Sam Kerr was at her magical finest to attain a fantastic hat-trick as Chelsea noticed off Paris FC 4-1 at Stamford Bridge within the Girls’s Champions League.
Blues boss Emma Hayes praised the Australian’s efficiency regardless of her being “80 per cent match” as she continues to return to full health after lacking many of the World Cup with damage.
“I fancied her to attain a hat-trick tonight,” mentioned Hayes in her post-match press convention. “I mentioned it within the dressing room earlier than the sport. She would not get credit score for all the opposite little bits she does.
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Emma Hayes praised Kerr’s efficiency in opposition to Paris FC regardless of not being absolutely match
“By her requirements she’s not on high, high [fitness] but, however I do not know anybody who places the ball away like she does. She’s so alert and decisive along with her motion. Sensible centre-forward play.
“If that is her at 80 per cent, I will take that. That is not unhealthy. I can not await the 100 per cent to return.”
Chelsea weren’t at all times as spectacular because the scoreline urged however Kerr was in unstoppable kind, and notched the Thirtieth-minute opener from a superbly timed run to fulfill Lauren James’ inviting cross.
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Kerr fired Chelsea into the lead in opposition to Paris FC on the half-hour with a fantastic end
The Blues’ lead lasted solely eight minutes and Paris FC’s equaliser owed loads to the hosts’ personal poor defending. A nook was met by Thea Greboval 12 yards out, with Ann-Katrin Berger caught out from her looping header and Jess Carter unable to maintain it out on the road.
Hayes despatched her facet again out early after half-time and no matter she mentioned on the interval had the specified impact. Johanna Kaneryd burst into the field with a driving run earlier than squaring for an off-balance Kerr, who wasn’t going to let that cease her notching her second of the evening (48).
Two quickly turned three for the sparking Australian, along with her hat-trick strike the decide of the bunch. An outstanding 20-yard lob left the out-of-position Chiamaka Nnadozie feeling simply as silly as her reverse quantity when the back-peddling goalkeeper may solely palm her effort into her personal internet (55).
Paris huffed of their search of a comeback however by no means seemed prone to dent Chelsea’s two-goal lead, which then turned three in added time when substitute Sophie Ingle completed off a nook to seal a complete win.
Chelsea scores
Chelsea: Berger (5), Lawrence (7), Buchanan (5), Carter (6), Kaneryd (8), Nusken (6), Cuthbert (6), Charles (6), James (8), Fleming (6), Kerr (9).
Subs: Kirby (7), Ingle (7), Fishel (6), Perisset (6), Mjelde (n/a).
Participant of the match: Sam Kerr.
How in-Kerr-edible Sam sees Chelsea to victory
Chelsea inevitably nonetheless had a way of injustice on their minds from final week’s Champions League attract Actual Madrid, however confirmed no signal of searching for retribution in a gap dominated by the guests.
The momentum the French facet had been constructing was punctured right away by Kerr, although, when the sharpshooter ghosted in behind Greboval and supplied the right end to James’ very good curling supply from deep on the left.
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Chelsea by no means seemed again after Kerr’s second three minutes into the second interval
That ought to have been Chelsea’s wake-up name. It wasn’t. As an alternative, Paris defender Greboval made up for her error for the opener with a aim of her personal, looping a header from 12 yards out over the hapless Berger.
The Blues lastly did start to point out their class from the beginning of the second interval, and restored their lead three minutes after the interval when Kaneryd confirmed spectacular consciousness to lookup and spot Kerr on the finish of a strong run, discovering her captain with a sq. ball she was by no means going to move up.
From there on, the hosts had been in full management. Kerr added her third solely seven minutes later, finally latching onto Berger’s lengthy ball to carry a lob over Nnadozie, who ought to nonetheless have recovered to maintain out what as an alternative can be come her hat-trick strike.
Paris FC by no means seemed prone to mount a significant comeback and as an alternative history-maker Ingle, launched from the bench late on, swept residence a fourth in added time to supply some extra sparkle to Kerr’s magic and transfer Chelsea three factors away from third place in Group D.
Hayes: We dug in regardless of trying leggy
Chelsea supervisor Emma Hayes to DAZN:
“To start with, you know the way arduous it’s to play back-to-back-to-back. I did not assume we seemed tremendous recent. I felt like we lacked a participant nearer to Sam Kerr within the first half so I introduced on Fran Kirby and I felt that labored very well. Fran’s little little bit of high quality gave us what we would have liked.
“I assumed we seemed leggy usually. It was a quiet altering room at half-time. Credit score to my group, they dug in regardless of us trying sloppy at instances. They’re a superb group, do not take something away from them. To attain 4 objectives, and dig in, that’s the reason I used to be impressed with my group.
“I did not really feel involved. I simply knew at half-time if I may modify a couple of issues and get some management within the central pocket, I at all times really feel like there’s objectives in us. It was only a evening the place we would have liked to dig slightly bit deep.”
What’s subsequent?
Chelsea return to Girls’s Tremendous League motion on Sunday as they host Leicester Metropolis on the Kingsmeadow Stadium. Their subsequent Champions League group sport is on Thursday December 14 at residence to BK Hacken.