Chelsea produced a commanding Champions League performance at Stamford Bridge, sweeping aside Paris FC 4–0 in a display defined by control, milestones, and squad depth. On a chilly midweek evening, with attendance affected by an 8pm kick-off, Chelsea ensured the football did the talking.
The game began with early intent. Erin Cuthbert tested the keeper inside six minutes, while Alyssa Thompson starting in a central role rotated fluidly with Aggie Beever-Jones. Chelsea carved out chance after chance, with Beever-Jones heavily involved but unable to convert three early opportunities, including one where Anaele Le Mouédec’s loose handling nearly presented an opener.
Controversy arrived in the 31st minute after minimal contact from Le Mouédec on Sjoeke Nüsken led to a VAR-awarded penalty. Paris FC protested, but Sandy Baltimore stepped up and calmly dispatched her spot-kick her second Champions League penalty this season. “We kept our focus,” said manager Sonia Bompastor. “Decisions will come and go, but our response was professional.”
Chelsea’s momentum grew. Eight minutes later, Alyssa Thompson burst down the right and delivered a precise cross for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who rose to steer a powerful header into the top corner her first Champions League goal for the club. “I’ve been waiting for that one,” she said. “I saw it all the way and just attacked it. A special moment.”
Chelsea nearly added a third before the break, with Beever-Jones glancing a header onto the crossbar. By half-time, the numbers told the story: 12 attempts, 69% possession, Paris FC without a single shot on target.
Two minutes into the restart, Chelsea struck again. A delivery slid through Beever-Jones’ legs and fell perfectly to Thompson at the back post, who tapped in her first Chelsea goal. “I just went where the ball was going,” Thompson told club media. “Striker’s instinct.”
Triple substitutions followed on 56 minutes, with Thompson, Rytting Kaneryd and Beever-Jones replaced by Sam Kerr, Maika Hamano and Guro Reiten. Lucy Bronze then made her Stamford Bridge return on the hour, replacing Wieke Kaptein. Ellie Carpenter was absent from the squad, managed cautiously after tightness in training. “We’re protecting key players,” Bompastor explained. “This season is long we won’t risk injuries.”
Chelsea’s fourth came from chaos in the box. A Sandy Baltimore corner was fumbled by the keeper; Sam Kerr challenged, but it was Erin Cuthbert who stretched to force it home. Kerr almost added another moments later, lobbing the keeper only to land the effort on the roof of the net a reminder of her hat-trick against the same opposition last season.
Teenage midfielder Lexie Potter was then introduced, marking her European home debut, another signal of trust in Chelsea’s next generation.
Guro Reiten, lively from the bench, drove from halfway and forced a fingertip save before seeing another effort blocked by a last-ditch challenge. “We got our edge back tonight,” Cuthbert reflected. “That was Chelsea aggressive, fearless, relentless.”
Bompastor concluded: “We were ruthless, but still not at our best. That’s a good sign. The hunger is there.”
With Barcelona ahead in the group, this was exactly what Chelsea needed: composure, identity, and momentum restored.
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