Chelsea Ladies stunned by Sunderland
Chelsea Ladies saw their unbeaten start to the WSL season comprehensively ended as they were thrashed 4-0 by Sunderland.
The Blues’ England World Cup contingent – captain Katie Chapman, defender Claire Rafferty and striker Eni Aluko – all started for the first time since the tournament, while new signing Fran Kirby was among the substitutes.
Chelsea’s Gemma Davison saw a shot pushed away in the first half but the home side were rampant after the break.
Beth Mead made the most of slack defending to open the scoring and four minutes later added a second.
Ji So-Yun went close to pulling a goal back, only to see an effort cleared off the line, before Mead completed her hat-trick.
Abby Holmes completed the scoring when her cross drifted over Blues keeper Hedvig Lindahl.
The win sees Sunderland narrow Chelsea’s lead at the top to two points.
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