That is thanks to a win in our final league game before Christmas and New Year but it was not all plain sailing. Having served up a dominating first-half performance which yielded plenty of goals, the Blues were shocked in the second period by two quick-fire Reading strikes which cut into our lead.

Fran Kirby had scored against her former club to open the scoring and as the Blues ruthlessly exposed Reading, Jelena Cankovic on her first start for Chelsea scored her first two goals to send her side into the dressing room at half-time 3-0 ahead.

But on wintry night, our opponents from Berkshire scored their two goals with an hour of the game played as there was rare defensive fragility shown for a brief time.

Fortunately Reading would not come close to scoring again.

Hard-won in the end, this was a ninth league victory in a row for Emma Hayes’s side who lead the WSL table by three points, albeit having played one game more than the second-place Gunners. Man United are now a further two points back.

The selection

After the exertions of the Champions League 1-1 draw in Spain on Thursday, Emma Hayes made six changes. Bethany England was handed the centre-forward role while Fran Kirby and Niamh Charles, who came on at half-time against Real Madrid, were in the starting line-up this time. Charles played left-back with Magda Eriksson one of the centre-backs. Eve Perisset returned to play on the right and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Jelena Cankovic were brought in to join the attacking midfielders.

Following Man United’s 1-1 draw in their derby match at Man City and Arsenal’s 4-1 win at Aston Villa earlier in the day, Chelsea and Reading were the final teams in action on Sunday. The Gunners’ result kept the pressure on at the top going into our game.

Gentle snow on a freezing evening greeted the teams as they emerged from the tunnel but the Blues did our best to warm the hardy supporters at Kingsmeadow with a first-half performance that started strongly and did not let up for the rest of that opening 45 minutes.

Super-alert Blues

Early on Reading goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns made a hash of dealing with a cross but when Cankovic managed to turn the loose ball goalwards, it was cleared off the line. No goal that time but it was a sign of what was to come.

The first goal came from the razor-sharp thinking of Cankovic who took a quick free-kick to give Johanna Rytting Kaneryd the perfect chance to pick out an unmarked Kirby in front of goal. Super Fran was never going to miss from there. 1-0 up with just a quarter-of-an-hour played.

A quick second goal was a possibility with a couple of promising attacks following straightaway. Eve Perisset did not meet a cross as well as she would have liked in front of the target. We had to wait a little longer for the Blues to make it 2-0, but not too long!

Again the Chelsea players were too sharp for the Reading defence. Rytting Kaneryd snapped up a momentarily loose ball and smashed a powerful shot against the far upright, and as the Royals’ Gemma Evans dithered, Cankovic snapped up the opportunity to find the net. There was just under half-an-hour played.

The Serbian midfielder’s second goal of the night came less than five minutes later when she met Erin Cuthbert’s cross from the right with a downward header that gave Burns no chance.

Before half-time, Cuthbert went for goal herself with a shot from outside the area. Given it was Erin, there was every expectation that the net would ripple, but on this occasion the ball curved wide.

Reading rally

Sophie Ingle shot over early in the second half and Cuthbert had an effort that was diverted wide by the head of former Chelsea defender Deanna Cooper. Cankovic then was a whisker away from her hat-trick as Reading again dealt unconvincingly with another ball across.

But then it was Chelsea’s turn to be caught in possession at the back and when Sanne Troelsgaard sent a shot over the icy turf, it found a way under the body of Ann-Katrin Berger. Then just a minute later it was Chelsea 3 Reading 2, with a shot from Amalie Eikeland going in off the inside of the post after good work from Emma Harries down the Royals right.

From looking done and dusted, the game was suddenly back on.

Millie Bright racing forward on a counter-attack did her best to pick out substitute Sam Kerr for what would have been a tension-easing fourth goal, but her ball across was out of reach of the Australian.

Later it was Kerr and Kirby looking likely to find a way though as they combined in familiar fashion but an offside flag went up. The insurance of another goal proved not to be needed.

What's next?

Two Champions League group games will complete the 2022 fixtures, with qualification for the knockout stages still to be secured. The first is away in Albania on Friday when there will be a 5.45pm (UK time) kick-off against Vllaznia. Then on Thursday 22 December we host PSG at Stamford Bridge.

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Chelsea Berger; Perisset, Bright, Eriksson (c) Charles (Carter 66); Ingle, Cuthbert; Rytting Kaneryd (Reiten 81), Cankovic (Fleming 70), Kirby; England (Kerr 70).

Unused subs Musovic, Abdullina, Buchanan, Nouwen, James,

Scorers Kirby 16, Cankovic 29, 33

Booked

Reading Burns; Bryson (Mukandi 66), Cooper, Evans, Woodham; Vanhaevermaet; Eikeland, Primmer (Rowe 58); Troelsgaard; Harries (c), Wade (Wellings 76).

Unused subs Moloney, Poulter, Dowie, Hendrix, Caldwell, Jane,

Scorers Troelsgaard 60, Eikeland 62

Booked Cooper 49, Bryson 64

Crowd 1,184