Report: Palace Women defeated at Chelsea

Summary:

• Gejl returns to the starting line-up, as Smerud opts for a 4-4-2 formation against Chelsea.
• 10: A defiant block from Swaby prevents Chelsea from going ahead early
• 21: The hosts are awarded a penalty, after the ball strikes Sharpe's arm at close range
• 22: GOAL - Yañez gets a strong hand to the penalty, but Reiten's strike proves to be too powerful
• 24: GOAL - The hosts get their second via an accurate Macario finish into the corner
• 35: Cato is shown a yellow card for a challenge on Charles
• 40: Nolan's last-ditch slide tackle prevents Beever-Jones from running through on goal
• HT: Chelsea 2 - 0 Palace
• 48: Swaby is shown a red card for a preventing a goal-scoring opportunity
• 49: GOAL - Macario scores from the resultant free-kick, after the ball takes a wicked deflection
• 64: GOAL - Fishel converts from close range after a dangerous corner
• 83: Rytting Kaneryd hits the side netting from a good opportunity
• FT: Chelsea 4 - 0 Palace

Palace Women battled hard but came up short against the defending Barclays Women's Super League champions.

The Eagles matched Chelsea for the first 20 minutes at Kingsmeadow, with few chances being afforded to the hosts.

The turning point came in the 21st minute however, when Molly-Mae Sharpe was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area, after the ball struck her arm from very close range.

Goalkeeper Shae Yañez got a hand to the penalty from Guro Reiten, but it wasn't enough as the ball trickled into the net.

Chelsea would double their lead just two minutes later, with Catarina Macario finding space and planting an accurate finish into the bottom corner.

The hosts were denied a third just before the break, after Hayley Nolan made a heroic last-ditch challenge on forward Aggie Beever-Jones.

Palace's fortunes did not improve after the break, as Allyson Swaby was shown a straight red card on the 47th minute.

The Jamaica international was ruled to pulled back Macario as she raced through on goal, and so Swaby was dismissed for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity.

From there, it became clear that it wouldn't be Palace's day as Macario's resultant free-kick took a wicked deflection past Yañez to put the hosts 3-0 up.

Substitute Mia Fishel then made it 4-0 on the 64th minute, completing the scoring from close range after a dangerous Chelsea corner.

This result leaves Palace in 12th place, with a must-win fixture against West Ham coming up next for the Eagles.

Tickets for that game are available here.

Chelsea: Hampton (GK), Bright (Mpome, 68), Nusken, Reiten (Rytting Kaneryd, 55), Lawrence, Girma (Bronze, 45), Baltimore (Hamano, 55), Charles, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones (Fishel, 45)

Subs not used: Spencer (GK), Ramirez, Cuthbert, Walsh

Palace: Yañez (GK), Arthur, Cato (Blanchard, 84), Sharpe, Weerden (Oling, 59), Nolan, Larisey (Hughes, 59), Gejl (Green, 50), Woodham, Stengel (Larkin, 59), Swaby

Subs not used: Majasaari (GK), Veje, Riley, Atkinson