Manchester City moved 11 points clear at the top of the Women's Super League after a dominant 5-1 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. The result effectively ends Chelsea's six-year reign as English women's football's top team, with City now seemingly unstoppable in their pursuit of a first title since 2016.
Brazilian forward Kerolin was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick to dismantle the champions. She opened the scoring with a deflected strike after Chelsea failed to clear a set piece, then added two more after the break with a chip and a cool finish. Her performance drew a standing ovation when she was substituted late on.
City's head coach Andrée Jeglertz admitted he was lost for words after the match. 'In the circle afterwards, that was the first time I said to the players actually I don't know what to say, because I am proud of the performance,' he said. 'A lot of people were expecting us to perform and they managed it. It's amazing.'
Khadija Shaw made it 2-0 before half-time, running onto Vivianne Miedema's through ball and finishing past Hannah Hampton. Alyssa Thompson pulled one back for Chelsea, but Miedema headed in from a corner to restore City's four-goal cushion. Chelsea have now lost three of their last five WSL matches, a stark contrast to their unbeaten run since May 2024.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor faced questions about her future after the defeat. 'Really confident. I'm really honest. In the club, if people think I'm not the right person to stay in this job, then I'll be happy to go if they think that's the right thing. But I will never give up,' she said. Chelsea now sit third in the table, 12 points behind City, and face a crucial match against Tottenham next Sunday to avoid slipping out of the Champions League places.
