The Blues were utterly dominant from start to finish on a chilly night in east London. Kerr volleyed us in front inside four minutes and we never looked back, extending our lead through Fran Kirby soon after at the end of a sumptuous team move.

Kerr got goals three and four before half-time with two deadly finishes from different sides of the box.

We didn’t let up in the second period. Lauren James’s powerful effort made it 5-0, Kerr added to her tally with a close-range header, and then Guro Reiten got in on the act before the halfway point of the half had even been reached.

There were more chances for Chelsea but no more goals, the damage long done at Victoria Road. We now have a mouthwatering cup final against Arsenal to look forward to at the start of next month.

The selection

In our final fixture before the international break, Emma Hayes shuffled her pack, bringing in four fresh faces to finish this busy run of games.

Ann-Katrin Berger returned in goal and ahead of the German, so did Magda Eriksson for her first start since the Arsenal draw. Eve Perisset also came into the back four.

Further upfield, Erin Cuthbert dropped into the central midfield two creating space for Kirby to join the front four.

Flying out of the blocks

West Ham had proven dogged opposition against Arsenal in the WSL on Sunday, holding our title challengers to a goalless draw, but it took us just four minutes to break the deadlock tonight.

Guro Reiten curled in a free-kick from the inside left channel and nobody had picked up Kerr, who calmly steered her volley into the corner of the goal in front of the ecstatic travelling support.

Millie Bright and Berger were required to execute fine tackles and punches respectively as West Ham sought an instant response.

Instead, it was Chelsea who got the next goal, and in some style. It looked like James was running down a blind alley near our own corner flag, but she dribbled her way out of danger, exchanged passes with Kerr and released Kirby through on goal. She finished with ease on her left, rounding off a wonderful team goal. 2-0 Chelsea, and scarcely 10 minutes had been played.

Lethal in the final third

Midway through the first half and we further asserted our dominance on a chilly evening at the Chilwell Construction Stadium. Our high press caught the Hammers out, Cuthbert stealing possession and finding Kerr in one movement. The striker had space to get the ball out of her feet and thump a shot into the top right-hand corner for goal number 17 this season.

It would not be overstating it to say we looked like scoring every time we attacked. Next, Eriksson’s pass found Kirby who slipped past her defender before playing in Cuthbert. This time, Mackenzie Arnold in the West Ham had an answer, her outstretched left leg stopping the Scot making it 4-0.

The only disappointment heading into the half-time break was an injury picked up by Kirby, who couldn’t continue and had to be replaced by Jelena Cankovic.

Hat-trick hero!

There was still time for a fourth Chelsea goal before two minutes of additional time were up. Reiten pressured Hawa Cissoko into a short backpass and Kerr displayed her predatory instincts yet again, intercepting the ball and firing past Arnold as the angle narrowed.

West Ham boss Paul Konchesky made a quadruple sub ahead of the action resuming, but Chelsea showed no sign of letting up. Reiten’s super low cross was fired goalwards by Kerr, Arnold reacting well to tip the ball over the bar.

Goals keep coming

The keeper could do nothing to prevent our fifth goal, however. Ingle fizzed a pass into James’s feet, and she cut inside the defender before thumping a shot past Mackenzie with the aid of a tiny deflection.

It was 6-0 on the hour. This one was perhaps the easiest of the lot, as Perisset had all the time in the world to deliver her cross from the right flank, finding an unmarked Kerr six yards out who couldn’t miss with her downward header. For the second time this season she had four in a game!

Reiten had been involved in much of our best attacking play but hadn’t found the scoresheet. That changed in the 65th minute! She collected Jankovic’s pass 12 yards out, spun and shot goalwards, again a deflection giving Arnold little chance.

It was the Norwegian’s final involvement before being replaced by Melanie Leupolz. Alsu Abdullina came on at the same time, for Ingle, joining Maren Mjelde and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd as our second-half subs.

Mjelde and Leupolz both came close to adding an eighth in the closing stages, and Rytting Kaneryd was denied by a low Arnold stop as the Blues finished this semi-final as we had started it, in complete control.

Arsenal await in the final as we aim to win the Conti Cup for the third time!

What’s next?

International football for most of our players - the Arnold Clark Cup and the SheBelieves Cup are just two of the mini tournaments taking place for the next fortnight.

Domestic football returns with a bang as we play Arsenal in both cup competitions. First up, we meet the Gunners in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Kingsmeadow, that tie taking place over the weekend of 25/26 February. The following Sunday 5 March we contest the Continental Cup final at Selhurst Park, kick-off at 3pm. We will have ticket news for you very soon!

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Berger; Perisset (Mjelde 61), Bright, Eriksson (c), Charles; Ingle (Leupolz 66), Cuthbert; James (Kaneryd 61), Kirby (Cankovic 45), Reiten (Abdullina 66); Kerr.
Unused subs Musovic, Carter, Buchanan, Fleming
Scorers Kerr 4, 22, 45+1, 60, Kirby 11, James 55, Reiten 65
Booked Eriksson 53

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Arnold; Smith, Cissoko (Parker h/t) (Denton 57), Fisk, Shimizu; Stringer (Longhurst h/t), Hayashi (Cooke h/t); Brynjarsdottir (c), Filis (Brestrup h/t), Snerle; Asseyi.
Unused subs Hillyerd, Evans, Atkinson, Houssein, Denton

Referee Louise Sanders