Chelsea have sealed their place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.
Sonia Bompastor’s side cruised past Celtic 3-0 in their latest Group B fixture at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to guarantee progress with two matches to spare.
Lucy Bronze netted an early volley to set the Blues on their way to a comfortable victory in west London, with Wieke Kaptein also heading home before Eve Perisset’s last-gasp penalty.
Bompastor had demanded a fast start from Chelsea and she got it, with Bronze opening the scoring after just 65 seconds.
From a short corner, Catarina Macario sent in a deep cross and Bronze hooked in a volley at the far post.
It was not the most powerful of hits from the England right-back and Celtic goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty got a hand to it, but she was unable to keep it out.
It was a nightmare start for the Scottish champions, still without a point in their maiden group stage campaign.
They managed to steady the ship, putting together some neat spells of possession but without creating anything of note.
And Chelsea struck again from another corner routine after 25 minutes. This time the ball came out to Guro Reiten, whose inviting delivery into the box was powerfully headed home by Dutch teenager Kaptein.
Bompastor, who made six changes from the team which beat Manchester City 2-0 on Saturday, was able to switch things up at half-time and bring on in-form Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez for Macario, who is still working her way back to full fitness.
Chelsea poured forward with Kaptein and Maelys Mpome seeing long-range shots fly narrowly over the crossbar while Reiten’s effort was cleared off the line by Kelly Clark.
Kaptein should have found the net on the hour with another header from Bronze’s cross but planted the ball straight at Daugherty.
Millie Bright saw a goalbound header blocked from another corner and Reiten’s fierce drive was charged down by Emma Lawton.
Ramirez almost added a third when she tried to glance in Ashley Lawrence’s cross at the near post but the ball flew across goal and wide.
With the clock ticking down there was a big moment for 17-year-old Lola Brown as Bompastor sent her on for a senior debut.
But it looked as though a third goal would elude Chelsea until, in stoppage time, Bronze went on a mazy run into the box and her cross was blocked by the arm of Shannon McGregor, allowing Perisset to lash home the spot-kick and add some gloss to a satisfactory night’s work.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
