3 takeaways as Chelsea Women dismantle Leicester City in the WSL again

3. Pernille Harder shows out in her first WSL start since November

It is no coincidence that once the Danish international Pernille Harder comes back into the side, the Blues cannot stop scoring. Similar to the Chicago Bulls’ No. 23 back in the 1990s, the west Londoners’ No. 23 has that rare ability to take over a game in the blink of an eye. For the first time since November 6, 2022 in a 3-1 win at Leigh Sports Village, No. 23 is back in the starting XI in the English top-flight. Harder has been slowly building up her time back on the pitch since her injury. Hayes began playing her seven minutes progressing all the way to 57 against Everton last weekend. In preparation for even more extended minutes at Wembley, Harder was subbed off at the 65′ for Jessie Fleming.

That was not before she made her mark on the match itself. Right from the opening whistle, Harder was making herself a thorn in the Foxes’ side. In the 8′, Harder’s precise cross found Guro Reiten who slotted it home past the goalkeeper Janina Leitzig. She continuously made runs in-between the lines of the Leicester backline, providing an option for midfielders like Jelena Cankovic to find her in stride.

All her hard work paid off in the 32′ when she scored what would probably be considered the easiest goal of her career in west London so far. The Dane’s second goal of the evening was vintage Harder. The Blues’ No. 23 collected the ball left wing, and drove straight at three Foxes. From the beginning of the run, she had one thing on her mind. Using a bit of deception on the ball, Harder squeezed a right-footed strike past the outstretched arms of Leitzig to extend the home side’s advantage to four.

It was the second straight match in which she collected two goals and an assist to help propel the west Londoners to a vital three points once again in the WSL. If this is her last few weeks at the club, Harder is going out in style. No matter how much time she missed due to unfortunate injuries, the Danish international was always one of if not the best player on the pitch when she stepped in between the white lines. To have someone like Harder play the No. 9 and provide Kerr with a much-needed off-day is a luxury this club should relish for as long as they may have it.