England striker shines as relentless Chelsea secure statement win against Everton

If Manchester United's 1-1 draw with on Sunday afternoon was an invitation for to reinforce their title credentials, then the Blues' emphatic victory over Everton just a few hours later showed they had no reservations about accepting it.

With two of their big rivals having lost further ground in the title race, and last year's runners-up Manchester City having already secured a comfortable win over Crystal Palace to stay top of the Women's Super League (WSL) table, this was a swashbuckling statement of a performance that showed Chelsea very much remain the ones to beat.

The pre-match soundtrack at Goodison Park was underscored by the sound of fireworks being let off outside the stadium. And right from the off on Sunday evening, Chelsea's flair and explosivity threatened to overwhelm the injury-ravaged hosts.

Former Everton loanee Aggie Beever-Jones had the first chance of the game, bursting into the penalty area and rifling a powerful effort straight into the gloves of old teammate Courtney Brosnan. The in-form Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd was the next to try her luck, glancing her header wide at the back post after Sandy Baltimore's inviting cross.

"Ah, she has to score!" was the cry from Chelsea's assistant coach Camille Abily, who was taking in the action from the press box, the higher vantage point offering the Frenchwoman the opportunity to communicate greater tactical insight on the match to head coach Sonia Bompastor on the sidelines.

It was Beever-Jones, though, who broke the deadlock, rising to divert Kadeisha Buchanan's cross beyond the reaches of Brosnan. There was no celebration from the young striker against her former club, who has now scored in every game in which she has started this term.

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But it will have given England boss Sarina Wiegman - who opted not to use Beever-Jones in last month's friendlies against Germany and South Africa - plenty of food for thought ahead of the next international window.

Even with their noses in front, Chelsea showed no desire to take their foot off the gas. The chances continued to come for the reigning WSL champions, with Buchanan blazing over at the back post after a well-worked corner routine and Erin Cuthbert seeing her shot blocked brilliantly on the line by Justine Vanhaevermaet.

Everton's resistance was broken again, though, in the 43rd minute, this time through Cuthbert, who bullied Veatriki Sarri off the ball inside her own half and stormed the hosts' penalty area, slotting coolly past Brosnan. The travelling fans had barely finished celebrating by the time Chelsea had added a third; Guro Reiten's effort squirming in at the near post after a fine delivery from Sjoeke Nusken.

By half time, Chelsea had enjoyed more than two thirds of the possession and had attempted 17 shots - higher than their season average of 16.7 in the WSL. It had been a show of total domination and there was no let up after the restart as the chances continued to mount for Bompastor's side.

Beever-Jones came close to turning provider just a minute into the second-half, with her smart cutback finding Rytting-Kaneryd, whose effort was well saved by Brosnan. The Everton goalkeeper was called into action again later in the half, tipping Nusken's thumping header to safety after a brilliant cross by Reiten.

Summer signing Sandy Baltimore also came close, her strike from the edge of the area rattling the top of the crossbar 19 minutes from time. Though Chelsea kept knocking on the door, the hosts were much more robust after the break and had a few half-chances, with substitute Emma Bissell firing over the bar and Greece international Sarri bending her free-kick wide of the post.

As Everton pushed to reduce the deficit, however, Bompastor's side were able to take advantage of the gaps in their defence, with Megan Finnigan's miscued clearance falling into the path of substitute Wieke Kaptein, who finished with aplomb into the top corner.

Less than two minutes later, the hosts were picking the ball out of the back of their net again after a tap-in from Ashley Lawrence, who was set up brilliantly by Oriane Jean-Francois. The win moves Chelsea up to second in the WSL table, just one point behind City, with a game in hand.

"I'm enjoying it so much," head coach Bompastor beamed when asked after the game how she is settling into life at her new club.

"For me, I'm passionate about football. Football has been my life forever. I started to play football when I was six so having the opportunity to be the Chelsea manager, winning games, that's the dream. I'm really enjoying working with this team and these players. "

Certainly, there was much to enjoy about Chelsea's display on Sunday night. And, if they are able to keep this up, there is every chance the Blues will have plenty to smile about come the end of the season, too.