Following a scoreless draw in the other match in Group A, Chelsea had the opportunity to bring its lead at the top of the group to two points. Denise Reddy rotated a few of her mainstays in the starting IX, and in their return to Kingsmeadow, the Blues put on a firework display for the fans, netting an astounding eight goals, sending a message to the rest of the Champions League.
Sam Kerr found the back of the net four times through some quality link-up play with Guro Reiten. Reiten was a clear standout at Kingsmeadow as she was sensational all night in the role of the leading distributor on the left flank. Kerr and Pernille Harder combined as the two-headed monster on the scoreboard for the Blues, combining for seven out of the eight shots that found the back of the net.
The eight-goal triumph is the largest single-game margin of victory by CFC in the Champions League. Critics can say what they want about the quality of the competition, but at the end of the day, the Blues got the job done, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to six, collecting a clean sheet in three straight contests now.
Reddy had the chance to rest Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert for the first time this season, making sure the two players that contributed in the most minutes prior to Wednesday night are ready to go against Aston Villa during the weekend. Reddy also had the opportunity to give minutes to a recovering Fran Kirby, and the 21-year-old wing-back Alsu Abdullina who was able to notch her first minutes on the pitch for the Blues this season. Abdullina was even able to collect an assist to new signing Katerina Svitkova who slotted home the eighth and final goal of the contest.
Following the convincing win, Chelsea’s general manager, Paul Green expressed his thoughts on the beginning of this season’s Champions League campaign, stating
"“It was always going to be important to follow up last week’s result in Paris. We did that very convincingly. It puts us in a good position in the group but there’s still a long way to go as it’s only match week two. There’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure we go through to the latter stages…We have made a great start though.”"
Kerr had previously netted just one goal in all competitions and was looking to be out of form, but against the minnows from Albanian, the Australian was able to gain her confidence back which should bode well heading into two crucial Women’s Super League games coming up. She got back to the backflip, sending a signal to the WSL and the rest of Europe that her drought in front of the net is over for good.