3 Takeaways from Chelsea Women’s victory over Brighton

Melanie Leupolz showed class during her 80 minutes on the pitch.

In her first start since December of 2021, the German midfielder inspired a load of women with her performance. It was almost impossible not to smile seeing her back controlling the defensive midfield in a starting capacity.

Just a few months ago, Leupolz gave birth to her first child. The dedication the German has shown to getting back to the pitch was extraordinary. If women want to have a family and play professional football, they can do it. Leupolz is paving the way for future women to live their dream while still being able to raise a child at the same time.

Just a year and a day after the German announced her pregnancy, Leupolz bossed the middle of the pitch in 80 strong minutes.

80 minutes is quite a lot for a player that is still getting back into the swing of things. Despite that, she provided stability in the midfield

which was lacking over the weekend. She completed over 88 percent of her passes, behind only two defenders and the goalkeeper for the team lead while she won more challenges than any other Blue on Wednesday night.

As the season continues to roll on, Leupolz is going to be a key piece to the midfield, providing that essential depth in order to compete in the final three competitions. There are still moments of rust at times, but for a player that has not started a football match in over a year, she was extremely composed.

Hopefully, this is just the start of the many starting XI appearances coming up in the final few months of the season. On International Women’s Day, Leupolz demonstrated just how strong women truly are.