A first Chelsea hat-trick for Pernille Harder helped the Blues cruise into the Continental League Cup final, with the 6-0 scoreline a record for a semi-final win.
It took Emma Hayes eight years to reach her first League Cup final with Chelsea. She took no chances, then, for West Ham's trip to Kingsmeadow. There were only two changes to the Chelsea starting XI that put four past Tottenham on Sunday, Sophie Ingle and Beth England returning in place of Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten.
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Hayes needn't have worried too much, though, as the Hammers' looked tangled as the relentless Chelsea attack weaved through their lines time and time again.
It took just four minutes for Harder, the European player of the year, to assert the home team's superiority. A mazy run then an eye-of-the-needle pass from the South Korean Ji So-yun found Harder to the right of the goal and the Danish forward coolly side-footed past Mackenzie Arnold.
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There were glimpses of Olli Harder's vision for West Ham in the opening exchanges. The new manager would like to see his side press high and with urgency. However, there is a doggedness to Hayes' side that means they will just not allow teams to try to play keep-ball against them.
Just 10 minutes later Chelsea doubled their lead. A poor clearance landed at Ingle's feet and the Welsh midfielder whipped a trademark long-range effort that embarrassingly squirmed past Arnold.
Arnold was at fault again for Chelsea's third. The keeper swiped at a slow back pass from the West Ham captain, Gilly Flaherty, and Harder pounced to poke the ball back through Arnold's legs. In the 27th minute Chelsea got a fourth as Fran Kirby's low cross from the right was met by England at the near post.
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Perhaps fuelled by some intense half-time reflection the visiting team began the second half brightly. Two saves in two minutes for Arnold settled the goalkeeper's nerves and the Hammers pushed forward as Chelsea lifted their foot off the gas. West Ham had three chances to reduce the gap in quick succession, with Maz Pacheco, the new midfielder Lois Joel and the Australian Emily van Egmond all going close.
However, they were left ruing their wastefulness after Arnold got a hand to Hannah Blundell's cross but it clipped of the upright and spun down for Kirby to poke over the line at the far post. Harder wrapped up her hat-trick at the close, dancing through defenders before firing in her side's sixth.