Despite difficult conditions as Storm Boelo battered Britain over the weekend, the Blues made their dominance tell by the final whistle, fighting back after falling behind against the run of play in the first half.

Melvine Malard smashed in the equaliser from range, before heading us in front following tricky footwork by Baltimore. The three points were made safe late on, when Malard was brought down in the box, allowing Baltimore to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot and send Chelsea top of the WSL table.

‘It was bit of a tornado at times,’ admitted Bronze. ‘The conditions were a bit windy to say the least, but no excuses there. I think the quality and the desire as a team shined through in the end.

‘Palace put up a good fight, especially in the first half when the wind was with them. I don't think we're too happy with conceding from a corner, but just doing really well to get back into the game.

‘Obviously Sandy Baltimore came into the game and did what Sandy Baltimore does, her magic. I'm just happy with the result and the three points.’

Baltimore’s introduction came as one of two half-time substitutions by Sonia Bompastor as the Blues looked to chase the game and her impact was clear, particularly when beating a trio of defenders to tee up Malard to give us the lead for the first time in the game.

‘I thought that was one of the best moments, when we scored the second for Malard,’ Bronze continued. ‘I wasn't expecting it at all really.

‘It was made by having Sandy one v one – but she was actually one v three then – something that we all know that she's so good at. Give her the ball and she'll find a way to get it in the box and get around players.

‘But we have so many players that can come on and change a game. Erin [Cuthbert] as well has come on at half-time. We had new faces coming onto the pitch as well with Manaka [Matsukubo] and Giulia [Dragoni].

‘So we're in a good place as a squad. We've got players available and we've been able to lift ourselves and have moments when we need them.’

For all the individual brilliance on display as we fought back to beat Crystal Palace, it is that depth of talent in the Chelsea squad which Bronze feels is proving to be most important during our strong start to the current campaign.

‘There's definitely a level of consistency that's followed through our games this year and I think last season, particularly in the second half of the season, we struggled a little bit with that.

‘It’s something that we've worked on really hard over pre-season. We have so much consistency across the pitch, no matter who's playing. We're really strong across every position, having two or three players, and just having that consistent mentality in every training session, every game, no matter who's playing or who's in the squad.

‘I think that's something that has changed a lot and that's the thing that will set us apart from some of the other teams this season.’

After six games played in the 2026/27 WSL, the Blues remain unbeaten and have won our last five. That sequence has taken us clear of Manchester City at the top of the table on goal difference after our rivals drew with Manchester United later on Sunday.

‘It's still quite early on in the season,’ Bronze concluded. ‘We've not even hit the halfway point. We just want to keep collecting our points, keep the pressure on ourselves more than anything.

‘The season's very long and it can change. Different teams will start to do well, momentum changes, but for us it's just about keeping the points coming so that we're always in contention to win the league.’