Kirby’s brace helps Blues into seventh heaven as they thrash Servette 7-0 in Champions League

By Paul Lagan

Servette 0 v  Chelsea 7

Chelsea thrashed Servette 7-0 in Geneva tonight as the west Londoners demonstrated a ruthlessness that was demanded of them by their head coach Emma Hayes.

A brace apiece from Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby were ably assisted by Jessie Fleming, Guro Reiten and to get the goal-fest on the way was German Melanie Leupolz thunderous left-footer

Hayes had wanted her charges to kill off games once ahead and those words must have been repeated just before kick-off – as it took just eight minutes to get the opener.

The game was all over by half-time as the Blues rattled up six goals.

Reiten’s strike on the 49th minute was the end of the scoring. But the game was lso notable  for the return from injury of Maren Mjelde.

Fran Kirby missed two glorious chance to open the score after three minutes when her goal-bound shot was punched away by Teixeira Pereira. The ball bounced back to her and she smacked the ball onto the crossbar.

But the German Melanie Leupolz showed Kirby how to do it by picking the ball up on the right apex of the Servette penalty area. She took one touch and then thumped a venomous left-footer past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 after eight minutes.

Kirby, was ruthless on 16 minutes when she latched onto a deft flick by Sam Kerr and smashed the ball past Teixeira Pereira, as  the Blues, playing in all yellow looked like they were looking to run up a cricket score.

Three minutes later and a wonderful counter attack involving Guro Reiten and Leupolz saw Kerr with the simplest of tasks to tap home from close range.

A minute later and Kirby fed Kerr, who took one touch and slotted home past the stopper to make it 4-0.

Kirby notched her sending on 26 minutes when H]Jessie Fleming beat the offside trap and set up the striker at the far post. Kirby simply dinked the ball home past a deflated Teixeira Pereira.

Fleming got in on the act with six minutes of the half left, when she saw the goalkeeper come out to narrow the angle but left a small gap between her and the near post. Canadian Fleming saw the gap and rammed the ball between the keeper and post to make it 6-0.

Head coach Emma Hayes kept the same starting 11 for the restart.

Kerr should have got her JT-trick three minutes in after Cuthbert won  the ball in midfield before feeding the Australian.

The striker tried a little chip over the advancing goalkeeper but inched the ball wide of her right post.

But it was seventh heaven for the west Londoners after a passage of crisp passing saw Reiten. at the far post latch onto a Kerr pass and the Norway winger slotted cooly home.

Hayes inevitably decided to make some changes, Jonna Andersson, Jorja Fox, and Niamh Charles came on – Reiten, Eriksson and Cuthbert made way.

Drew Spence rattled the crossbar just before Hayes decided to bring on Maren Mjelde and Beth England.

Mjelde replaced Jess Carter while Kerr went to the dugout.

Understandably so many changes resulted in a slight lost of attacking cohesion, and the game drifted to a conclusion.

Chelsea face Manchester City in the WSL on Sunday 

Teams: Chelsea: Musovic, Bright, Carter, Eriksson, Cuthbert, Leupolz, Spence, Reiten, Fleming, Kerr, Kirby

Subs: Telford, Berger Ingle, England, Ji, Mjelde, James, Charles, Andersson, Fox.

Servette; Teixeira Pereira, Soulard, Spalti, Hurni, Fleury, Laconia, Tufo, Tambling, Nakkach, Padilla-Bidas, Boho Sayo

Subs: Bourma, Ferber, Maendly, Droz, Guede Redondo, Grivaz 

Referee; Iuliana Elena Demetrescu