Club-record signing Alyssa Thompson opened her Chelsea account in a 4-0 thrashing of Paris FC as Sonia Bompastor’s side claimed their first Champions League win of the season.
Thompson, signed from NWSL’s Angel City for around £1m on Deadline Day, was one of the bright sparks for Chelsea as they responded to a disappointing draw at FC Twente in their opener with a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old USA international set up Chelsea’s second with a cross for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s looping header and scored the third with a tap-in at the back post to get off the mark for her new club with her first Champions League goal.
Sandy Baltimore had opened the scoring from the penalty spot after half an hour thanks to the intervention of VAR which recommended an on-field review after Sjoeke Nusken’s foot was trodden on inside the box.
Chelsea had struggled in front of goal up to that point, with Aggie Beever-Jones twice snatching at the ball in the box, but they relaxed after the first went in and Rytting Kaneryd’s header doubled their lead six minutes before the break.
Thompson’s goal came 90 seconds after the restart as she poked in at the back post from Keira Walsh’s cross to effectively put the game out of reach for the French side.
Chelsea scored a scrappy fourth through Erin Cuthbert after a horrible misjudgement from Paris FC goalkeeper Mylene Chavas at a corner led to a goalmouth scramble.
There was some confusion when substitute Sam Kerr was initially awarded the fourth, but replays showed her effort had been cleared off the line before the ball eventually went in off Cuthbert.
Chelsea shrugged off the setback of their opening-game draw and delivered a resounding win that moves them up to fourth in the Champions League standings.
Bompastor praises Thompson but says best is yet to come
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor:
“Alyssa Thompson brings a lot of speed up front and is comfortable on the ball. She takes risks and attacks the defender one vs one. She can go inside, outside, it is really difficult to defend against her.
“She can bring a lot of crosses when she goes outside but when the ball is on the opposite side she can score, as she did tonight.
“I am glad for her because she has been working hard and just the fact she was able to score the goal, for a winger or a forward, it is important for the confidence. She has an engine and a desire to help the team in and out of possession.
“Young player but a lot of talent. We haven’t seen the best of her yet, but we will soon. She is coming from abroad – she speaks the language, which helps – but it is a new environment, new club and she needs to learn to connect with the players on the pitch.
“Hopefully, soon we will see an even better version of Alyssa.”
Bright: We’ve got our mojo back
Chelsea captain Millie Bright speaking to ESPN:
“In the Champions League, you need to hit the ground running. Our first game, we definitely weren’t happy with the performance or result. I think for us and our standards and our ambitions, it needs to be better.
“But we had a good bounce back against Tottenham. Early on in the season, it’s about getting points and just getting that momentum a little bit and finding our rhythm. But I think tonight we definitely got our mojo back.
“The whole game was good but especially that last 20 minutes. The one-touch play and connections all-round. It was a really good way to end the block [of games] and send the girls off on international duty.”
Paris FC faced ‘one of the best’ at Stamford Bridge
Paris FC’s Daphne Corboz speaking to ESPN:
“Today we faced a really good team. They are one of the best teams, and they are playing for the title. So it was obviously difficult. They made us run a lot.
“The problem is that when you work so hard defensively, it’s really hard to be available on the ball. That’s something we need to work on. Hopefully, we can improve for the rest of the season.”
