Citizens lead the table by 11 points after a 5:1 win over Chelsea. Kerolin contributed to the victory with a hat trick, while Vivianne Miedema and Bunny Shaw added further goals. And what's more, Mary Fowler is back!
The clash between the two teams leading the table at the time was eagerly anticipated. That's why Manchester City's players tirelessly invited their fans to the Etihad Stadium to come and support them. The Citizens had a score to settle with Chelsea - the teams met at the start of the season, when City lost 1:2. Chelsea also knocked them out of the Champions League last season and this year from the League Cup.
However, Citizens showed that they would not take this lying down and would maintain their lead in the table. This was confirmed in the 13th minute when Kerolin scored, followed by Vivianne Miedema's action, which ended with Bunny Shaw, the league's top scorer, putting City 2:0 up at half-time.
After halftime, Kerolin twice outplayed Chelsea's defense and completed her hat trick. Alyssa Thomson reduced the deficit to 4:1, but City followed up with a corner kick. Kerstin Casparij passed to Vivianne Miedema, who increased the lead to 5:1, burying any chance Chelsea had of earning points.
To make the match even more special for City, Mary Fowler returned to the pitch in the 75th minute after almost a season out - her first minutes on the pitch since her ACL injury. Fowler immediately showed what she was capable of, but the score remained unchanged.
City now has a comfortable lead at the top of the table after their 5:1 win, while Chelsea is suffering its second defeat in a row after losing the derby to Arsenal.