CHELSEA MOVED nine points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League as Guro Reiten’s 84th-minute penalty secured a 1-0 victory over third-placed Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

A scrappy encounter looked to be drifting towards a stalemate when two substitutes turned the tide for Sonia Bompastor’s side in a dramatic finale.

Lauren James, having been sent on in the 57th minute to try to breathe life into a flat display, did exactly that. Having burst past Mariona Caldentey, she cut inside and was tripped by a desperate tackle from Kim Little.

In the aftermath, Ireland international Katie McCabe was shown a second yellow card, seemingly for dissent. Once Reiten had converted the resulting spot-kick, it left the visitors facing an uphill battle.

For McCabe, there may be more consequences to come after she kicked the tunnel on her way off the pitch, a hugely frustrating end to a game that Renee Slegers’ side had probably edged.

Chelsea paraded world-record signing Naomi Girma on the pitch before kick-off, the 24-year-old United States defender having joined the champions earlier on Sunday for a reported £900,000 (€1 million) from San Diego Wave.