Following a tightly contested 75 minutes in SW6 between the league's top-two, the Blues finally broke the deadlock through Mayra Ramirez. And victory was secured soon after when Guro Reiten expertly doubled our advantage.

The win ensured Sonia Bompastor became the first head coach to win their opening seven WSL matches. We now sit atop the league table with 21 points while our opponents drop to second, two points behind having played a game more.

Changes made

Bompastor made seven alterations to the side that beat Celtic in midweek in the Champions League, with Hannah Hampton, captain Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Sjoeke Nusken, Guro Reiten, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ramirez all returning to the starting XI.

The home side registered the first opportunity of the game when Rytting Kaneryd flashed a dangerous cross across the face of goal. Manchester City defender Kerstin Casparij had to send the ball behind for a corner before Reiten could connect with it at the back post.

Maika Hamano delivered the resulting set-piece which was met by the head of Bright and forced goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita to make an early save.

The Blues fashioned another chance when Hamano and Sjoeke Nusken did well to win back possession in the final third, before Rytting Kaneryd was found down the right flank. The winger did well to carry the ball into the area, but her cross into the box was dealt with comfortably by Yamashita.

Rytting Kaneryd was at the centre of the action again when she was sent running down the wing from an Erin Cuthbert pass. She cut the ball back to an unmarked Hamano just outside of the box, but she sent her effort over the far.

City's first opportunity came after 22 minutes when Khadija Shaw latched on to an attempted backpass from Sandy Baltimore, but the forward failed to trouble Hampton in the Chelsea goal and dragged her shot wide of the post.

At the other end, after receiving the ball from Bronze, Ramirez saw her strike from long range easily gathered by goalkeeper Yamashita.

Moments later, Reiten did well down the left to beat Casparij and work the ball into the box. She cut it back to Nusken, who was waiting 20 yards out from goal and unmarked, but the German midfielder's effort was overhit and went over the bar.

As the first half came to a close, Shaw saw a deflected shot go behind for a corner, and the resulting set-piece sent in by City captain Alex Greenwood was cleared in the air by Blues defender Nathalie Bjorn.

Casparij then called Hampton into action as the Blues goalkeeper pushed the City defender's shot wide of the post, before Shaw nodded her header from the corner wide of the target area.

There was another chance for Bompastor's side to take the lead before the interval. Nusken played a superb ball through to Rytting Kaneryd who was in a dangerous area inside the box, but her effort was blocked by City defender Alanna Kennedy. Against her former club, Bronze also saw a shot denied from the corner.

All square

After the interval, Greenwood denied Ramirez the opportunity to get a shot away after our forward burst into the area. The Blues looked to capitalise on the corner and the ball was eventually headed wide by Bjorn.

City responded with a chance of their own from a set-piece with Shaw rising highest to meet a corner sent in by Mary Fowler. However, the forward's header was gathered by an alert Hampton.

The visitors then won a free-kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out from goal after Bjorn was adjudged to have brought down Shaw. The ball was sent into the box by Greenwood and met by Shaw, who nodded the delivery wide of the post.

With the match approaching the hour mark, Cuthbert did incredibly well to get a shot away with two City players around her, but the midfielder's strike from just inside the area trailed wide of the post.

A well-timed block from Baltimore at the byline ensured Aoba Fujino could not captialise on the counter-attack, with our French defender sending the ball behind for a corner that the Blues then ultimately dealt with.

Our opener arrived after 75 minutes as the Blues surged forward on the counter-attack. Hamano found Ramirez with a superb curling pass and our forward got the better of Kennedy and made no mistake by burying the ball into the bottom corner.

City attempted to respond almost immediately with Shaw unleashing a powerful curling strike goalwards, but it was collected comfortably by Hampton.

We looked to double our advantage with Hamano almost bagging her second assist of the game after teeing Reiten up on the edge of the box, but the Norwegian international's effort fizzed wide of the post. Moments later Rytting Kaneryd saw a deflected shot also land wide.

It was soon 2-0 as, from the resulting corner, the ball landed at the feet of Bronze who found an unmarked Reiten. She made no mistake this time and clinically curled the ball into the back of the net.

There was a chance to score a third soon after but Rytting Kaneryd could not get her shot away. However, Chelsea saw out the game in impressive fashion to go top of the league table.

What it means

The win means the Blues sit top of the WSL table with seven wins from seven. We are guaranteed to go into the international break at the summit and could extend our advantage when we play our game in hand next weekend.

What next

We return to SW6 on Wednesday night for our next Group B encounter in the Champions League when we host Celtic. Our next WSL game, and the last before the international break, is against Manchester United at Kingsmeadow next Sunday.

The teams

Chelsea: Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Bjorn, Baltimore, Nusken, Cuthbert, Reiten (Lawrence 83), Hamano, Rytting Kaneryd, Ramirez (Beever-Jones 90)
Unused substitutes: Musovic, Perisset, Bernabe, Mpome, Kaptein, Jean-Francois, Macario
Scorers: Ramirez 75, Reiten 79
Booked: Bjorn 45+1

Manchester City: Yamashita; Casparij, Kennedy, Greenwood, Ouahabi, Roord, Hasegawa, Park (Coombs 81), Fowler (Kelly 80), Shaw, Fujino
Unused substitutes: Keating, Startup, Blindkilde Brown, Prior, Thomas, Murphy, O'Carroll
Booked: Greenwood 47