The Blues’ remarkable unbeaten domestic record under Sonia Bompastor continues after the opening weekend’s 2-1 win over rivals Man City, writes Jane Grove.
It has now been a boggling 26 Women’s Super League matches without defeat since May 2024.
City were beaten by an Aggie Beever-Jones flick, courtesy of a cross from new Aussie signing Ellie Carpenter (rightly declared player of the match), and a second-half goal from Maika Hamano, although there was tension in the air for the final 20 minutes after Niamh Charles headed into her own net while trying to clear the ball.
"It was a great performance from Ellie," said Bompastor, who is well acquainted with the summer signing’s skills having managed her at Lyon.
"I know her by heart, and I’m not really surprised by her debut."
Intriguingly, striker Sam Kerr was back on the bench and running up and down the touchline to possibly come on as a sub.
However, she wasn’t used in the end.
It has been a long, long comeback from her knee ligament injury sustained at a training camp in January 2024… so long, in fact, that Kerr has yet to play a match for Bompastor.
Through a cloud of dramatic smoke and much razzmatazz, the Blues’ new USA signing Alyssa Thompson was unveiled before the match at a half-full Stamford Bridge.
If Chelsea pick up more silverware this season, then the £1.1million price tag may seem a bargain.
Chelsea should probably have won their opening league fixture 3-1, but a blatant City handball went unpunished, and with no VAR there was no chance of a review.
Chelsea’s men are back in action this weekend at Brentford, with a Saturday night kick-off in the Bees’ cauldron of a stadium, while the women are away to Aston Villa.
