Chelsea Women have an important pre-season friendly against Aston Villa at Kingsmeadow in a week’s time, following a morale-boosting comeback win in Scotland as part of their warm-up.
Pernille Harder netted twice against Rangers in Glasgow, once from the spot, after the Scottish women had taken the lead, but second-half goals for Beth England and young sub Emma Thompson (obviously taking a break from Hollywood starring roles) made it a comfortable win.
Last week’s match was an emotional return to her original club for Erin Cuthbert, who struck the post with a fine left-foot strike.
Sam Kerr nearly scored on the night... but not that one. With Chelsea’s Aussie star still not back to full action after her Olympic exploits in Japan, it was left to Rangers Women’s own namesake 22-year-old midfielder to have a crack at goal.
Mind you, Chelsea plays for Rangers. The team’s No18 is Chelsea Cornet, surely a name worth blowing a trumpet for.
The match was a useful loosener for the Blues as they shape up for a tricky away opener against Arsenal Women in early September; a game which is being held on the big stage of the Emirates men’s pitch, where a large crowd is anticipated.
Chelsea’s upbeat stars are bidding for the 'double treble' this season, having lifted both the league trophy and League Cup trophy for two successive years.
But Emma Hayes’ targets also include the Champions League, having reached the final in the spring.
Kingsmeadow will be welcoming fans back next month, though with some Covid restrictions still in place. Goals seem guaranteed. Last season Chelsea scored 69, with just 10 in reply. It’s a measure of just how far the team has come in a decade. In 2011 Chelsea scored 14 times (opponents netted 19), with the Blues’ top scorer managing just two, compared to Kerr’s most recent 21.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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