Chelsea Maintains Perfect Start in WSL

Chelsea celebrated a resounding victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park maintaining their perfect start to the Women’s Super League (WSL) season. The Blues opened the scoring when Aggie Beever-Jones capitalized on a swift counter-attack after a promising Palace move broke down. Shortly after halftime, summer signing Lucy Bronze extended Chelsea’s lead to 2-0.

The scoring continued with goals from Lauren James, Nathalie Bjorn, Catarina Macario and two from Guro Reiten, rounding off an impressive tally. Despite the heavy defeat in their first home WSL match, Palace managed by Laura Kaminski, displayed moments of promise with attempts from Annabel Blanchard, Indiah-Paige Riley and Katie Stengel.

They defended well for significant stretches in the first half but Chelsea’s clinical finishing ultimately made the difference. England forward James proved to be a constant threat while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd continued her strong form with another assist and impactful performance on the right wing. Making her mark after joining from Barcelona, Bronze scored her first goal for the club.

She showcased her attacking intent under new manager Sonia Bompastor. The match attracted over 5,000 fans to Selhurst Park, all hoping for an upset in Palace’s inaugural home WSL game. Despite a bright start which included blocked shots from James and promising attacks by Mille Gejl and Lily Woodham, Palace could not find the back of the net.

After Beever-Jones’s opener, Chelsea took control in the second half. Palace struggled to cope as the Blues scored five more goals, demonstrating their quality and ruthlessness—traits essential for retaining their championship title this season. This game marked another challenging experience for Palace, who have yet to score in the WSL and have conceded 11 goals in their first two matches.