Chelsea Ladies clinch title with resounding home win

Fran Kirby scored twice as Chelsea Ladies cruised to a 4-0 victory over Sunderland Ladies to win their first league title and complete the Double.

Needing a victory to be certain of the Women’s Super League crown to add to their Women’s FA Cup success, the Blues dominated in front of a record crowd at Staines FC.

A flowing move led to Ji So Yun’s opener, and although there were a few nervy moments, Kirby’s brace as good as settled the match after the break and Gemma Davison sealed victory late on.

The success sparked wild scenes of celebration 12 months on from seeeing the title slip from their grasp on the last day of the last campaign.

Ji grabbed the all-important opener to set Chelsea on their way after just ten minutes, but the goal owed much to the brilliance of Eni Aluko.

The England striker allowed Claire Rafferty’s pass to run on down the left flank and Aluko’s searing pace saw her burst in to the box where she teed up Ji, who calmly side-footed home.

A confident Blues side then seized control and could have been out of sight by the interval, Davison shooting over, Aluko firing just wide from 18 yards and Kirby missing the target by inches when through on goal.

A frantic beginning to the second half saw both sides create chances, with Sunderland’s Beth Mead wasting a great one-on-one opportunity after a defensive mistake.

But Kirby tapped home from Davison’s cross and added a third when she cut inside from the right and ran across the 18-yard box before bending a shot in to the top corner.

And the crowd of 2,710 were rewarded with a fourth goal inside the final five minutes when Davison exchanged passes with Kirby and coolly finished from close range.

It all meant second-placed Manchester City’s 2-1 win against Notts County was academic, with Chelsea winning the title by two points.