Chelsea claimed their second 5-0 win in the space of just four days as they knocked Durham out of the Subway Women’s League Cup on Wednesday.
Aggie Beever-Jones opened the scoring against the Women’s Championship side, netting her third goal in as many games to hand the hosts the lead at half time.
Sonia Bompastor’s side ran riot in the second half, with goals from Oriane Jean-François, Erin Cuthbert, Guro Reiten and Maika Hamano adding to the tally as Chelsea secured progression to the semi-finals of the Subway Women’s League Cup.
As it happened
Durham were forced to take a defensive approach from the early stages at Kingsmeadow, with the Women’s Championship side finding themselves pinned into their own half for much of the opening exchanges by a Chelsea side that had made seven changes from Sunday’s thrashing of West Ham.
Maika Hamano’s early effort from just outside the penalty area forced Tatiana Saunders into a fine save, before a teasing Johanna Rytting Kaneryd delivery towards the back post was turned over the crossbar by a Durham defender as Sonia Bompastor’s side wasted no time highlighting their attacking strength.
The wide areas would prove to be Chelsea’s best outlet going forward, with Guro Reiten the next to force Saunders into a save as she headed home from yet another cross – and another delivery into the box from Hamano came just inches from opening the scoring as Durham’s Lily Crosthwaite rattled an attempted clearance against the crossbar.
The pressure finally told, and with 21 minutes on the match day clock at Kingsmeadow, Aggie Beever-Jones connected with another cross, nodding past Saunders to hand Chelsea the upper hand in this Subway Women’s League Cup quarter-final.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt looked as though the floodgates would soon open – but Durham’s defence held strong: Hamano’s effort from distance required another intervention from Saunders, while Beever-Jones’ second goal of the night was chalked off for offside after the England international made her run too early.
Chelsea came close to doubling their lead again before the interval as Sjoeke Nüsken looked to strike a volleyed effort from inside the box after connecting with a well-placed Niamh Charles cross; the German midfielder could only watch on as it flew the wrong side of the post, however.
Oriane Jean-François had been twice denied by Saunders in the first half, but the French midfielder was able to double Chelsea’s lead shortly after the hour mark as she buried a stunning effort past Rylee Foster, who had replaced Saunders at the break.
Embed from Getty ImagesThree goals in the space of four minutes removed any slim hopes of a comeback from Wednesday’s visitors, with Erin Cuthbert nodding home after being left unmarked inside the box before Reiten pounced on an error from Foster. Hamano wrapped up the goalscoring with a dinked effort, having threatened to find her way onto the scoresheet on several occasions throughout the evening.
Chelsea will face the winner of Tottenham v West Ham in the semi-final, with the tie scheduled to be played at Kingsmeadow in early February.
The lineups
CHE: Mušović; Charles, Mpomé, Björn, Lawrence; Nüsken, Jean-François; Hamano, Rytting Kaneryd, Reiten; Beever-Jones
DUR: Saunders; E. Wilson, Holmes, S. Wilson, Foster, Ayre; Blake, Bradley, Novak, Crosthwaite; Ryan-Doyle