No Chelsea player had ever scored in the Blues’ first four games of a Women’s Super League campaign – until Aggie Beever-Jones did exactly that on Sunday to set the defending champions on their way to a dominant 4-0 win that was certainly eventful. With records broken, plenty of goals scored and a stunning red card for Ines Belloumou, for pulling the hair of United States star Alyssa Thompson, those in attendance certainly got their money’s worth when it came to action – though it was the kind which only the away end could really enjoy.
It all started with just eight minutes on the clock, as Beever-Jones fired a quite brilliant free-kick into the top corner. Despite Chelsea being crowned WSL champions in each of the past six seasons, no one has ever started a campaign for the Blues in a manner as impressively consistent as the England star, as was confirmed with her record-breaking fourth in four in east London.
That set the tone for Chelsea, who were 2-0 up four minutes later when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd capitalised on some statuesque defending to tap in her first of the new season, and 3-0 up three minutes after that thanks to a powerful strike from Erin Cuthbert. Any hopes West Ham harboured of getting back into the game were then dashed by Belloumou’s needless sending off, which came as the clock was just ticking past the halfway point of the first period.
Chelsea’s relentlessness did desert them after that, giving the Hammers some welcome respite. However, that was only until the hour, when Sonia Bompastor turned to her bench for more ammunition. All of Catarina Macario, Sandy Baltimore, Guro Reiten, Sam Kerr and Maika Hamano would be introduced, and all of them helped pepper the home goal with crosses and shots. Were it not for the woodwork and some top saves from Kinga Szemik, the scoreline could’ve been much worse, though Wieke Kaptein was able to squeeze in just one more, thanks to a terrific cross from the lively Macario.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Victoria Road…