Pernille Harder netted a first Chelsea hat-trick as The Blues defeated West Ham United 6-0 at Kingsmeadow this evening to reach the final of the FA Women’s Continental League Cup.
The Danish international netted two simple goals in the first half before adding another from 18 yards in the second period as the current trophy holders cruised into next month’s final.
Harder opened the scoring after just four minutes when she lifted the ball over visiting keeper Mackenzie Arnold after being played in by Ji So-yun. Sophie Ingle soon rifled in the game’s second goal from long range, a shot which the West Ham United keeper will have been disappointed to have been beaten by.
Arnold then gift-wrapped Harder’s second goal and Chelsea’s third as she played a weak ball to the forward to tap into the net before Beth England struck a fourth, converting from a Fran Kirby cross.
The visiting keeper performed much better early in the second half when she denied Kirby and England with big saves in quick succession before Grace Fisk was close to bundling the ball into the net at the other end.
Magda Eriksson then denied Adriana Leon a certain goal with a last-ditch tackle before Maz Pacheco was denied by home keeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Kirby finally added a fifth Chelsea goal after Fisk’s block had looped over Arnold before Harder wrapped things up at the death when she struck from 18 yards to complete her first hat-trick for her new club.
Chelsea will face either Bristol City or Leicester City in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup final at Vicarage Road on 14 March.
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