Double hat-trick as Kirby and England hit three apiece as Blues thrash Bristol 6-0
BY PAUL LAGAN
Chelsea 6 v Bristol City 0
Fran Kirby and Beth England smashed home a hat-trick apiece as Chelsea ran riot against Bristol City tonight at Kingsmeadow.
The home side torn their visitors apart with clinical finishing of the highest order and it was just reward for both strikers work rate.
While this will make no real dent on finishing in the WSL1 top two – Arsenal and Manchester City seem to have that to fight out among themselves, it will set the Blues up for a serious end of season tilt at the FA Cup and Champions League.
Millie Bright was rested but she was not needed for one minute.
Chelsea got off to the perfect star after two minutes. Erin Cuthbert raced clear on the right. She passed to her left and in-running Fran Kirby took one-touch before slotting home a smart right-footer past goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
Number two came four minutes later, Cuthbert again set up the goal and Beth England crashed the ball into the back of the net.
City were bright on the break and when Hannah Blundell slipped, Ella Rutherford tooka advantage on the left and raced to the edge of the Chelsea penalty area, before letting fly with a powerful left-footer that was inches wide of Carly Telford’s goal.
The goal tally increased on 33 minutes when Kirby raced clear, she cut inside from the left before planting a wonderful, curling right-footer wide of the despairing dive of Baggaley.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
England saw her diving header on 53 minutes, on target, but it was well saved by Baggaley.
But number four was not far away and England was on hand to tuck home from close range after a sublime Ramona Bachmann pass from the left, her outside of the right boot was perfect in pace and England the quickest to react on 61 minutes.
Kirby could have had a hat-trick but Danique Kerkdijk produced a last-gasp tackle to prevent the England striker from letting fly.
With eight minutes on the clock, Kirby notched up her hat-trick from the penalty spot after substitute Adelina Engman hauled her down from six yards out.
England got her third with two minutes on the clock from close range.
Teams: Chelsea, Telford, Blundell, Ingle, Jim, Kirby, England, Eriksson, Andersson, Cooper, Cuthbert, Bachmann
Subs: Berger, Asante, Carter, Carney Riley, Engman, Spence
Bristol City, Baggaley, Dykes, Evans, Brown, Kerkdijk, Pattinson, Humphrey, Kemppi, Rutherford, Harrison, Biesmans
Subs, Cummings, Payne, Ayane, Wilson, Wolley
Referee: Tom Bishop
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ