Sam Kerr scores a stunning 25-minute hat-trick to lead Chelsea to a decisive Champions League victory.
Chelsea won 4-1 against Paris FC, thanks to Sam Kerr’s hat-trick, to earn their first UEFA Women’s Champions League victory of the season.
At halftime, the result appeared to be in doubt after the visitors stunned Emma Hayes’ side with an equalizer from defender Thea Greboval’s header, wiping out the lead given to last year’s semi-finalists when Matildas superstar Kerr turned in Lauren James’ cross.
Kerr was isolated for long stretches, particularly in the first half, but she still managed to score three goals against Paris, who had fellow Australian Sarah Hunter on the bench.
“The number nine in most teams must stay alert and prepared. That’s what I try to do in every game,” Kerr said.
Kerr, who has been working her way back to full fitness after missing the FIFA Women’s World Cup due to injury, added, “I just need to keep building.” I’m almost there, but not quite.”
Chelsea began unusually subdued, allowing Paris to have the better of the first 20 minutes, though neither side created many chances.
The first opportunity fell to James as a result of a blunder by Greboval in the back for Paris. The defender played a careless, aimless pass out from the box straight to Erin Cuthbert, whose quick ball forward was dummied by Kerr and allowed to run on to James.
Chelsea’s hat-trick hero last time out against Liverpool opened up her right foot and skewed horribly wide of the post with the goal at her mercy.
Nonetheless, the England winger quickly made amends. Jess Carter worked the ball to her wide on the left on the half-hour mark, and she carried it inside and delivered a curling cross that pitched perfectly between goalkeeper and defender for Kerr to lunge in and prod her side in front.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd missed a golden opportunity to double the lead when she nipped in behind and was brilliantly denied at close range by Chiamaka Nnadozie in the visitors’ goal.
Chelsea’s lead was quickly erased, and the equalizer was easily worked. Gaetane Thiney’s right-wing corner was swept over for Paris, and Greboval rose highest above the grounded Cuthbert from 12 yards, her header looping into the air and over the head of Carter, whose goalline intervention only helped the ball into the roof of the net.
In the first minute of the second half, Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger saved her team by flying out at the feet of Mathilde Bourdieu after she had stepped inside Kadeisha Buchanan to create space to shoot.
It turned out to be the game-changing moment. Chelsea’s lead was restored within two minutes, and it was started by substitute Fran Kirby.
She looked up after picking up the ball wide on the right and feeding the charging Rytting Kaneryd bursting forward from midfield. Kerr made it 2-1 with a poacher’s finish after her low cross into the six-yard box eluded the defender by a millimetre.
Kerr’s hat-trick was her second in the Champions League and first since scoring four goals in a game in October last year, with Berger’s long, searching kick requiring only two touches from the Australian before she hoisted the ball high over Nnadozie, who may have misjudged its flight as she attempted to paw it out from underneath the crossbar.
From there, Paris battled valiantly and could have pulled one back late had Berger not been alert enough to flip a high shot over the bar with her fingertips.
Chelsea, on the other hand, demonstrated her superiority. With victory assured, Ingle slid the ball home unmarked from a corner at the death, kicking off their bid to send departing manager Hayes out with a Champions League medal.
“I felt we lacked a player closer to Sam Kerr so I brought on Fran Kerby at half-time,” Chelsea manager Hayes said after the game.
“I thought that was really effective. Fran’s bit of quality was just what we needed.”
