Right then, that’s all from me. Bye!

Emma Hayes wanders over for a chat on the BBC:

We’ve got world class attackers, and that’s what they showed today. I don’t think we were very good. I thought we were poor first half by out standards, and we were 3-0 up. I think we’re miles better than we were last year, and our build-up and our possession, I wasn’t happy with it in the first half. I changed something within the flow of the game because I felt we were getting overloaded, and I felt there were spaces Harder could exploit and we gave her the chance to do that. Pernille, I’m so proud of her for that goal because I know how much she’s put into it. She’s a top, top player.

90+4 mins: Chelsea have been a class apart from first to last here, scoring in the second minute of the game and the second minute of stoppage time, as well as four times in between, and they turned a potentially awkward fixture into a procession.

Enough already! It’s a smart break from the champions that ends with Fleming sliding in Spence, whose driven shot is saved, rebounds off Thorisdottir and lands invitingly back at the feet of Fleming, who lifts it over Earps and into the net!

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90+1 mins: Fox is back on her feet and will finish the game, which has another three minutes to go.

90+1 mins: Hanson runs down the left, shadowed by Fox, and when she slides to try to cross she hits the Chelsea player and stays down.

United give the ball away from the throw-in and Chelsea pour forward, ending with England laying it off to Spence, whose low shot flies into the net!

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87 mins: An excellent crossfield pass from Spence zips from right to left, and is let down only by the fact that Chelsea don’t have anyone on the left.

83 mins: Chelsea bring Spence on for Kerr, and United bring Carrie Jones on for Galton.

81 mins: Half a chance for United, who attack down the left before Russo cuts infield and passes to Toone, who challenges Andersson for the ball which bounces back to another red shirt, whose shot is blocked. And anyway, the referee blows for a foul on Andersson.

78 mins: Chelsea make three changes: England, Fleming and Fox are on, while Kirby, Harder and Reiten are off.

76 mins: A nice run from Blundell, who bursts from midfield towards the penalty area leaving a string of blue shirts in her wake, but she then overhits her pass and gives the ball back to Chelsea.

74 mins: Harder wins the ball midway into her own half and tries to set Kerr free, but the ball clips the Australian’s heels, she’s forced to turn back, and the break loses momentum from there.

70 mins: Berger has started to take her time when the ball rolls her way, refusing to pick it up until she is closed down, which certainly suggests that Chelsea are happy enough with what they’ve got here.

67 mins: United hit the bar! Russo takes a lovely first touch, moves beyond Eriksson and lashes a rising shot into the meat of the woodwork from just outside the area, with the keeper beaten.

66 mins: A second change for United, who bring Hayley Ladd on for Groenen.

63 mins: Then they cross from the left, Galton sends her header goalwards but it hits a defender. No goal, but a good spell for United.

62 mins: United win a corner, which lands in the area where Russo throws out a leg but can’t connect with her volley.

58 mins: Chelsea’s front three keep pushing for more: Harder crosses to Kerr, it’s headed out as far as Kirby, and she shoots just wide.

58 mins: Chelsea make their first change, bringing Andersson on for Charles.

54 mins: I don’t think the offside was as clear as the BBC commentary team is telling me it was. I’d like to see a line drawn across the field, but I think it was a question of inches rather than feet, and thus probably a bad call rather than definitely a terrible one.

52 mins: I think VAR might have had something to say about that one, if there was one. Kerr looked just a foot or so beyond the last defender when the ball came in.

The home side’s hopes of a comeback are snuffed out within three minutes! It’s a cross from Kirby on the right and Kerr completely misses her attempted right-footed finish only for the ball to hit her left foot, loop up, and leave her with a simple volley from four yards!

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Toone plays in Russo, who has ghosted unmarked into the area, and Bright sprints across to block her path to goal, dives in to block her shot on the spin, and deflects it past Berger and in off the near post!

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48 mins: Hanson spins away from her marker on United’s right and sprints downfield, all the way to the edge of the area, whereupon she crosses straight into the arms of Berger.

46 mins: Reiten crosses from the left and Kirby heads wide at the near post.

46 mins: Peeeeep! Half two has begun!

United’s players come out early for the second half. Marc Skinner makes one change at the break, bringing Russo on for Staniforth.

45+3 mins: A temporary end to the torment for the home side. Their attack has been weak, but their defending for all three goals was abysmal. The number of times they have tried to play out of defence and been dispossessed has been embarrassing, and yet they have continued to do it, and continued to be punished for it. It started in the first minute, and there they were, in the 41st, still at it. Overall, despite periods of parity, they have not looked remotely good enough to meaningfully challenge Chelsea.

45+1 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time, or thereabouts

44 mins: Staniforth’s 20-yarder flies 10 yards wide of goal. It’s a shot for the statistics, which currently read very badly for a United side yet to have a shot on target.

Manchester United are just totally determined to lose this. Again they try to play out of defence, again their passing is weak, Chelsea intercept, and Kirby squares to give Kerr a tap-in!

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40 mins: So close to a third! United give the ball away in defence again, Kirby passes infield to Kerr, and her low shot zips a foot wide with Earps nowhere.

38 mins: United nearly giftwrap another goal! Earps’ goal kick is intercepted but Chelsea can’t quite convert that into a clear shooting chance and eventually Ingle shoots straight at the keeper.

37 mins: Chance for a third, as Kerr crosses from the right and Eriksson is completely unmarked but volleys over the bar!

33 mins: United have retreated into their shells a bit since Chelsea doubled their lead. Without wanting to state the bleedin’ obvious, they are in a whole heap of trouble here, with Chelsea dominant in defence, in midfield and in attack.

29 mins: These have been, we’re told, the first goals conceded by Manchester United at home and from open play in 2021.

25 mins: Harder picked up the ball on halfway and set off towards goal. Thorisdottir was the one player well placed to stop her, but Harder momentarily shifted the ball onto her right, sucked Thorisdottir out of position and then pushed the ball past her and sets off again, with Earps now exposed. She drew the keeper, and lifted the ball gently over her and into the net. Really nicely done.

A solo wondergoal from Pernille Harder ends with a delicious dinked finish!

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23 mins: Chelsea are now defending in numbers and trying to hit United on the break, but doing the defending rather more successfully than the breaking. A long ball from defence nearly releases Staniforth, but her first touch lets her down.

21 mins: United have a shot on goal after Staniforth slides in Hanson, but it bounces harmlessly wide.

18 mins: Since United got over their early self-destruction issues it’s been a very even game, but one with very little by way of goalmouth action.

15 mins: Batlle has been United’s brightest player so far, and she gets down the left before sending in a decent cross, which is headed away.

11 mins: United are getting forward, but the only significant work Berger has had to do so far was keeping a watchful eye on a cross that was floating out of play in case it hit a pigeon or something and suddenly dipped goalwards.

9 mins: Kirby blocks a defensive clearance and the ball loops to Kerr, who volleys wide from just inside the area.

5 mins: United try to play out from the back again, and this time all they give Chelsea is an attacking throw-in. They’re playing themselves into trouble again and again.

3 mins: It’s a goal kick, taken short, passed out to the right, but with Chelsea pressing it’s passed back into the area but straight to Kerr, who slides it on to Kirby, who has an open goal to aim at! She takes a heavy touch, gives Earps in the home goal half a chance of getting back, but pokes it in just before the keeper gets back.

Manchester United self-combust again, and this time Chelsea capitalise!

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1 min: Save! Kerr nearly gives Chelsea the lead inside 20 seconds! Earps’ pass is intercepted, it’s passed to Kerr and her low left-footer from the edge of the area is pushed away!

1 min: Peeeeeeep! They’re off, as Manchester United get the game started.

Out come the teams! Plenty of fans in the stands at Leigh Sports Village for this one, and it sounds like a decent atmosphere.

Right then. TV coverage has started, and I can confirm an early victory for Manchester United, whose players arrived wearing rather snazzy Adidas facemasks while Chelsea’s went with disposables.

The starting XIs look almost exactly like this:

Manchester United: Earps, Batlle, Mannion, Thorisdottir, Blundell, Staniforth, Zelem, Hanson, Groenen, Galton, Toon.
Chelsea: Berger; Bright, Carter, Eriksson; Reiten, Ingle, Leupolz, Charles; Harder, Kerr, Kirby.

Hello world!

It’s only September, but today is a big day in this season’s title chase. WSL champions Chelsea, beaten at Arsenal in a 3-2 thriller in the opening game of this season, face a second major challenge at Manchester United. Last season they only lost once all season and still only won the title by two points - and Manchester City, their closest challengers who also only lost once all season but who have also already lost once this campaign, travel to Arsenal this evening.

United have started the season strongly with a pair of comfortable wins, albeit over teams that aren’t expected to challenge for the title in Reading and Leicester, and they surf into the game on a wave of confidence. Last season, United’s second in the WSL following promotion, the teams played out two close matches, a 1-1 draw in Manchester and a 2-1 home win at Kingsmeadow - the scorer of United’s goal in that one, Lauren James, has since signed for Chelsea. This will certainly be intriguing, and could potentially be an absolute cracker. Welcome!