Chelsea 5-1 Liverpool: 3 takeaways as James lights up the Bridge

1. Lauren James is the queen of Stamford Bridge

Some call it the Bridge. Others call it James’ second home. Each time she has stepped foot on this ground, she finds more than just one way to captivate the entire crowd. No. 10 is the kind of player you hope to create in a video game. When you create your player on FIFA or now EA Sports FC 24, you only can dream they have the ceiling James has at the moment.

The 22-year-old has nearly every trick imaginable in her bag. Name it, she has it. Score from a ridiculous angle with her left foot? Fire in a pinpoint cross with the same foot? James had it all working on Saturday.

It even could be said that the Reds’ didn’t even see the entire bag the London native owns. That thing is deep. Like really deep. When she signed a four-year deal in 2021, critics pointed to her lack of ruthlessness in front of goal. That opinion has been trashed. It has been for quite a long time.

You can tell she lives for games like these. In the last five contests at Stamford Bridge, the English international has contributed to eight total goals. That is counting the penalty which she created in the final minutes against Lyon last season.

Boy, does she love Chelsea too. It’s a beautiful thing to see. Lock in. There is much more of where that came from. She’ll be wearing that “magic hat” while donning dark blue for the foreseeable future.

Mid-week action in the UEFA Women’s Champions League is once again up next. The giant slayers, Paris FC travel to the Bridge to take on Chelsea Women on Thursday night.