Chelsea went six points clear at the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League with a 3-0 victory away to Brighton on Saturday evening.
In front of over 4,500 at Crawley, Guro Reiten hit the Brighton bar in the first half but it was three goals soon after the break that put Chelsea in control.
Just second after the restart, Lauren James hooked a half-volley past keeper Sophie Baggaley from Niamh Charles pass.
Fran Kirby’s back-header after Melanie Leupolz nodded the ball on double the lead, while Pauline Bremer hit the fat post for the hosts.
It was 3-0 before the hour mark, James drilling home a loose ball for her second of the match.
While Chelsea doubled their lead over both Manchester City and Arsenal in the title race, Brighton remain six points better off than the bottom two.