Alyssa Thompson adds sparkle to Chelsea’s WCL cruise against Paris FC

Chelsea kickstarted their European campaign with a comfortable victory over Paris FC. Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal in west London as Sonia Bompastor’s side dominated proceedings. Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Erin Cuthbert also got on the scoresheet.

Chelsea had endured a frustrating start to their Champions League challenge, the only trophy to elude their grasp. A 1-1 draw against Twente last week in Enschede had added a bit of pressure on this encounter at Stamford Bridge with sterner opposition to come.

There was no reason for Chelsea not to be full of confidence ahead of this encounter. They had returned to winning ways against Tottenham at the weekend and remain unbeaten in all competitions. There has, however, been a trend of wasted opportunities that has been causing some consternation.

The lack of attacking cohesion has not been helped by Bompastor’s tinkering of personnel and systems. There were just two changes from the weekend with Baltimore returning from a knock and Sjoeke Nüsken replacing the missing Ellie Carpenter.

Paris FC had suffered an equally irritating opening to their league phase, surrendering a 2-0 lead to the newcomers OH Leuven. Sandrine Soubeyrand welcomed back the goalkeeper Mylène Chavas after a spell out with concussion while Maëlle Garbino and Anaële Le Moguédec came into the starting lineup.

It promised to be an intriguing matchup between two managers who are very well acquainted. Bompastor and Soubeyrand played for France together for over a decade while also meeting many times as managers in the Première Ligue.

Chelsea dominated proceedings from the start, having more of the ball and creating more chances than their opponents. The urgency to score early was clear and led to a series of snatched opportunities where patience was needed. Nüsken and Cuthbert had efforts from distance while Aggie Beever-Jones scuffed two gilt-edged opportunities.

Erin Cuthbert toes in Chelsea’s fourth in the second half. Photograph: John Walton/PA

The hosts’ pressure eventually told, however, when Nüsken went down in the box with half an hour played. The offence from Le Moguédec was not initially spotted by the referee, Michalina Diakow, but after a brief trip to the VAR monitor, she duly pointed to the spot. Baltimore stepped up to convert for the second week in a row.

Chelsea consolidated their advantage just before the break when Thompson, whose speed had been causing problems all half, broke forward. A clever turn saw her find space to stand up a cross for Rytting Kaneryd to loop a header home. The winger looked slightly bemused that it had ended up in the back of the net, celebrating with an expression that said she is not particularly used to scoring with her head.

Chelsea did not let their foot off the gas and extended their lead immediately after the break. A well-worked move saw Keira Walsh cut a low ball across the box for Thompson to turn home. It was a first goal for the 20-year-old American in her new home, having arrived as the headline signing from Angel City this summer.

They added a fourth after a series of substitutions injected yet more energy into the game. Sam Kerr thought she had claimed her first Champions League goal since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury only for it to be awarded to Cuthbert who somewhat inadvertently got a touch on the line.

As the game drew to a close, there was still time for the Cobham academy product and England youth international Lexi Potter to make her debut. It was a much-needed comfortable victory for Chelsea and an important three points on the board. They will face St Pölten in Austria next in November.