged down the other end. A fabulous cross-field ball found Lawrence’s run in behind, who cut the ball back for Lauren James – who could have seen red moments earlier after a late challenge when already on a yellow card – to sweep narrowly wide.

Just after the half-hour mark, Chelsea found the breakthrough. It came from a swift counter-attack, as Sjoeke Nusken won possession and threaded a ball into the right channel for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd to chase; the Swedish midfielder showed great awareness to cut it back for Aggie Beever-Jones to sweep home.

Undeterred by falling behind, Palace continued to push for an equaliser before the break, with the ball falling to Annabel Blanchard near the six-yard box, but she was unable to open her body up enough to steer the low cross home.

Chelsea doubled their advantage just minutes after the restart, and it was a moment of sheer quality from former World Player of the Year Lucy Bronze. As Palace defended their own penalty area from an early onslaught, a cross was cleared and fell to Bronze 25 yards out. She struck it first time, side-footing powerfully into the top corner with Yañez beaten.

As Palace pushed for a way back into the game, Chelsea added their third. The fresh energy of substitute Mayra Ramirez proved decisive, exchanging passes with Beever-Jones and drilling across the face of goal for James to tap home from a few yards out.

The Eagles continued to create chances, with Katie Stengel coming close as she looked to turn a cross to the near-post home from the angle. Minutes later another cross, this time from the opposite flank, found the American centre-forward who fired narrowly wide.

A fourth goal came from a tidy Chelsea move, with a slick passing combination finding a way through to Guro Reitan to slam home from inside the area, before the visitors bundled home a fifth from a corner.

Reiten added her second and Chelsea’s sixthin the final minute, slotting home from close range, before Macario tapped home the rebound from a fine Yanez save to add a seventh in stoppage time and complete a ruthless performance from the champions.

Palace: Yañez (GK), Gibbons, Veje, Everett, Woodham, Green (Larkin, 79), Gejl, Cato, Blanchard (Weerden, 91), Riley (Sharpe, 53), Stengel (Pritchard, 91).

Subs not used: Majasaari, Arthur, Atkinson.

Chelsea: Hampton (GK), Lawrence (Baltimore, 64), Bjorn, Bright, Bronze (Perisset, 64), Nusken (Macario, 71), James, Reiten, Cuthbert (Kaptein, 54), Kaneryd (Ramirez, 54), Beever-Jones.

Subs not used: Musovic (GK), Buchanan, Hamano, Mpome.