Chelsea Women 6-2 Tottenham: James and Carpenter doubles power second-half surge

Lauren James and Ellie Carpenter scored twice each as Chelsea overwhelmed Tottenham with five second-half goals in a 6-2 Women’s Super League victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Spurs reached the interval level and with something to defend. By the 67th minute, they were 4-1 down. Chelsea’s individual quality and strength from the bench turned a competitive London derby into another punishing afternoon for Martin Ho’s side.

James opens the scoring but Spurs answer

James put Chelsea ahead after 25 minutes, continuing the attacking form that had made her return to the starting XI such an important part of the build-up.

Tottenham responded through Matilda Vinberg, who headed in Julie Blakstad’s delivery before half-time. Chelsea had conceded only once in their previous five league matches, but Spurs had found a way through.

As our Chelsea v Tottenham preview explored, the visitors needed to show they could recover from their 6-1 defeat by London City Lionesses. At the break, there was reason to believe they could.

Three goals in nine minutes settle the derby

Carpenter restored Chelsea’s lead in the 58th minute, before James struck again four minutes later. Sjoeke Nüsken then made it 4-1 on 67 minutes.

That burst decided the match. Chelsea had gone from needing another breakthrough to holding a three-goal advantage, leaving Tottenham with a much bigger problem than protecting the point they held at half-time.

Sonia Bompastor’s substitutes added to the damage. Nüsken and Maika Hamano both came off the bench to score, with Hamano delivering Chelsea’s fifth. Signe Gaupset replied for Tottenham before Carpenter completed her double in stoppage time.

Chelsea’s depth tells as Tottenham concede six again

James and Carpenter supplied four goals between them, but the contributions from Nüsken and Hamano gave this victory another dimension. Bompastor could change her attacking options and still find goals.

For Spurs, the broader concern is the repetition. They have now conceded 12 goals across successive league defeats, following an opening four matches that brought three wins and a draw. Their encouraging start has been checked sharply by two opponents with considerable attacking resources.

Chelsea extended their perfect WSL record against Tottenham to 14 wins from 14 meetings. Spurs had threatened to change that story for a half; Chelsea’s response left them with another heavy defeat.

Follow the rest of Sunday’s action in our women’s football coverage.

Related: Chelsea vs Tottenham predicted lineups: Lauren James available for Stamford Bridge derby