Chelsea 2-0 West Ham: 3 standout players from bounce-back win

The Chelsea Women are like a Jack In a Box. Not the American fast-food restaurant, but that toy you used to play with as a kid with a clown one the inside and a crank on the outside. The music starts slowly, but eventually the item on the inside shows its true colors. Every campaign, that’s the road Emma Hayes side takes.

The club is still in that slow music phase. That’s clear. It may have not been the start Emma Hayes sought for her side following the Manchester City match, but the home winning streak keeps rolling.

Even without Mia Fishel, and Norwegian superstar Guro Reiten, the Blues netted a goal apiece in each half to extend the west Londoners’ winning run over West Ham United to 13 contests. Sam Kerr, who is still nursing a calf injury found the scoresheet for the first time this season, finding the back of the net for the 11th time in her last seven games against the Hammers. Some sweet link-up play between Sjoeke Nusken, Erin Cuthbert, and Jessie Fleming put the east London outfit’s hopes officially to bed just before stoppage time.

The lineup saw a little bit of a shake-up as Melanie Leupolz made her first start of the season alongside Sophie Ingle in the midfield. Hayes deployed what looked to be a back three with the star of the match Niamh Charles acting as left wing back and Ashley Lawrence beginning just behind Lauren James on the opposite flank.

There is just one more weekend of WSL football until the international break. Even with some less than impressive outings, the club is in a much better position compared to this time last year. That’s even without Catarina Macario. Imagine the American as the No. 10 with James and Reiten on the flanks and Kerr up top. That’s for future WSL opponents to think about. For now, the train keeps moving down the tracks with one October fixture left in west London.

3 standout players from Chelsea Women’s first triumph at Kingsmeadow this season

3. Jess Carter

Nobody knows how to string together solid displays between the lines better than Jess Carter right now. Sure, there are some top defenders on the men’s side, but nobody would disagree if you had the opinion that Carter was the best at the club.

What she lacks in pace, she makes up with pure grit, physicality, and intelligence. The English international led her side in tackles won, and total clearances this past weekend. Acting as one of the three center backs, No. 7 in blue helped her side collect the first of what hopes to be many clean sheets in the league this season.  To think the club tried to replace her a year ago is unthinkable. Carter has done nothing but carry over that momentum from the World Cup into October.

2. Melanie Leupolz

In her first start of the 2023/2024 season for the west Londoners’ the German midfielder was everywhere. Defensively, she was crucial, tying Carter for the team lead in total tackles. Going forward, she made runs and found her teammates between the lines consistently.

Melanie Leupolz had four more progressive passes than any player who stepped between the white lines this past weekend. There are few on the team right now that are as tidy on the ball than the former German international. There’s no panic when she receives the ball. You just know the decision she is going to make will be the correct one. Maybe she not 100 percent in the previous two games, but from what she showed on Saturday, Leupolz should be in the starting XI going forward. Her seven shot creating actions not only led all players, but it extends the German’s streak with at least five or more to three games in the WSL.

1. Niamh Charles

At this point, Niamh Charles deserves a nickname. The Waitress? We’re brainstorming here, but from what has transpired so far this campaign, there is nobody better at serving up a brilliant ball than the English international.

The Australian striker did not have to move in order to redirect the ball into the back of the net for the first breakthrough. In her last nine league contests for the Blues, Charles has two goals and five assists. There was nobody on the Hammers’ right side that could keep up with her. Charles was prolific in distribution, completing nearly 84 percent of her passes while progressively carrying the ball more than any Blue on Saturday evening. There is no excuse not to provide Charles with unconditional respect now. There still may be a rotation at wing back, but in a few months, Hayes will not have to hesitate once when selecting the contributor on the left side.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea Women are back at it this weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow.