Chelsea have not had to chase for a while. At this stage, they usually lead the Women's Super League title race - and gone on to win the last six in a row.

But with ground to make up on current leaders Manchester City, who are six points clear after beating Everton, Blues boss Sonia Bompastor is preparing for a challenging few months.

Her side meant business when they arrived at Kingsmeadow on Sunday for their first match of 2026 and a thumping 5-0 win over West Ham sent a message they will not be dethroned without a fight.

Within 49 seconds they were 1-0 up - Yu Endo's own goal the second fastest in Women's Super League history - and by half-time they led by four.

Sandy Baltimore's second goal of the afternoon from the penalty spot in the 70th minute wrapped up an impressive 5-0 win.

Chelsea are aiming to defend their three domestic titles and win that elusive Women's Champions League trophy, so can they peak at the right time to achieve their target?

"It was really important to come into this second part of the season and have the right mindset," said Bompastor.

"We are in a different place from last season where we were at the top. But I think the club has been in this situation before.

"I'm comfortable - even if I wish we could be at the top. The only thing we can control is that we put in the best performance in every game to make sure we get the three points.

"We will fight until the end."

Being ruthless is not a problem Chelsea have encountered often in recent years, but it has crept in this term.

An early-season defeat at Aston Villa, underwhelming draws with Manchester United and Liverpool, and a shock 1-0 loss by Everton in December have all proved costly, with City taking command at the top.

In those games, creating chances were not the issue - it was scoring goals. But after managing 14 in their past two matches - including a 9-1 League Cup win at Liverpool in December - Chelsea seem to have rediscovered their finishing touch.

Against West Ham, they capitalised on two defensive errors and converted five of 10 shots on target, as well as hitting the crossbar.

Given Chelsea boast the meanest defence in the division with just six goals conceded from 12 games, being clinical at the other end could be a lethal combination.

"If you reflect on the first part of the season, if you analysed the performances and looked at the stats, we created a lot of opportunities" added Bompastor.

"It's really important that you are efficient. We speak a lot about performances but the most important thing when you are at Chelsea is to win."

That is the main message until the end of the campaign.

Chelsea know there is wriggle room in the title race with meetings against Arsenal and City to follow later this month.

They also visit an in-form Tottenham side, while their busy schedule will include the Women's Champions League quarter-finals in March.

"When you play for Chelsea, you have to compete in four competitions and win titles," said Bompastor. "It's reinforcing these messages all the time.

"We want to go as far as possible in every competition."

Chelsea's ruthlessness came at the wrong time for West Ham, who were playing in their first match under new manager Rita Guarino.

The Italian was given a harsh lesson on life in the WSL and the gap between the elite and second-bottom West Ham.

It was always going to be a tall ask to deliver a result, especially as Guarino has had just weeks with her players.

But this could not have gone much worse.

They trailed 2-0 following errors by defender Endo and goalkeeper Kinga Szemik and gave away a penalty in the second half for Viviane Asseyi's handball.

"It was a tough game against a great opponent, who play great football and are one of the best teams in Europe," said Guarino. "We can learn about many things, such as being more organised and not making easy mistakes because I know the quality of my players.

"It's not about concentration. It was little tactical mistakes and understanding. If you give time and space to an opponent like Chelsea, obviously they have the chance to score."

It is a busy few weeks for West Ham too, with further away games at Newcastle in the Women's FA Cup on Friday and at Leicester City the following weekend.

Guarino will hope that by the time they return home - welcoming Tottenham on 1 February - they show improvement.

"I see the high level of commitment from the players. That is there in every training session and in every minute of this game," she added.

"I saw they tried to do what we prepared [against Chelsea] but they could not always do it.

"The motivation is all about the process. Every day we can learn and be better."

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed