Chelsea Women 4 Everton Women 0
Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby both got off the mark for the season as Chelsea got their first victory of the new campaign at home to a sloppy Everton side.
After leading the way last term with a combined 37 goals and 18 assists, Kerr and Kirby returned to start for the champions and terrorised the Everton defence. Australia’s Kerr scored twice, including capitalising on a woeful error from Everton’s Megan Finnigan for her first, after Kirby had opened the scoring with a clever finish.
Substitute Beth England added a fourth for the hosts after coming on, as Chelsea got back to winning ways immediately, having lost 3-2 to rivals Arsenal in a thriller at the Emirates on the opening weekend.
For Everton, the 4-0 defeat was their second in a row by that scoreline, having had the daunting task of beginning their season against last term’s top two, but their sloppy defending was exposed again.
Playing a competitive game at Kingsmeadow for the first time since prior to lifting the past two Women’s Super League titles, and backed by an entertained crowd of 2,379, Chelsea repeatedly opened up the visitors’ backline, which — as in the first half against Man City — consisted of a back three plus wing-backs.
Kerr and Kirby had started on the bench at Arsenal but were back in the starting side and clearly in the mood for goals. The opener came with great style, as England’s Kirby latched onto Ji so-Yun’s low ball down the left, turned inside Nathalie Bjorn and clipped a shot in off the inside of the far post for her first of the season.
Kerr, Denmark’s Pernille Harder and South Korea’s Ji also went close in the first half for Emma Hayes’ on-song team, who led 1-0 at the break, but the goals were easier to come by after the break.
Everton centre-half Finnigan endured a moment she will desperately want to forget, as she failed to get sufficient power on a square pass back to goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and instead simply rolled the ball inadvertently to Kerr, who had the easiest of tasks to tap in her first.
Kerr was last season’s WSL golden boot winner with 21 goals and it was truly the most generous of gifts to get her up and running for the 2021-22 campaign.
The lively Harder then hit the post, before Kerr doubled her tally with a goal that was more befitting of her classy display; The 28-year-old produced a fine, downward header from Guro Reiten’s precise cross from the left.
As Chelsea continued to press, Scotland Erin Cuthbert hit the woodwork and her strike bounced out to substitute England, who poked on rebound with her first touch after coming on.
Everton, who signed nine new players this summer after finishing fifth last term and have high hopes of breaking into top three this term, looked like a side with a lot of work to do if they are to seriously challenge for a European place.
Their second sloppy defensive display will be a worry for them, but much less dangerous opponents await them after the toughest possible start to the campaign.
Chelsea appeared to be back to their best, producing the free-flowing, attacking football that helped them reach last season’s European final as well as lifting the League Cup and the WSL.