Chelsea thrash Yeovil Town 5-0 in WSL 1 rout at Kingsmeadow
BY PAUL LAGAN
Chelsea thrashed Yeovil Town 5-0 at Kingsmeadow this afternoon with Ramona Bachman, netting a brace, with Millie Bright, Erin Cuthbert and substitute Bethany England all scoring
This was a mis-match from the first whistle and if the score was 10-0, none of the 1,840 crowd would have been surprised.
Chelsea were almost caught onthe hope five minutes in when Yeovil’s Annie Heatherson beat a static Chelsea defence, but goalkeeper Carly’s Telford was alert enough to race out and kick the ball away to safety.
Scotland star Erin Cuthbert had the Blues first effort of the game, a low drive from just outside the visitors’ penalty area, but Megan Walsh was equal to the task and smothered the shot at her near post,
Skipper Karen Carney tried a cheeky chip from the edge of the Yeovil area, but the ball inched just over the crossbar.
Bachmann had a glorious chance on 15 minutes out-sprinted Hannah Short to race in on goal. The Switzerland striker took one touch too many, and the ball edged too close to Walsh who hacked the ball clear.
Hannah Blundell’s cross which turned into a shot, nestled on top of the netting after Jo So Yun and Cuthbert combined to take advantage of an error bu Ellie Mason.
The deserved goal came on 21 minutes when Carney was free on the left, her byline cross went deep and Millie Bright was on hand to smash an unstoppable shot past Walsh an into the back of the Yeovil net.
Number two came on 27 minutes from the cultured boot of South Korean Ji So Yun. She simply ghosted through the Yeovil defence, from just inside her own half, cut to her right when she got to the penalty area and unleashed an unstoppable daisy-cutter past Walsh.
Nicola Cousins was given a straight red card on 40 minutes when she hauled down Cuthbert as she was clean through.
It was game over from this point ionwards.
Two minutes later and Cuthbert rammed home number three with an acrobatic volley before
Bachmann notched her second and Chelsea’s fourth with a neat turn and shot past hapless Walsh.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
Ji should have had her second minutes after the restart when her diving headers from close range just went past Walsh’s left upright. She followed that up with a long-range effort that went just over the crossbar.
Emma Hayes decided to replace Drew Spence for Jade Bailey on 62 minutes.
Next off was two-goal Bachmann for Bethany England on 68 minutes. She was closely followed on the pitch by Deanna Cooper who replace vic-skipper Bright.
England smashed home number five on 79 minutes from long range – a left-footer that crashed off Walsh’s right post and zipped over the line.
Teams: Chelsea, Telford, Blundell, Bright, Ingle, Carney, Yun, Eriksson, Andersson, Cuthbert, Bachmann, Spence
Subs: Asante, Carter, Durack, England, Cooper, Bailey
Yeovil Town
Walsh, Goddard, Alexander, Cousins, Short, Fergusson, Horwood, Heatherson, Gaylor, mason, Evans
Subs, Syme, Aubuery, Donovan, Buxton, Burridge, Howard, Bloomfield
Referee: Kirsty Dowie