In an exhilarating matchup at Kingsmeadow, Chelsea emphatically triumphed over Crystal Palace with a resounding 4-0 defeat, inching ever closer to their sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title. The victory was spearheaded by two goals from the in-form Catarina Macario, while Guro Reiten and Mia Fishel each contributed one goal apiece. Under the management of Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea is now positioned six points ahead of their nearest rivals, Arsenal, with just three matches remaining in the season.
Crystal Palace’s struggles were evident, as they languish at the bottom of the WSL table, sitting seven points adrift of the safety line, currently occupied by 11th-placed Aston Villa. The Eagles had a rocky season, managing only one win on the road across nine away matches, alongside a concerning record of conceding 25 goals. As the match kicked off, it was clear that Chelsea had every intention of controlling the game, asserting dominance in possession and eagerly seeking an early goal against their desperate opponents.
Despite their struggles, Palace aimed to hold Chelsea at bay for as long as possible. However, their resistance proved fleeting. The breakthrough for Chelsea arrived after 22 minutes when a crucial moment shifted the momentum. Guro Reiten’s dangerous cross into the box was handled by defender Molly-Mae Sharpe, leading to a penalty being awarded. Reiten, having drawn the foul, confidently stepped up to take the penalty herself, sending it past goalkeeper Shae Yanez. Although Yanez managed to get a hand to it, she could not prevent the ball from crossing the line.
With Chelsea now in the lead, they quickly turned up the tempo, and the second goal came just moments later. Catarina Macario made her mark by firing a low shot into the bottom corner after receiving a well-placed ball from Sandy Baltimore. The momentum firmly shifted in Chelsea’s favor, and the pressure on Palace began to intensify. Baltimore came agonizingly close to extending the lead further, hitting the post with a curling cross shortly after the half-hour mark. Naomi Girma also added to Palace’s woes with a deflected shot that narrowly missed the target.
Even with a commanding lead, Chelsea’s head coach, Sonia Bompastor, exhibited signs of frustration from the sidelines, illustrating her desire for complete dominance on the pitch. Early in the second half, any remaining tension for Chelsea was alleviated when Palace defender Allyson Swaby was shown a red card for a foul on Sjoeke Nusken, who was making a break towards goal. Reduced to ten players, Palace faced an uphill battle; shortly thereafter, Chelsea capitalized on the numerical advantage. Macario, now fully in rhythm, took a free-kick that deflected past Yanez, marking the team’s third goal of the afternoon.
The match became one of mere damage limitation for Crystal Palace as the game progressed at a distinctly one-sided pace. Chelsea did not relent, and their persistence paid off again, with Mia Fishel scoring from close range to seal the score at 4-0 just after an hour had passed. Despite Chelsea’s overwhelming control of the match, Crystal Palace remarkably managed to avoid conceding further goals, though they failed to register a single shot on target throughout the entire game.
The victory proved to be a routine outing for Chelsea, who found themselves just four points shy of securing the title with only three matches left to play in the league. They will face a critical test in their next fixture against Manchester United on April 30. Meanwhile, Arsenal will look to maintain their title hopes as they go head-to-head with Aston Villa on the same night. The excitement of the Premier League and Champions League continues, with matches available to watch live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
