The England forward has scored every time she has started in the Women's Super League and she kept that remarkable feat up on Friday night
Selhurst Park might've been a new ground for the Women's Super League on Friday night, but it wasn't for Chelsea. As newly-promoted Crystal Palace hosted the champions in their first home fixture in the top-flight, some unwanted memories will have come back to a few of the Blues as they walked out as it was here that Arsenal came from 1-0 down to beat them in the League Cup final last year. Fortunately for Chelsea, history didn't repeat itself, as Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze and Lauren James got among the goals in a comfortable 7-0 win.
The difference on this occasion was that, once the Blues went ahead, it felt unlikely that they would lose that lead. The first goal came after plenty of promising play from Palace, with Indiah-Paige Riley and Annabel Blanchard having particularly good chances to stun the winners of the last five WSL titles. But Beever-Jones made them rue those missed opportunities just before half-time when she converted a brilliant counter-attack.
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It was just three minutes after the break that Bronze's wonderfully controlled strike flew into the top corner to make it two and James popped up in the right place to add another before the hour, putting the result well beyond doubt despite a decent display from the hosts. Just to be sure, Nathalie Bjorn bundled one in from a corner, Reiten netted twice and Catarina Macario scored with essentially the last kick of the game as Sonia Bompastor's side cruised to victory in the end.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Selhurst Park…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (5/10):
Made a good save to deny Riley in the first half, albeit only after her misplaced pass created the chance. Didn't have much else to do.
Lucy Bronze (7/10):
Was caught out a few times as a result of a front-footed approach but it paid off with a terrific goal.
Millie Bright (5/10):
Caught out a few times with a simple ball over the top and was a little sloppy in possession.
Nathalie Bjorn (6/10):
Tidier on the ball but, like Bright, not at her best defensively.
Ashley Lawrence (7/10):
Played some nice passes to help Chelsea in attack and was generally solid, winning possession back plenty.
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Erin Cuthbert (6/10):
Took up good positions around the edge of the area to keep the pressure on Palace.
Sjoeke Nusken (8/10):
Really tidy display, from which the highlight was a sublime pass to release Rytting Kaneryd for Chelsea's opener.
Guro Reiten (7/10):
Took a while to get into the game but it was worth the wait, as she ended the fixture with two goals.
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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (7/10):
Was lively down the right and involved in most of Chelsea's best play in the first half, including the assist for the opener.
Aggie Beever-Jones (9/10):
Made good runs off the ball and mixed it up the right amount when drifting wide or deep to collect the ball. Great finish to break the deadlock and got creative when Ramirez's introduction pushed her wide.
Lauren James (6/10):
Struggled to get into the game but kept plugging away and was in the right place at the right time to make it 3-0.
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Mayra Ramirez (7/10):
Had over half an hour to make an impact and did so immediately, teeing up James for the third goal. Her effort led to Macario's tap-in, too.
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Made a great run and pass to tee up Reiten for 4-0.
Eve Perisset (6/10):
Replaced Bronze just past the hour and settled well, without standing out from her right-back role.
Sandy Baltimore (6/10):
Filled the unfamiliar role of left-back but still made an impact when her mazy dribble led to Reiten's second.
Catarina Macario (7/10):
Played a key role in Chelsea's fourth goal and then bagged the seventh. Strong cameo.
Sonia Bompastor (8/10):
Decision to give Beever-Jones a chance to lead the line paid off as she scored her seventh goal in six starts. Substitutions injected fresh energy into the game and were given enough time to make a genuine impact, too.
