Chelsea shrugged aside the attention surrounding Emma Hayes’ impending departure with a 3-0 win at Everton to consolidate their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League.

Jessie Fleming’s opener was followed by goals from Sam Kerr and former Everton loanee Aggie Beever-Jones as the London side eased to victory over a spirited Toffees side who caused the champions plenty of first-half problems.

Chelsea, who were playing for the first time since the announcement last weekend that Hayes will step down at the end of the season after 12 years as manager, remained clear of the chasing pack as a result.

That is due in part to a surprise defeat for Manchester City, who headed into the weekend in second place and three points adrift of the leaders.

Lee Geum-min returned to haunt her former club when she fired Brighton to a 1-0 win over Gareth Taylor’s team at the City Football Academy.

The South Korea international scored the game’s only goal nine minutes from time as title hopefuls City were made to pay for not making the most of their dominance and slipped to a second successive league defeat in the process.

Manchester United made no such mistake, routing West Ham 5-0 to leapfrog their neighbours.

United stunned the Hammers with a fast start and then killed them off with a late flurry as they surged to a victory in torrential rain at Leigh Sports Village.

First-half goals from Geyse, Millie Turner and Nikita Parris put the hosts in charge by the break, and late strikes from substitutes Lucia Garcia and Melvine Malard wrapped up a comprehensive triumph.

Sophie Roman Haug’s second-half header ensured Liverpool emerged from their trip to Tottenham with something to show for their efforts.

Celine Bizet Ildhusoy had fired the hosts ahead with a stunning solo effort at Brisbane Road, but the Norway striker levelled as the sides who started the day in third and fourth places respectively ended it with a 1-1 draw.

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Late goals from England international Rachel Daly and Ebony Salmon handed Aston Villa their first points of the season courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Bristol City.

In a game of few clear-cut chances between the division’s bottom two sides, Daly broke the deadlock with 14 minutes remaining before substitute Salmon struck four minutes from time to secure three priceless points which lifted Villa from the foot of the table on goal difference.

Chelsea are in search of a new manager after Emma Hayes announced she would be stepping down at the end of this season to “pursue a new opportunity outside the WSL and club football”.

Hayes, who since her 2012 appointment has led the Blues to 15 trophies including six Women’s Super League titles, is rumoured to be the first-choice candidate to take over the United States, who have been without a head coach since US Soccer this summer parted ways with Vlatko Andonovski following the Americans’ worst-ever finish at a Women’s World Cup.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the candidates who could look to fill Hayes’ considerable shoes.

Laura Harvey

Nuneaton-born Laura Harvey might fancy a move back home to England after a decade in America, where she is currently the head coach of OL Reign and a three-time National Women’s Soccer League coach of the year, winning three NWSL Shields and this year steering her side to a third trip to league’s championship final.

The 43-year-old, who is under contract with Reign until 2025, commands respect and has led big-name talent including Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, and led Arsenal to a domestic treble in 2011, the first season of the WSL. She has since described her time at the Gunners – a side she took over at the age of 29 – as a mixed experience, and could be keen to re-test the transformed WSL waters as a now-veteran manager.

Denise Reddy

Assistant manager Reddy is a respected and familiar face at Chelsea and could help provide a smooth transition for both players and staff who will no doubt feel a bit of culture shock in the absence of the influential Hayes, who transformed the women’s team both on and off the pitch and led a cultural revolution at the club.

The snag here would be if Reddy, who was also Hayes’ assistant at Chicago Red Stars, decides to follow her boss again, which reports suggest the former USA Under-20s assistant may well have the intention of doing.

Lluis Cortes

Few women’s clubs save Barcelona could boast the same level of success and reach as Chelsea, and Cortes was the man in charge in one of the most astonishing seasons in the Spanish side’s history when he led them to the Primera Division, Copa de la Reina and Women’s Champions League titles in 2021 before leaving on his own accord, citing a “lack of energy” to continue.

Since then he has led Ukraine’s women’s team, stepping down at the end of August, but might be persuaded back into club football by an organisation who could benefit from the 2021 UEFA women’s coach of the year’s European experience as they seek to do the one thing Hayes has so far not managed in her 11-year Chelsea tenure: win a Champions League title.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes will depart the Blues at the end of the season after more than a decade in charge, the Women’s Super League club have announced.

Hayes is among the most respected and successful managers in women’s football, having led Chelsea to six WSL titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, one Spring Series trophy and one Community Shield.

The 47-year-old, who steered Chelsea to an historic double on two occasions and achieved one domestic treble, has previously been linked to the vacant United States women’s national team role currently occupied by interim boss Twila Kilgore.

A club statement read: “Chelsea FC can today confirm that highly decorated Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes OBE will depart the club at the end of the season to pursue a new opportunity outside of the WSL and club football.”

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes refused to step on England manager Sarina Wiegman’s toes when asked if Lauren James should return to the Lionesses’ starting line-up for Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.

The 21-year-old Blues forward scored three goals and picked up the same number of assists before she was sent off in the Lionesses’ last-16 victory over Nigeria and given a two-match ban for stepping on the back of defender Michelle Alozie.

Having served her punishment during the quarter- and semi-finals, James is now available to reclaim her spot in Wiegman’s starting XI – but she remains in competition with replacement Ella Toone, who netted the Lionesses’ opener in their 3-1 last-four victory to eliminate co-hosts Australia.

James’ club boss Hayes said: “I think you know, I’m a manager but picking someone else’s team is not my job. It’s Sarina’s. My job is to enjoy it. Those players are prepared for whatever happens and for whatever team Sarina picks. I’m sure Lauren would be ready.

“Lauren is just very excited to be in a World Cup final as all of the England players are. They are all excited.

“It’s about England as a team and England as a whole and they have all stepped up and filled in, whether that’s Katie Zelem who filled in for Keira Walsh or Ella Toone at least filling in for Lauren James after that quarter-final.

“Lauren is an outstanding player and will go on to contribute many more moments for both club and country. As always she will be reflective and will move forward with that.”

James, who apologised for the red-card incident on social media, came off the bench in England’s 1-0 Haiti opener to kick-start their undefeated path to the final, then scored the winner against Denmark in her first World Cup start.

She bagged a brace in the Lionesses’ thumping 6-1 win over China to conclude the group stage, also assisting three goals in that rout.

James’ stock has risen under the watchful eye of Hayes, who has won the Women’s Super League (WSL) manager of the year award six times, including the past four seasons, and predicted her Chelsea charge would be vital to the European champions’ hopes of lifting a first World Cup.

Hayes was named FIFA’s best manager in the women’s game in 2021, succeeding Wiegman, who has now won the award three times after also receiving the honour following England’s Euro 2022 triumph.

It is no surprise, then, that both women’s names have been floated as potential candidates to take over the US women’s team, a role made vacant on Thursday after US Soccer announced the federation and Vlatko Andonovski had agreed to part ways.

The decision came after the FIFA world number one-ranked Americans not only failed to defend their back-to-back titles, but were knocked out by Sweden in a last-16 penalty shootout for their worst-ever finish.

Hayes, who has managed Chelsea since 2012, said: “I suspected that question would come up.

“I’m very happy at Chelsea, I’ve made that clear. I’ve been there for 11 years, it’s my home. I think the US has wonderful players and perhaps the tournament didn’t go the way they wanted but my focus is on getting home and preparing the team for the start of the season.”

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes praised striker Sam Kerr as she dedicated her side’s third consecutive FA Cup victory to Blues fans in a year in which she feels the wider club has “suffered”.

Kerr struck the winner past England goalkeeper Mary Earps to fire Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in front of a crowd of 77,390 at Wembley, a new world record for a women’s domestic club fixture.

It was the fifth time in nine years Chelsea have triumphed in the showpiece and another game-changing moment from Australia international Kerr, who latched on to substitute Pernille Harder’s pinpoint pass to steer home the winner in the 68th minute.

“I’ve never coached a player like her,” said Hayes. “For a player to have such convictions, such confidence, such courage, the way she attacks everything.

“What I love about Sam is she is willing to take responsibility for the team at the top end of the pitch, but I think it’s important to mention Pernille Harder, because without Pernille Harder she wouldn’t have got that goal.

“So congratulations to the team, the squad. It will bug me if I don’t say this – I’m a football fan and I’ve watched how much my club has suffered this year.

“We’ve had ownership changes, the men’s team hasn’t been brilliant, Chelsea fans this is for you. I hope we had a little bit of joy tonight. I hope we gave you something where you can smile about it this year. The whole club, owners included.”

It ultimately came down to fine margins for Marc Skinner’s United side, who had reached a major final for the first time since their promotion from the Championship in 2019.

They started brightly and largely controlled a first half in which they had a goal chalked off for offside and a penalty appeal by Nikita Parris turned down, officials ultimately determining she had been brought down by Niamh Charles outside the area.

Second-half substitutions saw Chelsea spring back to life after a first period that led Hayes to agree with assistant manager Paul Green, who branded it the “worst first half of FA Cup football we’ve ever had”.

Her mood had shifted by the time the final whistle blew and the Prince of Wales draped a medal around her neck.

She said: “I think our team has been in transition, with six different players in the starting line-up to last year’s final. My big thing is, ‘How can we still keep winning while transitioning?’

“So this year of trying to get as many players as many opportunities and keep developing their experiences in all areas of the pitch and to win knowing we’re in that stage, this is far and away my most memorable FA Cup final.”

Skinner’s side still lead the Women’s Super League, although second-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand, are just one point behind.

It has been a year of firsts for his team, who are tantalisingly close to clinching a first ever Champions League berth.

Skinner said: “I’m not going to stop and this team’s not going to stop. If anyone thinks we’re going away, we’re not going away.

“These are just moments you have to win and we haven’t done that today, but we’ve got a really good account of ourselves and we’ll be back, no doubt about that.

“We know how special our club is and how we need to be synonymous with success. Along the way you get a few bumps and today is one of them.”