Chelsea 3-1 Man Utd: Emma Hayes praise for Lauren James as Marc Skinner says he is 'absolutely secure' in his job

Lauren James scored a hat-trick as Chelsea were 3-1 winners in WSL; Man Utd manager Marc Skinner was forced to defend his job as manager with 'Skinner out' signs seen among away fans at full-time; Chelsea are three points clear at top of the WSL, 10 ahead of Man Utd in fourth

Sunday 21 January 2024 18:54, UK

Emma Hayes says she has never seen a player capable of doing the things Lauren James can after her hat-trick saw Chelsea to a 3-1 win against Manchester United in the WSL.

James — who the Blues signed from Man Utd in the summer of 2021 — scored a treble at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea restored their three-point lead at the top of the WSL.

She has now scored nine goals in her last five games in what was one of many standout performances for Hayes' side, raising hopes the absence of Sam Kerr will not slow down the Chelsea goal machine.

Unsurprisingly, the 22-year-old came in for high praise from her manager, who said: «I've never seen a player like Lauren do the things she does individually.

»If you get tight to her, she'll roll you. If you drop off of her, next time she makes a move, you think you've got her.

«She's so explosive. She's got a left and a right foot. Often players have got strong sides, but I think she can do it on both feet.

»I was impressed with her whole performance… I thought she carried out the game plan and her role in that to perfection. It changed in the second half with Mia (Fishel) coming out and I think she did that equally as well. She's shown her qualities as a No 9 or No 10 and her finishing was second to none — the quality of that is a natural finisher."

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Hayes added to BBC