Chelsea 6-0 Birmingham City: Sam Kerr leads Blues to win with hat-trick
- Published
Kerr scores first-half hat-trick as Chelsea thrash Birmingham
Sam Kerr's first-half hat-trick helped Chelsea strengthen their grip on top spot in the Women's Super League with a thumping victory over Birmingham City.
After an even opening 25 minutes, the Australia striker put the hosts in front when she slammed home from a tight angle after goalkeeper Hannah Hampton parried Erin Cuthbert's low strike.
From that point on Chelsea were in complete control, Kerr scoring twice more in the final throes of the first period to complete her treble.
She nodded into an empty net after Pernille Harder's effort struck the bar, before adding a third moments later by meeting Cuthbert's free-kick at the far post to head in.
Emma Hayes' side became increasingly dominant as the contest wore on, with Fran Kirby twice side-footing home from inside the box after the break, while Guro Reiten converted Kirby's pull-back to score her first league goal of the season.
Chelsea's gap to second-placed Manchester City remains two points, with Gareth Taylor's side maintaining the pressure on the league leaders with a 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
After this round of fixtures there will be just three games left, with Chelsea visiting Manchester City in their next WSL match on 25 April for a possible title decider.
Such was Chelsea's superiority against Birmingham, Hayes was afforded the luxury of making all five substitutions before the hour mark in a bid to keep some of her key players fresh.
One of those brought off early was Kerr, whose recent ruthless run in front of goal continues to be a vital part of Chelsea's success - her hat-trick here lifted her level with Vivianne Miedema at the top of the league's scoring charts.
The Blues remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple, with crucial fixtures in the Champions League and FA Cup in the coming weeks, and a sixth consecutive league victory suggests they are hitting form at the perfect time.
Birmingham, meanwhile, face the prospect of being dragged into a relegation battle after going 10 games without a win in the WSL for the first time.