Chelsea FC Women recently participated in matches across the Women's FA Cup, the Women's Super League (WSL), and the UEFA Women's Champions League. Forward Sam Kerr, following her return from an ACL injury in September, contributed with goals and assists across these competitions.
The team advanced in the FA Cup, secured a WSL victory, and exited the Champions League quarterfinals.
Kerr's return saw her contribute significantly, scoring goals and providing assists across all three competitions.
Women's FA Cup Fifth Round Progression
Chelsea defeated WSL2 side Crystal Palace 5-0 in the Women's FA Cup fifth round on a Saturday.
Sam Kerr scored two goals during the match, marking her first goals in the Women's FA Cup since the 2023 final. Her first goal, in the 22nd minute, made the score 2-0. Her second, a header assisted by Guro Reiten, occurred six minutes after halftime. Kerr was awarded player of the match.
Manager Sonia Bompastor substituted Kerr just after the hour mark, replacing her with Ellie Carpenter. Other goal scorers for Chelsea included Millie Bright in the 13th minute, Guro Reiten from a penalty before the half-hour mark, and Alyssa Thompson with the fifth goal in the 70th minute.
Following this match, Kerr's season's tally reached nine goals. She had previously scored five goals across three Women's FA Cup final victories. Prior to the match, Kerr stated in a club website interview that she had scored or assisted in previous games before Christmas and felt "getting better and better" with increased playing time, noting she felt like herself during the Wolfsburg and Liverpool games.
Women's Super League Victory
Chelsea secured a 4-3 victory against Aston Villa in the Women's Super League.
Sam Kerr scored a first-half goal and provided an assist for the late winning goal scored by Sjoeke Nüsken. The play leading to the winning goal was initiated by Australia teammate Ellie Carpenter. This result contributed to Chelsea's pursuit of Champions League qualification.
The match saw Aston Villa take an initial lead through Chasity Grant. Kerr then equalized in the 20th minute from a pass by Nüsken. Chelsea subsequently took the lead with goals from Naomi Girma and Lauren James. Kirsty Hanson of Aston Villa scored two goals in quick succession, leveling the score at 3-3 by halftime.
In the 82nd minute, Carpenter intercepted the ball in midfield, passed to Kerr, who then set up Nüsken for the decisive goal.
This was Kerr's second start of the season following her return from injury, having previously made 13 appearances off the bench. She registered her third WSL goal of the season and her 11th across all competitions. Coach Sonia Bompastor commented on the importance of the win for securing Champions League positions.
The victory moved Chelsea to second place in the WSL standings with 40 points, nine points behind leaders Manchester City, with three matches remaining. Arsenal was in third place with 38 points and two games in hand.
UEFA Women's Champions League Exit
Chelsea exited the UEFA Women's Champions League at the quarterfinal stage despite a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate score across both legs. Sam Kerr of Chelsea provided an assist for Sjoeke Nüsken's goal in the 94th minute of the second leg. Matildas players Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord were part of the Arsenal squad, while Kerr and Ellie Carpenter featured for Chelsea.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor received two yellow cards and was sent off late in the match following protests regarding a non-penalty decision involving Arsenal's Katie McCabe and Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson.
During the match, Chelsea initially set a fast pace, but Arsenal disrupted their rhythm, resulting in no shots on target for Chelsea in the first half. Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius had a goal disallowed in the 80th minute after a VAR review for offside. Chelsea later created opportunities, with Veerle Buurman hitting the post and Nüsken having a shot saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar before scoring.
Other Quarterfinal Results
In other quarterfinal matches, Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United 2-1, securing a 5-3 aggregate victory to advance to the semifinals. Bayern Munich is scheduled to face Barcelona, who held a 6-2 lead over Real Madrid after their first-leg match.