Melvine Malard scored twice and won a penalty as Chelsea came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 and stretch their unbeaten start to seven games.
Melvine Malard was the difference-maker in the Women's Super League. She scored twice and won a penalty as Chelsea came from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1.
Palace went ahead and had the visitors under pressure, but Chelsea's response was ruthless. Malard's movement and directness in the final third kept pulling the home defence out of shape, and once the equaliser arrived the match tilted firmly toward the champions.
The forward's influence went beyond her two goals. Winning the penalty gave Chelsea control of the contest, and her confidence on the ball ran through their best attacking moments. It was the kind of all-round display that makes a strong squad even harder to stop.
The win extends Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season to seven matches. They have now shown they can win when things go wrong as well as when they cruise, which matters in a title race. Palace gave them a real test, but Chelsea found the answers and left with the three points.
