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 the 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 opening game with a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old United States international set up Chelsea’s second with a cross to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s looping header and scored the third with a tap at the back post to get off the mark for his new club with his first Champions League goal.
Sandy Baltimore had opened the scoring from the penalty spot after half an hour thanks to the intervention of VAR, who recommended a review on the pitch after Sjoeke Nusken’s foot was stepped on inside the box.
Baltimore opened the scoring for Chelsea from the penalty spot
Chelsea had struggled in front of goal until Aggie Beever-Jones twice grabbed 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 when she tapped 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 miserable fourth through Erin Cuthbert after a horrendous misjudgment by Paris FC goalkeeper Mylene Chavas on a corner led to a goal-swinging goal.
Erin Cuthbert completed the scoring for Chelsea
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 from Cuthbert.
Chelsea shrugged off the setback of their opening game draw to deliver a resounding victory that moves them up to fourth in the Champions League standings.
Bompastor praises Thompson but says the best is yet to come
Thompson celebrates his first Chelsea goal
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 on one. She can go inside, outside, it’s really hard 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 like she did tonight.
“I’m happy for her because she’s worked hard and just the fact that she was able to score the goal, for a winger or a striker, that’s important for 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 comes from abroad – she speaks the language, which helps – but it’s a new environment, a new club, and she has to learn to connect with the players on the pitch.
“Hopefully we’ll see an even better version of Alyssa soon.”
Bright: We got our mojo back
Chelsea captain Millie Bright speaks to ESPN:
“In the Champions League you have to hit the ground running. Our first game we were definitely not happy with the performance or the result. I think for us and our standards and our ambitions, it has to be better.
“But we had a good bounce against Tottenham. Early in the season it’s all about getting points and just getting that momentum a bit and finding our rhythm. But I think tonight we definitely got our mojo back.
“The whole game was good, but especially the last 20 minutes. 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 speaks to ESPN:
“Today we faced a really good team. They are one of the best teams and they are playing for the title. So of course it was 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. It’s something we have to work on. Hopefully we can improve for the rest of the season.”