Chelsea 3-0 Everton: Guro Reiten scores twice from spot as Blues reclaim WSL top spot
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Highlights: Chelsea 3-0 Everton
Two controversial penalties set Chelsea on the way to beating Everton to remain on track for a fifth consecutive Women's Super League title.
Toffees defender Clare Wheeler conceded both spot-kicks for challenges on Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Chelsea's record buy Mayra Ramirez - but each decision appeared harsh upon further inspection.
Wheeler seemed to win the ball when tackling Rytting Kaneryd before standing on her foot in the follow-through, while the contact on Ramirez for the second spot-kick was minimal at most.
Guro Reiten coolly converted both penalties before Erin Cuthbert finished a wonderful team move to fire home a late third as Chelsea claimed a record-extending 22nd successive WSL home win.
Emma Hayes' side reclaimed top spot with victory, having been leapfrogged earlier on Sunday by Manchester City after their 2-0 win over Leicester.
Chelsea, three points clear at the summit, host Gareth Taylor's City in their next league game on Friday, 16 February - a huge match in the WSL title race that will be shown live on BBC Two.
Defeat, meanwhile, leaves Everton five points clear of danger in 10th place while their manager Brian Sorensen was sent off late on for comments made to the referee.
Blues dominant but need a bit of help along way
Chelsea, WSL champions for the past four seasons and in seven of the last nine campaigns, were unsurprisingly superior throughout against their willing but overmatched visitors.
There was no arguing that they fully merited the victory, having outshot the Toffees - who failed to register a single attempt on target - by 16 efforts to three.
But Everton had justification to dispute both of the spot-kick calls that went against them, with Wheeler on the wrong side of two very contestable decisions.
Once Norway winger Reiten dispatched the first penalty just prior to the half-hour mark, Chelsea were always in command although Aurora Galli wasted a decent chance to equalise, skying over from Rikke Madsen's cross.
That was as close as Everton came as the hosts completely controlled the second period, Rytting Kaneryd and Lauren James spurning good opportunities to double the lead.
The second goal eventually arrived, but again in contentious circumstances as Colombia striker Ramirez, making her first Chelsea start since her British record fee move, went down under scant pressure from Wheeler.
Reiten again tucked home from the spot and there could certainly be no complaints about Chelsea's brilliant third goal, a classy passing move featuring lovely one-touch football finished off by Cuthbert.
By that point, Toffees boss Sorensen had already seen red and he will almost certainly be banned from the touchline when Everton welcome relegation rivals West Ham in a fortnight's time.
The Merseysiders, who sank to a fourth successive league loss, have now lost each of their past nine meetings with Chelsea, with the Blues netting three goals or more in all of those victories.