Chelsea celebrated Sonia Bompastor’s 50th Women’s Super League match in charge with a 6-2 victory over Tottenham, securing their fifth successive league win.
Lauren James and Ellie Carpenter scored twice each, while substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano also found the net as the Blues pulled away after a competitive opening hour at Stamford Bridge.
The victory briefly sent Chelsea top before Manchester City reclaimed first place by winning later on Sunday.
Bompastor has now collected 125 points from her first 50 WSL matches, the highest total achieved by any manager at that stage.
James opened the scoring with a goal largely of her own making.
She dispossessed Toko Koga outside the Tottenham penalty area, turned towards goal and clipped her finish past Lize Kop from a narrow angle.
Spurs responded strongly and earned their equaliser through Matilda Vinberg, who headed Julie Blakstad’s cross home at the far post following sustained pressure.
The visitors continued to threaten after the break, but Chelsea regained the lead in the 58th minute through Carpenter.
Alyssa Thompson created the opening with an incisive run into the penalty area before delivering a low cut-back for the advancing defender to finish.
That goal changed the contest. Four minutes later, Lucy Bronze released James, who shifted on to her left foot and curled a superb shot across Kop into the far corner.
Nusken then struck powerfully just five minutes after coming off the bench, completing a burst of three Chelsea goals in nine minutes.
Hamano added a fifth with a swerving effort from 30 yards before Signe Gaupset pulled one back for Tottenham, winning possession on the edge of Chelsea’s box and finishing.
Carpenter had the final word in stoppage time, taking a touch before beating Kop at her near post to complete the scoring.
Tottenham remain fourth, although they have played a game more than most of their rivals and have now suffered consecutive defeats.
James gives Chelsea a decisive edge
James delivered another influential performance as she continued to build fitness after several minor injuries earlier in the season.
Having scored twice for England against Greece during the international break, she repeated that return for Chelsea with two finishes that showcased her strength, control and technical quality.
Her opener combined determined pressing with a powerful run and a composed finish.
She also helped initiate the move for Carpenter’s first goal by releasing Thompson before producing Chelsea’s third herself.
With the hosts leading 4-1, Bompastor withdrew James to manage her workload ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.
Chelsea continue to describe themselves as a team in transition following last season’s disappointing league campaign, but their recent results suggest they are developing into strong challengers for Manchester City’s crown.
A fit and influential James gives them a significant lift as Bompastor pursues the title in her third season.
Tottenham’s promising display undone by costly collapse
Martin Ho’s frustration at the final whistle reflected how quickly a competitive performance had unravelled.
For much of the opening hour, Tottenham matched Chelsea and at times looked the more threatening side.
Gaupset, Victoria Pelova and Cathinka Tandberg all had opportunities before Carpenter restored the hosts’ lead.
Spurs had also defended well for long periods, with Koga’s mistake providing Chelsea’s clearest breakthrough before the interval.
Once Chelsea increased the tempo, however, Tottenham struggled to contain them.
The visitors could not match the attacking quality of their opponents, and further errors turned a close contest into a heavy defeat.
Ho felt his young side’s lack of maturity had shown during the decisive spells.
He called for greater individual responsibility in defence after watching Spurs concede three goals in nine minutes and another two within six.
The result extended Tottenham’s losing run against Chelsea to 14 matches in all competitions.
They are also without a victory in their past 21 WSL meetings with the established top four.
Nevertheless, Ho took encouragement from the way his players pressed Chelsea, created chances and forced them back during the first hour.
The final score exposed the work still required, but Tottenham’s performance before Chelsea pulled away offered evidence of progress.
