Chelsea Women maintained their unbeaten Women’s Super League start with a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge.
Lexi Potter continued her rapid emergence by opening the scoring early in the first half before substitute Melvine Malard gave Sonia Bompastor’s side breathing room after the interval.
Chelsea created enough opportunities to settle the game far earlier, but Birmingham goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley produced several saves to keep the visitors within touching distance.
Malard eventually removed the danger with Chelsea’s second.
You can read how the contest unfolded in our Chelsea Women 2-0 Birmingham match report.
Here are our Chelsea Women player ratings.
Hannah Hampton – 7
A relatively quiet afternoon but did everything required.
Birmingham threatened more after the interval and Chelsea needed Hampton to remain alert as the visitors briefly pushed for an equaliser.
Another clean sheet.
Ellie Carpenter – 7.5
Provided relentless energy on the right.
Carpenter regularly gave Chelsea width when Birmingham dropped deep and continued making forward runs throughout.
Also recovered quickly during the visitors’ occasional counter-attacks.
Veerle Buurman – 7
A composed defensive display.
Birmingham rarely found space centrally in the first half and Buurman dealt well with the more difficult period after the interval.
Another useful appearance.
Kadeisha Buchanan – 7.5
Strong throughout.
Read danger well and provided Chelsea with the physical security required whenever Birmingham attempted to attack directly.
An assured performance.
Lucy Bronze – 7.5
Captained the side following the changes made by Bompastor.
Bronze offered leadership, defensive control and another attacking option from wide areas.
Rarely looked troubled.
Keira Walsh – 8
Controlled Chelsea’s possession.
Walsh repeatedly received the ball under pressure and moved Birmingham around with quick, intelligent distribution.
The midfielder dictated much of a dominant opening half and remained central to Chelsea’s control.
Wieke Kaptein – 7
A tidy and intelligent performance.
Found useful spaces between Birmingham’s midfield and defence and helped sustain Chelsea’s pressure.
Perhaps lacked the final attacking contribution to push her score higher.
Sjoeke Nüsken – 7.5
Very close to adding another goal after hitting the woodwork.
Continued making dangerous runs from midfield and offered plenty both with and without the ball.
One of Chelsea’s most active performers.
Lexi Potter – 8.5
Another huge step in her development.
Potter’s inclusion was one of the biggest calls in the confirmed Chelsea Women lineup, and she took only a few minutes to justify Bompastor’s faith.
Opened the scoring and looked completely comfortable operating in Chelsea’s midfield.
The youngster continues to look increasingly at home at senior level.
Sandy Baltimore – 6.5
Plenty of effort and movement without the decisive final action.
Chelsea were comfortably on top during much of her time on the pitch but failed to turn that dominance into the second goal.
Malard’s arrival later changed the attacking dynamic.
Alyssa Thompson – 7.5
A persistent threat.
Her pace and direct running repeatedly stretched Birmingham and opened spaces for those around her.
Would have liked a goal or assist to show for an energetic display.
Substitutes
Melvine Malard – 8
Exactly what Chelsea needed.
Birmingham had begun finding spaces and the game remained dangerously close at 1-0 before Bompastor introduced a recognised centre-forward.
Malard needed less than ten minutes to score Chelsea’s second and effectively kill the contest.
The impact was also highlighted in We Ain’t Got No History’s post-match report, which noted how her introduction gave Chelsea the cutting edge they had been missing.
Her return is particularly useful for Bompastor ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.
Chelsea supporters looking ahead to the wider schedule can also find the broadcast information and match context in our Chelsea Women vs Birmingham TV and live stream guide.
ReadChelsea Woman of the Match: Lexi Potter – 8.5/10
Chelsea Women 2-0 Birmingham City: Potter and Malard seal Stamford Bridge win
Chelsea Women 2-0 Birmingham City: Potter and Malard seal Stamford Bridge win
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