Harder on song as Chelsea close on WSL lead with 6-0 demolition of Leicester

Pernille Harder: better, faster, stronger. The Danish forward returned to the starting XI for Chelsea’s 6-0 defeat of Leicester City and powered them to within a point of league leaders Manchester United with two goals and an assist in a blistering first half.

Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert told women’s football platform Girls on the Ball: “If I saw Pernille Harder coming off the bench, I’d be terrified. I honestly would.”

It is only perhaps when you watch Chelsea with Harder, after months without her, that you are reminded of just how important she is to Emma Hayes’ side and why her return for the final few weeks of the season could be the difference between Chelsea limping towards a double or swaggering towards it.

The Dane scored twice and provided the assist for Jessie Fleming’s goal in Chelsea’s 7-0 demolition of Everton on Sunday after coming off the bench to replace an injured Sam Kerr in the 32nd minute. In her first start since sustaining a hamstring injury that required surgery during November’s international break, the 30-year-old was viciously efficient.

“She’s looking pretty good in training,” Cuthbert had warned. “She’s sharp. She’s ready. She’s hungry. She’s a player who’s such a winner. She’s like me, she’s a terrible loser. She wants to win every game. You want somebody like that on your team, you want somebody like that to make a difference and it’s players like her who can be the difference-makers in games which are such fine margins.”

The beauty of Harder, who is rumoured to be leaving the Blues along with her partner Magda Eriksson in the summer, is that as well as being effective in tight games she is deadly at running up scorelines and alleviating the pressure on a tired and injury-hit squad.

Har