James and Carpenter score twice as Chelsea beat Tottenham 6-2

Chelsea scored five second-half goals to beat Tottenham 6-2 at Stamford Bridge, with Lauren James and Ellie Carpenter each contributing twice. According to the Guardian's match report, the victory kept Chelsea two points behind Women's Super League leaders Manchester City, who maintained their perfect start by defeating Brighton 3-2.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dORqyP70qY

Tottenham had reached the interval level after responding to James's opening goal. The Chelsea forward dispossessed Toko Koga, advanced towards the near post and finished from a narrow angle. Spurs continued to threaten, however, and Matilda Vinberg headed in Julie Blakstad's delivery towards the far post shortly before half-time to make it 1-1.

The decisive change came just before the hour, when Alyssa Thompson drove into the penalty area from the left and supplied a cutback for Carpenter to restore Chelsea's advantage. James added another goal four minutes later. Having received the ball from Lucy Bronze around the centre circle, she carried it forward, wrongfooted Koga and curled her shot beyond Tottenham goalkeeper Lize Kop.

Chelsea's substitutes then extended the lead. Sjoeke Nüsken scored with a rising shot after a flick from Keira Walsh, finding the net six minutes after entering the game. Maika Hamano followed with a curling finish into the top corner. Tottenham pulled a goal back when Gaupset intercepted a pass intended for Walsh and beat Hannah Hampton with a low effort, before Carpenter turned and struck again to complete the scoring.

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor credited the impact of her substitutes to their understanding of their roles and the team's objectives, as well as their confidence, the Guardian reported. She also praised James's ability to produce chances independently while stressing the contribution of the players around her. The final score followed a first half in which Tottenham had competed strongly and earned their equaliser.

For Spurs, the defeat came after another six-goal concession against London City Lionesses earlier this month. Head coach Martin Ho said he could take positives from the opening 60 minutes, when his players had carried out much of what he had requested. He nevertheless highlighted the psychological effect of conceding Chelsea's second goal after Tottenham had held possession, saying his side needed to recover quickly from such setbacks.