When is a goal worth a little bit more? We sat down with Chelsea’s Alyssa Thompson to discover the reasons behind her celebration away at Arsenal, one that will live long in the memories of our fans.
Thompson joined Chelsea on deadline day in the summer, having made up her mind to move over 5,000 miles from her family home in Los Angeles at the age of 20. Everything she had ever known had changed, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from her early performances on the pitch.
Her lightning pace immediately caused opposition defences problems, but it was on the biggest stage in early November when she really announced herself as one of the Women’s Super League’s most talented players.
Thompson had celebrated her 21st birthday just one day before our London derby fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and her family had made the long flight across the Atlantic to mark the occasion.
Many young players would’ve been overawed by the 56,000-strong crowd, but instead, our talented forward stepped up to perform – scoring with a fantastic strike with only nine minutes on the clock.
‘Arsenal are obviously really good as opponents, so before the game I was pretty nervous and didn't expect to score at all,' she said. 'So, when I did score, I was so happy and shocked. It was my first goal for Chelsea in the WSL.
‘I was just so excited and happy to score for the team. The atmosphere was amazing. It was so cool, and my mom was there with my aunt and uncle, so it was really nice to be able to score while they were with me and celebrate that, too.
‘They were just so proud of me. They were so happy that they could make the game, to be there and witness it. It was the day after my birthday, so it was a special moment overall.’
When Thompson netted at Arsenal, time seemed to stand still for a second before a roar erupted from the travelling supporters. And she explained how the goal was a watershed moment in her Chelsea career, one that was marked by her visceral celebrations.
‘When everyone ran around me, I just felt like a sense of belonging and a part of the team that I didn't feel before,’ the American continued. ‘I think it was just feeling like… OK, I'm here now. I'm a part of Chelsea.
‘I remember, in the moment, all of them coming over, hugging me, yelling, and being so excited for me. I feel like that made me even more excited.’
Alessia Russo’s 87th-minute equaliser meant we left north London with only a point, and when we return to the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League quarter-final tonight, Thompson wants to put that right.
‘I feel like the game ended on a rough note, so that part was hard,’ she continued. ‘We have unfinished business with Arsenal for sure, and the team is super motivated.
‘We want to do better than we did before, and I think we can only go up from our last performance. We've been training very hard and have a lot of confidence in each other, and a lot of belief, too.
‘It's going to be a different team when we come and play them this time, and hopefully, we will be able to get a good result.’
[**_A huge UWCL quarter-final second-leg awaits as CFCW take on rivals Arsenal at the Bridge. The stakes have never been higher. Make sure you’re there and back the Blues in this important knock-out fixture!_**](https://www.eticketing.co.uk/chelseafc/EDP/Event/Index/275?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=webarticles&utm_campaign=2526cfcw_uwclqf_webarticle&position=5)