Reigning Women’s Super League champions Chelsea kicked off their title defence with a gritty 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Friday night at Stamford Bridge.
The occasion was marked by the unveiling of £1 million signing Alyssa Thompson before kick-off and the return of Sam Kerr to the squad. On the pitch, Chelsea struck twice with clinical precision either side of the interval, securing manager Sonia Bompastor her 20th WSL win – the fastest any coach has reached that milestone in the league’s history.
Despite the win, the Blues were made to work for it. City, under new head coach Andrée Jeglertz, pressed aggressively and forced Niamh Charles into conceding a late own goal that set up a tense finale. Earlier, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw missed a string of chances, while Yui Hasegawa and Lily Murphy were both denied by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who delivered a flawless display.
Statistically, City had the upper hand with more shots on target and a stronger xG, restricting Chelsea to just eight attempts – their lowest tally since February 2021. But the champions made their moments count, with Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano finishing off two slick moves to secure the points.
City’s frustrations were compounded by late injuries to Alex Greenwood and Lily Murphy, leaving Jeglertz with further concerns after a spirited performance that arguably merited more.
Ellie Carpenter, making her Chelsea debut and providing the assist for Beever-Jones’ opener, highlighted the team’s relentless approach. She told Sky Sports:
“Everyone wants to beat Chelsea. Coming into this as a new environment, you can see that winning mentality from day one.
“That’s what is so lovely, everyone gives their all. The small things in training, everyone wants to win everything and that is transferred into the game.”
With their seventh straight league crown in sight, Chelsea’s pursuit of dominance is officially underway.
