There were two reasons to celebrate at the King Power Stadium last Sunday (May 2).
Chelsea Women secured their spot in the Champions League next season, and the Wizard of Oz, Sam Kerr, became the Blues all-time top goal-scorer in the WSL. surpassing former teammate Fran Kirby in the club’s record books, writes Jane Grove.
It was the 64th time the Australian has netted in the league for her team and her 18th headed goal.
It is even more remarkable considering she was out of action for 20 months following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2023 – only returning to action in September last year as a sub.
This time her towering header on 13 minutes - where she seemed to hang in the air on the end of a Niamh Charles cross - was against bottom-of-the-table Leicester.
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It kickstarted her side on its way to a 3-1 win - a brace of goals from forward Lauren James, at her sublime best, also in the first half - helping secure the three points the side needed to ensure European football next season.
The win guarantees the Blues a top-three finish after opening up a six-point lead over fourth-placed Manchester United with one league game remaining on May 16 against the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge.
In the meantime, there’s the juicy prospect of Manchester City in the Women's FA Cup semi-final also at the Bridge this Sunday (May 10).
“When you are at Chelsea you need to win every single game, that’s the expectation, so we’ll make sure we put all the energy and the focus on our next game,” said Blues’ manager Sonia Bompastor.
“It’s an important game for us; we want to lift as many trophies as possible. That’s our mentality and we’ll work hard for that, for sure.”
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