READING, England (AP) — Chelsea secured its fourth straight Women’s Super League by beating Reading 3-0 on Saturday to wrap up the double in style.
Having beaten Manchester United in the FA Cup final this month, Chelsea eased past Reading with goals from Guro Reiten and a Sam Kerr double.
Jessie Fleming entered the game in the 85th minute for Chelsea with fellow Canadian international Kadeisha Buchanan watching from the bench.
The Blues’ recent dominance shone through as their hosts failed to deal with the attacking talent of Emma Hayes’ side, which finished the season on a seven-game league winning run.
The breakthrough came in the 18th minute through Kerr, who picked up a pocket of space inside the box before heading Reiten’s cross past goalkeeper Grace Moloney to make it 1-0.
Reiten added the second after 42 minutes when she pounced on a loose ball in the Reading backline to go one-on-one with Moloney before producing a composed finish.
Chelsea enjoyed long periods of possession after the break and Kerr’s efforts paid off in the 88th minute. The Australia captain was slipped through on goal and her first effort came back off the post but she was first to react to claim a simple tap-in and round off the victory.
WIN NOT ENOUGH FOR MAN UNITED
Manchester United was once again grateful for substitute Lucia Garcia but its bid for the WSL title narrowly fell short.
Garcia came off the bench to score a late winner against Manchester City last weekend and ensure the title race went to the last day of the season, where United needed to beat Liverpool and hope Chelsea slipped up.
The first part was accomplished as Garcia’s 72nd-minute strike secured a 1-0 win for United at Prenton Park, it wasn't enough. Canadian international Jayde Riviere was on the United bench.
Chelsea (19-2-1, 58 points) finished two points ahead of Manchester United (18-2-2, 56 points).
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The Associated Press
