On the 11th day of December, we asked our No.11 Guro Reiten to pick out some of her favourite Chelsea finishes after she surpassed the 50-goal mark earlier this season.
The Norwegian international netted her 50th goal for the club in a UEFA Champions League win against FC Twente in October. She has since surpassed the half-century mark and is currently our top scorer this season with eight across all competitions.
We recently sat down with Guro at Cobham to celebrate her achievement by discussing some of her favourite goals in Chelsea blue…
West Ham 2019/20 - League Cup
Reiten’s first goal for the club stands out to her not only for the quality of the finish, but also because of the sentimental value.
It did not take long to open her account. She scored her first goal for the club three games into her debut season as the Blues beat West Ham 2-0 in the League Cup.
‘My first goal – it was straight from the corner,’ Reiten explains. ‘I remember that because it was the first game my mum and dad came over to watch me play for Chelsea and I scored my first goal.
‘I remember how proud they were in the stands, so that was a good day for me. It was really nice to get that first goal and to get started.’
Reading 2019/20 - WSL
Her first season for the Blues saw a return of seven goals across all competitions. And another memorable effort from that campaign arrived in a 3-1 home victory over Reading.
In what was her maiden appearance for Chelsea, Sam Kerr saw a strike saved by the visiting goalkeeper and it was Reiten who found the back of the net on the rebound for our second goal of the day - a superb lob from outside the box.
‘I really remember that volley against Reading,’ she adds. ‘Sam had a shot and it bounces back to me and I got to hit it right on the volley. That was a beautiful goal!
'I just had to hit it. You don’t have time to think. You just have to do it. It is one of those where you see it go in and you’re just like: "Oh, that’s genius!".’
Manchester United 2021/22 – WSL
Coming into the final day of the 2021/22 season, the Blues knew a win against Manchester United would secure the league title. It was not plain sailing though as they had to come from behind to do so.
Reiten scored our third that afternoon – the goal that put us ahead for the first time in the eventual 4-2 victory – and it was clear from her celebration how much the calm and collected finish meant to her.
‘I scored against Manchester United when we won the league at Kingsmeadow,’ Reiten says. ‘That’s the most memorable one.
‘I’ve never lost my head as much as when I scored that goal. I remember running to the fans and grabbing some of them because that was just the passion and the love. We won the league, so it was a great day.
‘It was a game we had to win. I remember they scored first and then it was 2-1 at half-time. We came out in the second half and just went for it. It was fun.
‘Sam scored some ridiculous goals in that game. Then my goal, it was just composure and making sure the ball went in.’
Lyon 2022/23 – Champions League
Reiten scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Lyon in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. It gave us a crucial lead going into the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, where the Blues prevailed on penalties to secure a place in the last four.
The move started with Erin Cuthbert. A delightful nutmeg helped our Scot bypass the Lyon midfield to then pick out Reiten with excellent vision and she hit a curling strike inside the far post.
‘This is the best goal I’ve ever scored with my right foot!’ Reiten adds. ‘And the most important one.
‘I remember Erin winning the ball and I screamed so loud. She didn’t have any other option than to play it to me. It was another one where I knew I just had to go for it. It was a very important goal. It helped us get through to the semi-final, so it was crucial.’
Bristol City 2023/24 – WSL
It would be difficult to talk to Reiten about her goal-scoring exploits without mentioning the four she scored in our final home game at Kingsmeadow last season.
An inspired display from the Norwegian helped Chelsea to an 8-0 win, which vitally bolstered our goal difference as we chased a fifth consecutive league title, a trophy we did go on to lift.
When asked which of the four goals – a penalty and three fantastic strikes – she enjoyed the most, Reiten found it somewhat impossible to just pick one.
‘All of those goals mattered,’ she answered. ‘We knew Arsenal had beaten Manchester City, and we knew we had to go for it because it could go down to goal difference.
‘To score four goals and eight in total, I don’t think anyone believed it! We’ve seen the videos of Emma [Hayes] shaking her head on the sidelines. But in those moments, I think we realised we were going to win the title again.;