First half goals from Sam Kerr, Guro Reiten and Erin Cuthbert ensured Emma Hayes’ side gained a vital three points as the race for the WSL title continues late into the season.

The win means Chelsea are now two points off top position with a game in hand over the Gunners who currently sit at the summit of the WSL.

The Blues are now unbeaten in seven WSL games and have six league games left to play in the league this season.

Hayes made four changes to the team who beat Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, with Sophie Ingle, Jessie Fleming, Cuthbert and Pernille Harder returning the starting 11.

Club captain Magdalena Eriksson featured on the bench for the Blues and made her long-awaited return to action with half an hour remaining. This evening’s game is the first time the Swede has played for the Blues since picking up an injury against Wolfsburg in December.

Maren Mjelde also featured for the Blues this evening, coming on for the final ten minutes as we saw out the win. Our No.18’s last outing for the Blues was back in November, as we beat Servette 1-0 in the Champions League.

Chelsea certainly started the brighter side at Walton Hall Park and there was real intent shown from the off.

We took an early lead just seven minutes into proceedings when Ingle delivered an inviting cross met by Kerr who glanced her header into the far corner.

The Blues continued to put pressure on our opponents, with Cuthbert and Fleming pulling the strings in midfield.

We doubled our lead 15 minutes in when the ball fell kindly to Reiten at the edge of the box, our No.11 made no mistake and fired her first-time strike into the roof of the net.

Moments later Harder received the ball on the left-hand side and sent in a pin-point cross towards the back post met by the on-running Niamh Charles whose header hit the side netting.

It was an evening of stunning strikes and Cuthbert added another beauty 29 minutes in. Fleming teed the ball up for Cuthbert whose effort from 25-yards out flew into the top corner, Brosnan in the Everton goal got a hand to it, but our No.22’s hit was just too powerful and found its way comfortably into the back of the net.

Emma Hayes’ side were playing with pace and confidence and we headed into the interval with a deserved lead, creating a total of nine chances in the opening 45.

There was a slight delay before the second half could get going, following an injury to one of the officials.

The Blues picked up where they left off and won a corner shortly after play resumed. Aniek Nouwen volleyed Reiten’s ball in but it flew high of Brosnan’s goal.

Everton created few chances of note in the second half as Hayes’ side dominated the game from the off.

The margin of victory was the least our performance merited as the race for the WSL ramps up towards the back end of this season.

The games continue to come thick and fast for the Blues as attention now turns to Sunday’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against Birmingham City at Kingsmeadow.

Everton (4-2-3-1) Brosnan; Turner, Finnigan, George, Pattinson; Galli (Dali 81), Bjorn (Graham 45); Emslie, Christiansen (c) (Duggan 81), Bennison (Maier 68); Magill (Gauvin 68)Unused subs MacIver, Dali, ClintonChelsea (3-4-3) Musovic; Carter, Bright (c), Nouwen (Mjelde 81); Ingle, Charles (Eriksson 60), Reiten (Abdullina 74), Cuthbert (Spence 60); Fleming, Kerr, Harder (England 74)Unused subs Berger, Ji, James, AnderssonScorers Kerr 7, Reiten 15, Cuthbert 29Referee James Bell

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