Sjoeke Nusken celebrates goal versus LiverpoolGetty Images
At a glance
Sjoeke Nusken opens the scoring
Lauren James adds a brilliant second
Liverpool remain in relegation trouble
But Chelsea steady with WSL title chances gone
PLAYER RATER
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter at Kingsmeadow
Lauren James inspired Chelsea to back‑to‑back victories after their Women's Super League title defence faltered with consecutive defeats a fortnight ago.
The England forward added to Sjoeke Nusken's strike as the third-placed Blues boosted their bid for a Champions League place, while dealing a blow to Liverpool's hopes of avoiding relegation.
Nusken claimed the 40th-minute opener when she ghosted into the box to tap home a James cross after she spun midfielder Alice Bergstrom in the build-up when the visitors failed to clear a corner.
Chelsea had already begun to increase the pressure in what had been a closely contested first half, with Erin Cuthbert and Keira Walsh having efforts blocked and James shooting wide.
Liverpool threatened too, with Ceri Holland lively before the break, and Cornelia Kapocs going close. Martha Thomas also forced a save after the interval, underlining the danger posed by Gareth Taylor's side.
But the quality of Chelsea, and indeed James, ultimately told. In the 65th minute, James collected a pass from Veerle Buurman, eased by Liverpool midfielder Fuka Nagano and drove a powerful strike past Jennifer Falk at the near post.
The win lifts Chelsea to second in the table, above Manchester United—who were held by London City Lionesses—though Arsenal have two games in hand after their match at Brighton was postponed. Three teams now battle for two Champions League spots behind champions‑elect Manchester City.
Liverpool, meanwhile, sit just one point above Leicester City, who have a game in hand, as the Merseyside club fight to avoid the drop.
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Rate players out of 10 for this game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle. You must be signed in to a BBC account to play.
1 Give it up
10 Pure perfection
Chelsea
Liverpool
Starting XI
24H. Hampton
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17S. Baltimore
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5V. Buurman
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16N. Girma
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2E. Carpenter
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30K. Walsh
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12A. Thompson
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6S. Nüsken
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8E. Cuthbert
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19J. Rytting Kaneryd
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10L. James
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33A. Beever-Jones
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18W. Kaptein
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20S. Kerr
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32L. Potter
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22L. Bronze
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Starting XI
28J. Falk
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29Alejandra Bernabé
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4G. Fisk
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17J. Clark
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5R. Shimizu
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8F. Nagano
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18C. Holland
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6D. O'Sullivan
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7C. Kapocs
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25A. Bergström
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31M. Thomas
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27A. Csillag
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13M. Enderby
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19K. MacLean
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After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
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