Catarina Macario was a thorn in Crystal Palace's side all night as Chelsea moved one step closer to a sixth successive Women's Super League title with a 4-0 win on Wednesday night. The Blues need just four points from their final three games to retain the crown they've held since 2020, with a brace from Macario and first goals after injury for both Guro Reiten and Mia Fishel giving Sonia Bompastor's all three points.
It was a dominant performance from the get-go from Chelsea, who created a ton of chances while giving up none of note at the other end, and once Reiten broke the deadlock from the spot after 22 minutes, they only seemed to get better. Macario doubled the lead two minutes later with a smart finish, then it was her deflected free-kick which made it three - awarded after Allyson Swaby was sent off after bringing Sjoeke Nusken down as she raced through on goal.
It was a performance and a result that will have served as the perfect tonic for Chelsea after the 4-1 battering they were given by Barcelona at the weekend, in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, but it was also a valuable outing for a lot of other reasons. Naomi Girma made her first start after getting injured on her debut, Reiten marked her return to the XI with a goal and Maelys Mpome came back from a quad issue in the second half, too. But the most heart-warming moment of the night was certainly provided by Fishel, who netted a first goal in 15 months after recovering from a devastating ACL tear.
It's unlikely that any of those positives can help Chelsea complete a highly-unlikely comeback in the second leg of their European semi-final on Sunday, with Barca the champions of Europe for the past two seasons for a reason. However, with a WSL title still to be won and a treble likely to be on the line when the Blues face Manchester United in next month's FA Cup final - a feat this team only achieved once in Emma Hayes' illustrious tenure - there's still plenty to play for and, as such, plenty to be encouraged by.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow...
