Chelsea thrash Brum 5-0 as Kerr nets hat-trick and Kirby net 100th goal for Blues

By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow

Chelsea 5 v Birmingham 0

Goals galore saw the Blues thrash bottom of the league Birmingham 5-0 at Kingsmeadow this afternoon to keep Chelsea on the coat tails of leaders Arsenal.

It was a more than comfortable game for the Blues with a hat trick from Sam Kerr and a brace by Fran Kirby, the second was her 100th goal in a stellar career at Chelsea, enough to satisfy the 2,704 in attendance at Kingsmeadow.

Chelsea head into the international break one point adrift of the Gooners with 21 points and also just a single goal difference behind.

Drew Spence and Guro Reiten both had shot within the first minute. Both were blocked by goalkeeper Marie Hourihan.

But on five minutes she failed to hold a shot and the ball fell to Fran Kirby, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the empty net to put the West Londoners 1-0 up.

With the visitors plying very deep, a low block in modern football parlance, Millie Bright thought she would take the simplest route to goal, a thumping 25-yarder. It pinged towards goal, but Hourihan was equal to the task, and managed to parry the ball away for a corner.

A superb second goal came on 18 minutes. A real team effort, started by Jess Carter at the back, Erin Cuthbert, Bright and Sam Kerr all involved with Kerr finishing off with a smart right-footer that zipped past Hourihan and into the right-hand corner of her net.

The third goal on 29 minutes was a defensive mix-up that saw Kirby or Kerr with the option of smacking the ball home - Kerr was closest and she did just that.

The opposition got in a huddle before the restart in an attempt to create some sort of cohesive message, but referee Elizabeth Simms demanded the kick-off.

The fourth came on the stroke of half-time and it was a hat-trick effort for Kerr who poked home after Drew Spence saw her goal-bound effort blocked.

Lauren James entered the fray on 67 minutes, Jessie Fleming made way.

Fran Kirby snatched her 100th goal for the Blues with 15 minutes left to play when she finished off a move with a sweet right-footer after latching on to a Kerr’s right byline cross.

She was immediately replaced by Beth England.

The second half failed to live up to the intensity of the first but it was job done.

Teams: Chelsea, Berger, Bright, Carter, Leupolz, Reiten, Kirby, Eriksson, Fleming, Kerr, Cuthbert, Spence

Subs: Musovic, Ingle, England, Ji, Mjelde, James, Charles, Andersson, Fox

Birmingham, Hourihan, Sandvej, Scott, Quinn, Robertson, Ewens, Murray, Pinnock, Smith, Quinn, Holloway

Subs: Simkin,, Sarri, Finn, Whipp, Ramsey, Ryan-Doyle, Whelan, Lawley, Cowie

Referee; Elizabeth Simms.