Lauren James’s Hat-Trick Sees Chelsea Edge Man Utd Win, Report in the person of Lauren Chelsea won thanks to goals from James in the first 23 minutes of play; Hayley Ladd gave Man Utd a response at the break, but James finished with a hat-trick in the final minutes to give the Blues a three-point lead back at the top of the WSL.
In a thrilling and fiercely contested match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea defeated Manchester United 3-1 thanks to a superb hat-trick from Lauren James.
Sam Kerr suffered an ACL injury, but the striker’s absence appeared to have little impact on the Blues, as James scored three outstanding goals against her previous team in their maiden WSL encounter.
Her first two goals occurred in the first twenty-three minutes; the first was a skillfully executed team goal (5), and the second came on January signing Nathalie Bjorn’s maiden Chelsea start (23), following a lovely ball over the top.
Emma Hayes: Lauren James is a player I’ve never seen.
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However, Manchester United quickly started to exert more pressure, and, near the end of the first half, Hayley Ladd (43), scored a goal to give them a point back.
They too had opportunities to tie the score, but James’s subsequent flash of genius proved to be too much for them. She broke through on goal and then slid a third time (85) past England teammate Mary Earps to complete Chelsea’s victory.
Emma Hayes remarked of Lauren’s forward, “I’ve never seen a player like her do the things she does individually.”
She Will Roll You Over If You Approach Too Close
She will roll you over if you approach too close to her. The next time she moves, you’ll believe you have her if you let go of her.
Five minutes later, Chelsea had the lead. Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd worked the ball beautifully, and James gave Earps a preview of what was to come as he slotted home beyond them.
James was able to locate the internet quickly. Bjorn hit a straightforward but flawless pass over the top that found the England attacker in the run. After that, the Blues’ lead was doubled with another crisp finish on the angle.
Team news headlines
Chelsea made five changes from their FA Cup win against West Ham last weekend.
Hannah Hampton came in between the sticks, replacing Zecira Musovic. Jess Carter, Eve Perisset, Sophie Ingle, and Fran Kirby also dropped to the bench, with Nathalie Bjorn, Mia Fishel, Melanie Leupolz, and Niamh Charles coming into the XI CRICBUZZ LIVE.
Man Utd made just one change after beating Newcastle in the FA Cup. Leah Galton returned to the XI, replacing Nikita Parris, who dropped to the bench. Elisabeth Terland struck five minutes into stoppage time as Brighton edged out Bristol City 3-2 in a thriller.
What’s next?
Terland had given the home side a first-half lead at the Broadfield Stadium and, after Abi Harrison had leveled, Katie Robinson restored it from Terland’s through-ball 12 minutes after the restart.
Carrie Jones looked to have snatched a point when she made it 2-2 with seven minutes remaining, but Norway international Terland had other ideas and claimed a victory that lifted her side from 10th place into eighth deep into added time.
