Club record signing Alyssa Thompson opened her Chelsea account in the 4-0 thrashing of Paris FC as Sonia Bompastor’s side claimed their first Champions League win of the season.
Signed from NWSL side Angel City for around £1m on deadline day, Thompson was one of Chelsea’s bright sparks as they were held to a disappointing draw by FC Twente in their opening match with a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old United States international scored Chelsea’s second goal with a cross from Johanna Lütting Canerid’s header, and the third with a tap-in at the back post to score her first Champions League goal for her new club.
Sandy Baltimore and Alyssa Thompson congratulate Chelsea on their win over Paris FC.
Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 30 minutes thanks to the intervention of VAR, who recommended an on-field review after Schoeke Nusken’s foot stepped inside the box.
Baltimore opened the scoring for Chelsea from the penalty spot.
Chelsea had struggled in front of goal up to that point, with Aggie Beever-Jones twice snagging the ball in the box, but they relaxed after the first goal and doubled their lead six minutes before half-time through Rytting Kaneryd’s header.
Thompson’s goal came just 90 seconds after the restart when she poked Keira Walsh’s cross into the back post, effectively putting the goal out of the French team’s reach.
Chelsea scored a bumbling fourth through Erin Cuthbert after a terrible lapse in judgment from Paris FC goalkeeper Mylene Chavas from a corner left the goal in contention.
Erin Cuthbert finished the scoring for Chelsea.
There was some confusion when substitute Sam Kerr initially scored a fourth, but replays showed her effort eventually went off the line before the ball was hit by Cuthbert.
Chelsea overcame the frustration of an opening draw and achieved a surprising victory to move up to fourth place in the Champions League standings.
Bompastor praised Thompson but said the best is yet to come.
Thompson celebrates Chelsea’s first goal.
After the game, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said:
“Alyssa Thompson brings great speed up front and is comfortable on the ball. She takes risks and attacks defenders one-on-one. She can go inside, outside and it’s really difficult to guard her.
“She can bring in a lot of crosses when she goes out, but she can also score when the ball is on the other side, like she did tonight.”
“I’m delighted she’s working hard. Knowing she can score goals whether as a winger or a forward is important for her confidence. She has the engine and desire to help the team in and out of possession.”
“She’s a young player, but she has a lot of talent. We haven’t seen the best of her yet, but we will soon. She’s from abroad. She speaks the language, which helps, but it’s a new environment, a new club, so she has to learn how to communicate with the players on the pitch.
“Soon we will see a better version of Alyssa.”
Bright: We are rejuvenated
Chelsea captain Millie Bright told ESPN:
“In the Champions League you need to get off to a good start. In the first game we were obviously not satisfied with the performance or the result. Considering who we are, our standards and our ambitions, I think we need to do better.
“But we bounced back well against Tottenham. At the start of the season it was important to get a point and get some of that momentum and find our rhythm. But tonight we definitely felt rejuvenated.
“The whole game was good, but especially the last 20 minutes. We had one-touch play and connections all around. It was a really good way to end the block (of the game) and send the girls off on international duty.”
Paris FC faced ‘one of the best’ at Stamford Bridge
Paris FC’s Daphne Corboz told ESPN:
“Today we faced a really good team. They are one of the best teams, playing for the title, so of course it was difficult. They made us run a lot.”
“The problem is that if you work too hard defensively it’s really difficult to keep the ball. That’s something we need to work on. Hopefully we can improve over the rest of the season.”
