Watch out Man Utd, Chelsea are coming for you! Lauren James nets stunner as Blues tune-up for FA Cup final by hitting Leicester for six

• Chelsea earn dominant victory over Foxes
• Harder bagged her second successive brace
• Perfect warm-up for Sunday's FA Cup final

TELL ME MORE: It did not take long for the Blues to get into their groove, with Guro Reiten turning home Pernille Harder's deflected cross inside seven minutes. Erin Cuthbert scored her second in as many games soon after, nicking the ball off Josie Green, calmly rounding Janina Leitzig and rolling it into an empty net. Harder added a third and fourth before the break, first tapping home at the back post after Leitzig had fumbled Lauren James' shot and then finishing off a mazy run with a strike that squeezed under the Foxes' goalkeeper.

10 minutes after the break, James scored the goal of the game, cutting in from the right wing and bending an explosive effort into the roof of the net. More gloss was added to the scoreline with the final kick off the game, with Jelena Cankovic netting another stunner from range. The win cuts Manchester United's lead at the WSL summit to just one point, with Chelsea still possessing a precious game in hand.

THE MVP: This was Pernille Harder's first WSL start since November 2022 and it showed - in the best possible way. Fresh off a brace from the bench against Everton at the weekend, the Dane was desperate to continue to make up for lost time against the Foxes. Harder approached the game with a ruthless intensity, not allowing Leicester's defence a moment's rest. She was rewarded with two goals and with Sam Kerr's fitness still in doubt, she will surely be heavily involved in Sunday's FA Cup final.

THE BIG LOSER: Leicester's resurgence in the second half of the season owes a lot to Janina Leitzig. The Bayern Munich loanee made a stunning 15 saves to keep the score down against Man City in February and came close to earning the Foxes a point against Arsenal by saving Katie McCabe's penalty more recently. Against Chelsea, though, she struggled. Leitzig will be disappointed with the Blues' third and fourth goals in particular and these errors took the game beyond her team before half-time.

MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

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WHAT NEXT? Chelsea now turn their attention to Sunday's FA Cup final against Manchester United, which will be played at a sold-out Wembley Stadium. Meanwhile, Leicester have two games left against West Ham and Brighton as they look to preserve their WSL status.

MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐