Chelsea’s reign as English women’s football’s top team is over after Manchester City dismantled the champions to open up a surely unassailable lead at the top of the Women’s Super League.

In an emphatic victory that will be symbolic of the ongoing changing of the guard, Kerolin scored a hat-trick as the runaway leaders won 5-1 at a jubilant Etihad Stadium and their fans were chanting “easy, easy, easy” before the end.

Andrée Jeglertz’s supremely confident-looking side now have a 12-point advantage over Chelsea, who slipped to third, and an 11-point lead over second-placed Manchester United, with eight games remaining. Even with trips to the Emirates Stadium and Old Trafford to come, none of Manchester City’s rivals will realistically harbour any hope of catching them.

For Chelsea, this was a chastening afternoon that summed up the rapid collapse of their title bid since December. Having previously been unbeaten in the WSL since 1 May 2024 and having yet to face a domestic loss under Sonia Bompastor, this latest defeat was their third in their past five WSL matches since December’s surprise loss to Everton. They have now lost back-to-back WSL...