United States international Catarina Macario scored on her return for Chelsea as they soared to a 7-0 win over newly promoted Crystal Palace in a ruthless display at Selhurst Park.
Palace faced their most formidable challenge in the Women’s Super League (WSL) yet, facing reigning champions Chelsea in their first home game in the top tier.
And Chelsea exploited the disparity between the sides, cruising to victory in south London. Six different goal scorers were on the score sheet, including Macario, who was making her return to the pitch after a knee injury ruled her out of the USWNT’s gold medal-winning Olympic campaign.
“[It’s] always good to have some players back, especially Catarina with her quality,” Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor told reporters. “She’s a high player, really talented and everyone knows what she can bring to the team.
“I think tonight it was not only about one player but more about the team performance. I think when you look at the team performance, it is always important. When you have a good team performance, it is always easier for individual players to perform in the team.”
For much of the first half, Chelsea were lacking a clinical edge, unable to convert any of their 11 shots until Aggie Beever-Jones broke the deadlock for the visitors in the 38th…
