Chelsea celebrate Hayes milestone in style: takeaways from Leicester thrashing

During Emma Hayes’ 300th match in charge of the Chelsea Women, the Blues pieced together a clinical performance on the road against a desperate Leicester City side. Hayes becomes just the fourth manager in the history of CFC on both the Men’s and Women’s sides to manage 300 or more games on the sideline. The discrepancy between the two teams on the table before the contest was evident, and right when the whistle blew, Chels’ demonstrated to the Foxes just exactly how much quality this year’s team possesses.

LCFC attempted to press Chelsea by pinning them back into their own half, but the link-up play was far too quick for a side that looks bound for the Championship in just a few short months. Despite Ann-Katrin Berger being called into action a few times, including a show-stopping save diving to her left in the second half, CFCW continued to break down the reeling Foxes’ defense behind the precision of arguably the most in-form player in the Women’s Super League at the moment, Guro Reiten.

For the first time in a while, the match did not include glowing Erin Cuthbert praise or even more realization of Kadeisha Buchanan continuing to grow into her own with the west London side because Hayes awarded the both of them with a well-earned day of rest. There were moments when the Blues were on the back foot, but when coming up against a side with a manager still seeking her first point at the club, CFC’s depth of talent was far too much to overcome for the home side.

Heading into Real Madrid, Hayes will bring a self-confident side that has not missed a beat for nearly three months. It is not just one person contributing, it is a multitude of players, and that is what makes this year’s Chelsea team so unique from the rest. It is not reliant on a 20-goal season from Sam Kerr anymore, the talent in front of the net, and creativity in the middle and out on the wings present the opposition with a mission to stall a well-balanced attack. With the west London side’s 11th consecutive win now in its back pocket, here are the lessons learned from another classic beatdown of the Foxes: