Matildas star Sam Kerr impresses again for Chelsea in WSL after starting as sub
Topic:Soccer
10m ago10 minutes agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 10:52pm
GettyImages-2251349400
Sam Kerr came off the bench again for Chelsea, making an immediate impact when she was inserted into the game. (Getty Images: Harry Murphy)
In short:
Sam Kerr started on the bench again for Chelsea as her recovery from a knee injury continues.
The Matildas star made an immediate impact once she came on, leading her team to a 3-0 victory.
What's next?
Chelsea remains six points adrift of league leaders Manchester City heading into the season break.
Sam Kerr has shown it's time for her to be restored to her customary starting role as Chelsea's top striker as she came off the bench to dominate Brighton and help the English champions to a 3-0 win away.
It's now two years since the Matildas great started a Women's Super League match for the Blues after she was left to warm the bench again by Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor.
But the way she helped reinvigorate Chelsea in the second half at Brighton's Broadfield Stadium demonstrated that Bompastor must surely employ the 32-year-old more after the winter break if they're to win the league for the seventh successive season.
They go into the break six points adrift of leaders Manchester City, who beat Aston Villa 6-1 with four goals from Jamaican star Khadija Shaw.
Without Kerr on the field, the stuttering champs again looked toothless up front in the first 45 minutes, with only a remarkable solo run and shot from French fullback Sandy Baltimore just before the break giving them a halftime lead.
Once Kerr and Wieke Kaptein had been brought on for the second half, though, Chelsea looked a different team up front, with the Matildas star bringing more of a robust physical presence and directness than Aggie Beever-Jones.
The only frustration for Kerr once again was that she didn't end up on the scoresheet herself, having had one rasping shot and a superb diving header kept out by Brighton's busy keeper Sophie Baggaley.
Kerr's now scored just four goals in 16 matches for club and country since her comeback in September from the ACL injury that kept her out for so long. In 11 of those matches, though, Kerr has been a substitute.
Elsewhere in the WSL West Ham's Australian captain Katrina Gorry was left ruing a missed late chance, which could have given her side victory in the foot-of-the-table clash against Liverpool. It ended 2-2 with Liverpool still bottom on three points and the Hammers a place above on five.
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Posted10m ago10 minutes agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 10:52pm
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