Four goals from Fran Kirby helped Chelsea Women cruise to a 5-0 victory over Reading in the one remaining fixture of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League weekend.
Kirby completed a perfect first-half hat-trick scoring goals with her right foot, left foot and a headed goal, before adding another after the break while Ji So-yun sealed the win late on at the Madejski Stadium.
Chelsea moved up to second, above Arsenal, in the table and sit three points behind leaders Manchester United with a game in hand, and after the game Blues boss Emma Hayes praised her whole side’s performance.
“All of us are only as good as the people around us and Fran will be the first to say that," she said. "Today, whilst Fran scored four goals and four brilliant goals, it was a total team performance.”
Kirby opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 16th minute, collecting Sam Kerr’s flick-on before rounding Grace Moloney in the Reading goal and stroking the ball into the net.
The Chelsea star had another chance when her 25-yard effort cannoned off the post, but moments later she pounced on a mistake by Emma Mitchell and netted with her left foot.
Just before the break, Kirby completed her hat-trick when she headed in after Kerr had hooked Erin Cuthbert’s floated free-kick across the box.
Only eight minutes in the second half had passed when Kirby had her fourth, flicking Guro Reiten’s left-wing corner into the bottom of the net.
Reading worked hard throughout the second half but were unable to capitalise on any chances and Ji added the fifth for the Blues five minutes from time.
