Chelsea 3-1 Man Utd: Lauren James treble sees Blues to victory on WSL return
Report as Lauren James scored twice in the opening 23 minutes to see Chelsea to victory; Man Utd replied through Hayley Ladd at the end of the first half before James completed her hat-trick late on; Blues restore their three-point lead at the top of the WSL
Senior football journalist
Sunday 21 January 2024 19:09, UK
Lauren James' fine hat-trick gave Chelsea a 3-1 victory against Manchester United in an entertaining and closely-fought encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues were playing their first WSL match since Sam Kerr's ACL injury, but the striker's absence seemed to be of little note as James fired home three superb goals against her former side.
Her first two came in the opening 23 minutes — the first a well-worked team goal (5) and the second after a fine ball over the top from January signing Nathalie Bjorn on her first Chelsea start (23).
But Manchester United soon began to work their way into the game and pulled a goal back through Hayley Ladd (43) at the end of the first half.
They had their chances to equalise too, but were undone by another moment of James brilliance. She burst through on goal before slotting past England team-mate Mary Earps for a third time (85), sealing Chelsea's win.
«I've never seen a player like Lauren do the things she does individually,» Emma Hayes said of her forward.
«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.
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»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.
As a result, the Blues have restored their three-point lead at the top of the
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