Seventh heaven! Chelsea maintain perfect start to WSL season as Blues THRASH Crystal Palace 7-0 away from home, with Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Guro Reiten among the scorers

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Sonia Bompastor praised her side’s commanding team performance as Chelsea struck seven past WSL newcomers Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Despite securing three points in their season opener against Aston Villa, the Blues’ narrow 1-0 win felt precarious — with only a late double save from Hannah Hampton ensuring new manager Sonia Bompastor began her tenure with a victory.

A win today against newly-promoted Crystal Palace was not just important for the points, but crucial to send a message to the rest of the league. And that’s exactly what the reigning champions set out to do, following up their one-goal first-half lead by firing a further six past last season’s Championship winners.

‘Tonight was not only about one player but more about the team performance,’ said Chelsea boss Bompastor after the match.

‘When you have a good team performance then it is always easier for the player to perform. From the players who were starting the game, they were working really hard to fatigue the opposition. (This meant that) for the players coming in, they had more space. Tonight was really a team performance from the whole squad.’

Chelsea winger Lauren James got on the scoresheet in the Blues' seven-goal demolition

Lucy Bronze also found the back of the net against the Eagles and celebrated with Guro Reiten

The Blues' win ensured they made it two wins from two to start the 2024-25 WSL season

Palace meanwhile have been given a rude awakening to life in the top flight, conceding 11 goals in their opening two games of the season after suffering four at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend.

There were spells in the first half where Palace looked like they could take Chelsea by surprise on the break, but they ultimately lacked the quality needed in the final pass.

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And it was from one of these instances that the visitors pounced. Palace were putting together a few passes in the centre of the park when a ball intended for striker Katie Stengel fell short and was intercepted by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.

Rytting Kaneryd - already with a goal and an assist in her first two games - launched down the right wing and chopped the ball back for Aggie Beever-Jones, who drilled it past the Crystal Palace goalkeeper Shae Yanez.

Making her first start under new manager Sonia Bompastor, 21-year-old Aggie Beever-Jones stepped in for Colombian forward Mayra Ramirez in the number nine role. The young England international was energetic and direct, showing early flashes of a promising partnership with Lucy Bronze on the right flank—one that could prove highly rewarding.

Boos echoed around Selhurst Park as Palace fans voiced their frustration at how quickly their positive play had unravelled, and the hosts headed into the break a goal down.

In the second half, Chelsea turned the screw. First a Palace flick out of the box landed at the feet of Bronze, and with poise and precision the Lionesses star caressed the ball into the top right hand corner.

And another ten minutes later the Blues struck again, this time through the newly-introduced Ramirez, who skilfully found Lauren James at the back post for an easy tap in.

Sonia Bompastor has begun her Chelsea career with two WSL wins in as many games

Roared on by a passionate support, Crystal Palace kept going all the way until the final whistle

Guro Reiten bagged two goals in the space of 16 minutes to put Chelsea further ahead

At this point the floodgates had well and truly opened, with Guro Reiten scoring a brace and Nathalie Bjorn and Catarina Macario also getting on the score sheet, the latter smashing home in the 95th minute for good measure.

The crowd at Selhurst Park rallied behind the home side until the final whistle, with chants of ‘Eagles’ echoing through the stands whenever Palace managed brief spells of possession.

But their support wasn’t enough to derail the reigning champions, who were cruising.

Palace head coach Laura Kaminski welcomed a question regarding the fans’ support after the match, saying: ‘I’m pleased that you’ve noticed that because the fans deserve some credit for their reaction to the way we’ve begun this journey. It feels like the fans have an understanding of the group and this level and what we’re trying to achieve.’

And, she noted: ‘Last year in the Championship we’d have a lot of possession and on the turnover, we’d not get punished so harshly. You would almost make a mistake and be able to get away with it a little bit because maybe the technical quality is not as high across the entire squad.

‘I’m alluding to the strength and depth of entire squads in the WSL. I feel we have the ball in good moments but when we make mistakes we’re learning harsh lessons. If you give the ball away at this level, then you get punished.’

Up next for the Blues is Manchester United at home (at Kingsmeadow), while Palace travel to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester next weekend, where they will be hoping that they can start to turn the tide on what has been a disappointing start to their WSL season.