Chelsea were dominant from minute one as we started the defence of our League Cup title, and romped to a huge win away from home.

A brace scored by Sam Kerr with just 17 minutes gone stifled the opposition immediately, and further goals from Wieke Kaptein and Aggie Beever-Jones followed before half-time.

Our supremacy continued as Johanna Rytting Kaneryd chipped in with a superb curling finish from just inside the box after the break, before netting twice more to complete her hat-trick. The rout was completed when Sjoeke Nusken and Millie Bright both got in on the act to cap off a sensational performance to complete this year's fixtures.

The 9-1 win means we will face Manchester City in the semi-final of the competition, which will be played over 21/22 January 2026.

Flying start

Sonia Bompastor made wholesale changes to her starting XI, with seven alterations to the team that started in Wolfsburg on Wednesday night.

One of the four players who remained in the line-up was striker Kerr, and she set the tone early on, bagging our first after just 13 minutes. After a sustained Blues attack, Niamh Charles played an angled ball into space in the box, and the Australian striker delivered an emphatic finish on the half-turn.

We continued to push forward aggressively, and when Guro Reiten's shot went wide of the post, the Blues pressed up high on the resulting goal kick, and the Norway international was able to intercept the ball. Reiten then played a neat forward pass to Kerr, who was unmarked in the box and made no mistake in netting her second of the afternoon after just 17 minutes.

Hammering home the advantage

After having defended solidly to earn a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at this ground just last month, Liverpool were struggling to cope with the relentless pace of our attacks this time around.

Reiten was once again dangerous on the left and played in Kaptein with a short pass out to the edge of the box. The 20-year-old had time to take a touch and shot from just inside the penalty area, beating goalkeeper Faye Kirby and putting us in the driving seat with a three-goal lead.

Yet the Blues were not finished. Picking up the ball on the left wing, Reiten put in a looping cross over the top, which was taken down well by Beever-Jones, leaving the striker one-on-one with the goalkeeper. From there, she was able to lift the ball over Kirby and into the back of an empty net.

Racking up the score

In the second half, Kerr thought she had completed her hat-trick with a header from a corner, but the attempt was ruled out for a foul on Kirby. That mattered little as we made it five with our next attack, as Rytting Kaneryd curled a wonderful left-footed shot into the back of the net from the corner of the box.

Liverpool bagged themselves a consolation goal with a header from skipper Jenna Clark, but the Blues immediately went back on the attack, and when Maika Hamano played a backheeled pass to Rytting Kaneryd inside the box, our number 19 scored our sixth of the afternoon with a chipped finish.

And after a fine performance in the midfield, Nusken added to the score with a back-post header, before Rytting Kaneryd completed her hat-trick, heading home after Nusken had smashed another shot onto the upright.

Skipper makes it nine

This was a supreme performance from the Blues, and the afternoon was capped off with a goal from our captain Bright. Some tenacious work from substitute Lauren James saw us win the ball back in a dangerous area, before Bright played a one-two with Maika Hamano and lashed her finish across the face of goal.

After we had struggled to a 1-1 draw against this same side just over a month ago, this was a huge statement win and a perfect way to round off the last fixture of 2025.

What it means...

We will play against Manchester City for a place in the Women's League Cup final on 21/22 January 2026.

What comes next...

The Chelsea players will pause for the winter break before facing West Ham at home in the first match of the new year on 11 January 2026.

The teams

Chelsea: Peng, Bright (c), Buurman, Charles, Nusken, Potter, Kaptein, Reiten, Rytting Kaneryd, Beever-Jones (James 42), Kerr (Hamano 57)
Unused subs: Spencer, Cuthbert, Macario, Thompson, Girma, Baltimore, Bronze,
Scorers: Kerr 13, 17, Kaptein 21, Beever-Jones 32, Rytting Kaneryd 53, 73, 80, Nusken 76, Bright 86

Liverpool: Kirby, Parry, Evans, Kapocs, Nagano, Olsson, Enderby (Pedersen h/t), Woodham (Bernarbe 77), Clark (c), Holland, Maclean
Unused subs: Laws, McDonald, Trueman
Scorers: Clark 72
Booked: Olsson 27

Referee: Grace Lowe