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Chelsea 4-0 Crystal Palace: Macario scores twice as WSL leaders bounce back from Barca humbling

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10 hoursFootball

Catarina Macario scored twice as Chelsea moved six points clear at the Women's Super League summit with a routine 4-0 victory over 10-player Crystal Palace.

Guro Reiten and Mia Fishel were also on target at Kingsmeadow for Sonia Bompastor's side, who now need four points from their final three games to secure a seventh successive WSL title.

It was the perfect response by the hosts following their humbling 4-1 defeat by Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie on Sunday. 

Bottom side Palace, who had skipper Allyson Swaby sent off, edged closer to an immediate return to the second tier, as they remain seven points adrift at the foot of the table.

Reiten broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Molly-Mae Sharpe handled her cross, while Macario drilled in a second goal just two minutes later.

Things got worse for Palace within two minutes of the restart, with Swaby shown a straight red card for bringing Sjoeke Nusken down just outside the box.

Macario grabbed her second goal from the resulting free-kick, with her shot deflecting off Lily Woodham and into the opposite corner of the net.

Substitute Fishel, who had struck the woodwork minutes before, then put the icing on the cake just after the hour mark, helping the ball into the net after Lucy Bronze won the initial header from a corner.

Data Debrief: Bright brings up 200 as Reiten matches Mariona

It was a momentous day for Chelsea skipper Millie Bright, who made her 200th appearance in the WSL.

The England defender is only the second player to reach that mark, after Jordan Nobbs (207).

Reiten got the ball rolling for Chelsea with a joint-league-high third successful penalty in the WSL this season (level with Mariona Caldentey).

Fishel, meanwhile, completed the rout with her first league goal since netting against Tottenham in October 2023.

Meanwhile, Palace failed to attempt a single shot in a WSL game for the first time (since at least the 2011-12 season).