A Karen Carney first-half spot-kick gave the Blues the lead and Fran Kirby, who had won the penalty for the opening goal, added a poacher's second to seal the result and ensure Emma Hayes and her squad would be celebrating as champions at the final whistle.

For the second game running Hayes made five changes to her starting line-up, reverting to the same team which beat Liverpool 7-0 a week earlier. That meant both wing-backs were changed from the midweek win over Bristol City, Gemma Davison and Crystal Dunn replacing Hannah Blundell and Beth England. It was also all change for the front three, with Erin Cuthbert, Drew Spence and Ramona Bachmann making way as Ji So-Yun and Carney lined up behind Kirby. The goalkeeper, defence and centre-midfield all remained unchanged.

The game got under way in bright sunshine at Solihull Moors and both sides won early corners but failed to capitalise, although there were signs that Chelsea's high pressing would cause Birmingham problems.

Millie Bright did well to intervene when the home side threatened to get in behind the Blues back line with a flicked-on long ball, and Birmingham continued to pursue an early ball over the top for Ellie Brazil in the opening exchanges, compared to Chelsea's more patient play.

After quarter-of-an-hour Chelsea started to enjoy more of the possession, only the linesman's flag denying Dunn the chance to cross from a promising position after latching on to Deanna Cooper's lofted ball down the left channel.

Dunn did get the chance to cross soon afterwards and it provided the game's first sight of goal. Carney did well in midfield to evade the opposition challenges and release Dunn on the left. Her cross was only cleared as far as Ji, but the South Korean couldn't keep her volley down.

A better chance would follow, though, as the referee award a penalty to Chelsea when Kirby was flattened by Birmingham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, having knocked the ball past her running towards goal. Berger was shown a yellow card for her robust challenge.

Carney stepped up to the spot and made no mistake from 12 yards, calmly slotting the ball down the middle as Berger dived to her right to score what felt like a crucial goal in the title pursuit.

Chelsea twice threatened a second soon after, Kirby nearly breaking free in the area with a clever turn and Bright inches from getting her head on a dangerous Carney free-kick.

The high press perhaps should have made it 2-0, as Kirby was alert to intercept the ball and exchange passes with Ji to turn the Birmingham defence, but Davison couldn't put her back-post header on target when picked out by an excellent Dunn cross. That tactic again came close to paying dividends, this time with Maren Mjelde winning the ball high up and trying to catch Berger unprepared with a long-range lob, but the Birmingham keeper recovered just in time.

As the half wore on Chelsea started to exert increasing dominance, with the combination of Carney and Dunn on the left continuing to look like our most likely route to goal and Ji's roaming presence also starting to ask questions of the Birmingham defence.

The closest we came to adding a second before the break came right on the brink of half-time, Ji laying off a ball in the box for Kirby on the penalty spot, but the goalkeeper got just enough on her finish to deny a goal and scramble to gather the loose ball.