Kerolin delivered a stunning hat-trick as Manchester City Women dismantled defending champions Chelsea 5-1 on Sunday, February 1, 2026, to surge 11 points clear at the top of the Women's Super League (WSL). The emphatic victory at a jubilant Etihad Stadium signals a potential changing of the guard in English women's football.

Manchester City now sit atop the WSL standings with 39 points after 14 games, boasting a remarkable 13 victories and a single loss. Manchester United trails behind in second place with 28 points, while Chelsea has slipped to third with 27 points. With only eight games remaining, Manchester City's rivals face a daunting task to close the gap, despite upcoming matches against Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Brazilian forward, Kerolin, was the star of the show, opening the scoring with a deflected strike in the 13th minute after Chelsea failed to clear a set piece. Despite a period of sustained pressure from Chelsea, they were unable to capitalize, and Manchester City punished them. Khadija "Bunny" Shaw extended the lead in the 36th minute, latching onto a through ball from Vivianne Miedema and outmuscling Naomi Girma to finish past Hannah Hampton.

Kerolin continued her exceptional performance after the break, scoring her second goal in the 49th minute with a remarkable solo effort. She collected the ball in her own half and raced past the Chelsea defense before deftly chipping it over the onrushing Hampton. Five minutes later, she completed her hat-trick, side-footing home a cross from Lauren Hemp. She became the first player to score a hat trick against the reigning WSL champions. Alyssa Thompson managed to pull one back for Chelsea in the 68th minute, but Miedema quickly responded with a header to restore City's four-goal advantage.

This defeat marks Chelsea's heaviest in the WSL since 2018 and their third loss in the past five league matches. Prior to December, Chelsea had been unbeaten in the WSL since May 1, 2024, and had not suffered a domestic loss under manager Sonia Bompastor. Bompastor acknowledged the team's struggles, stating, "We are in a tough moment... We need to find solutions. I need to find solutions as the manager".

Manchester City's victory was further sweetened by the return of Australian international Mary Fowler, who made her comeback after nearly a year sidelined with an ACL injury. However, there was concern for Aoba Fujino, who suffered a head injury late in the game. Manchester City is now closing in on their first league title since 2016.