.png)
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Mjelde and Kirby go out first, both of them looking emotional. Two absolute legends of the club. They are both receiving a commemorative shirt.
Fans have remained at Kingsmeadow as Emma Hayes, Maren Mjelde and Fran Kirby will have a guard of honour here. A crackling atmosphere.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes told Sky: “We have had some disappointments and I think they wanted to put in a performance worthy of champions. We didn’t want to go out on a whimper, for Fran and Maren.
“If you told me Arsenal beat City and we win 8-0, what are the odds of that! I said to the players, our job is to be ready and today was another opportunity to get closer to something that was slipping out of our hands.
“It’s emotional. It’s tough, I have spent a third of my life doing this. This has been my life, my family. My son was born here. It has felt strange for me but I’m grateful. I look at the fans and I feel the love.”
A good thing to note from BBC’s Emma Sanders:
Worth pointing out Man City’s last 4 games vs Aston Villa in all competitions. It will also be Carla Ward’s last home game on the final day of the season…
Man City 2-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 2-1 Man City
Man City 1-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 4-3 Man City
A word for Bristol City’s goalkeeper Bentley, she has had a hard evening but she did put in some good saves which stopped the scoreline getting to double digits.
Reiten’s performance was really a leader showing the way, she isn’t Chelsea captain but that was a skipper performance. She inspired that utterly annihilation.
Guro Reiten is the first Chelsea women’s player to score four goals at home in the league. She told Sky: “Today has been a good day for us. We are never going to give up, from the first kick to the last we fought for every goal. Two games to go, it’s going to be fun. We have been in so many situations, this is a new one having to chase the goals but we can do anything.”
Chelsea play Tottenham on 15 May and then three days later it is the last day of the season. The Blues will have Manchester United on that day and Manchester City face Aston Villa. One of the closest run-ins ever.
Chelsea needed to score seven tonight to equalise Manchester City’s goal difference but they get eight. Of course Tottenham stand in their way to equal City’s point tally but the title race is on. This was also possible because City lost to Arsenal earlier today.
The game ends with a chant of “we love you Emma, we do” and Hayes looks visibly emotional at the end of her last home game. And what a result it is. Their biggest win since 2020.
Full time: Chelsea 8-0 Bristol City
Chelsea have absolutely blown Bristol City away and boosted their title race hopes as they are now in control of the goal difference. They are still three points behind Manchester City but they have a game in hand. This trophy battle is going down to the wire.
90 + 6 min: The corner doesn’t come to anything but Chelsea are still pushing, every time Kirby gets a touch the crowd scream “shoot” even if it isn’t shootable.
90 + 5 min: Reiten has been named player of the match and it is not a surprise. Four goals from four attempts on target. Kaneryd gets in a good position and shoots, Bentley makes a great save to stop it going to 9 but she does concede a corner.
90 + 3 min: As the amount of added minutes was announced to Kingsmeadow the Chelsea crowd celebrated and chanted “we want 10”. Chelsea make a change with Lawrence on for Beever-Jones and Bristol replace Jones with Stratigakis.
90 + 1 min: Kirby takes a shot and there are huge protests as they think it was handball but penalty calls are ignored. There will be six minutes added.
89 min: Reiten fizzes it into the box again, a defender gets a head to it but it rebounds into Beever-Jones – her second of the evening. Chelsea now have a greater goal difference.
GOAL! Chelsea 8-0 Bristol City (Beever-Jones, 88)
She fell into that!
88 min: Both players are back to their feet and are okay to continue, great to see. Reiten pops it in again but it goes beyond any teammate, I’m running out of ways to describe Reiten tonight. She has just had such a phenomenal performance.
86 min: Reiten pops it in again, everything she touches is turning to gold tonight but Bristol manage to clear. Rogers and Cuthbert have collided and it looks like both are in pain, a break in play here.
84 min: Kirby almost has her dream ending at Kingsmeadow with a shot at goal but it well saved by Bentley. Chelsea keep coming, this is just a relentless performance.
82 min: Mjelde is being prepped on the sidelines for an appearance, it is her final home game too. Macario does really well to keep a move going as she was smothered by defenders but Bristol win it back. Mjelde is not on the pitch and she is met with huge applause, Bjorn comes off.
81 min: Okay now the maths has balanced, Man City no longer have a greater goal difference. Chelsea are on the attack again and Reiten crosses in but it is just beyond Macario.
79 min: It is another sumptuous finish from Reiten, her fourth of the evening. I said after her penalty that she was up for it and she has been the driving force of this team tonight. Chelsea crowd now saying “we want 10”, it’s hard to say they won’t score again at the moment.
GOAL! Chelsea 7-0 Bristol City (Reiten, 77)
They cannot be stopped.
76 min: I also have mixed up my maths, Man City now have +1 goal difference so Chelsea will need to score another to level them. Chelsea crowd chanting “we want seven” and the hosts have just won another free kick.
75 min: Macario has a great delivery from the free kick and Charles is at the back post unmarked to finish. And Hamano almost adds another! I am typing so fast I am unsure why my laptop isn’t on fire.
GOAL! Chelsea 6-0 Bristol City (Charles, 74')
Wow.
74 min: Manchester City now only have a +1 goal difference now, the title race is one the tightest in recent history which is saying something with the recent battles. There could be more goals to come with Chelsea winning a free kick.
72 min: Kirby passed to Macario who laid it off to Reiten who whacked it home, that was such a powerful strike and her third of the game. That is her first hat-trick. Bristol make a change with Hayles on for Syme.
GOAL! Chelsea 5-0 Bristol City (Reiten, 71)
Hat-trick hero!
70 min: Macario tries to find Kirby but Bristol do well to muscle her off the ball, it is clear they are not happy with just four here. They have the goal difference in their mind right now, they have managed to cut it to +2 for Manchester City and Chelsea also have a game in hand. It is Bristol who have the next attack with a good run from Morgan and her pass comes to Thestrup but Musovic saves.
