Hey Everyone,

I was curious as to what apps people use to get their Chelsea WFC news? I’ve used Fotmob and Sofascore in the past to go with the team accounts and twitter. I just think it would be nice to have something that’s specific to women’s football.

PS. Over/Under 4 goals for Chelsea at Celtic, what do you guys think?

#Welcome to the /r/chelsealadiesfc match thread for our third Champions League game of the season, away to Celtic

Date: 13th November 2024

KO: 20:00 GMT

Competition: Women's Champions League

Venue: Celtic Park

#MATCH PREVIEW

Chelsea will return to European action this Wednesday with a trip north of the border to face Celtic - and complete our run of three consecutive away games.

The Scottish champions are making their debut in the Champions League group stage this season, but not yet managed a point or a goal - losing 2-0 and 4-0 to Twente and Real Madrid in the two fixtures thus far.

Therefore, Chelsea can feel confident of a positive result - especially considering we have beaten both Twente and Real Madrid to start our own campaign, and currently sit at the top of Group C.

In Celtic's favour is that they will be hosting the match at the iconic Celtic Park, and will have a passionate crowd behind them who would love nothing more than getting one over the English champions. With a huge WSL game to come just three days later, against league leaders Manchester City, Chelsea may well have other things on our mind too - and it's likely we see some significant rotation in this game, with Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez. not even having travelled up to Glasgow.

A win is a must though - and would go a long way to securing our passage into the knockout stage of the competition.

One player who will particularly enjoy the game is likely to be Erin Cuthbert - who came through the academy of Rangers, bitter rivals of tomorrow's opposition in the Old Firm, and will no doubt relish the chance to take part in what will be Chelsea's first ever competitive game against Celtic.

#HOW TO FOLLOW

The game will be broadcast live on DAZN via their app and website.

As always, the CFCW Twitter account will provide live updates.

#LINE UPS:

Celtic: Daugherty, Barclais, Clark (c), McGregor, Bruna, Smith, Ross, Lawton, Gallagher, Ashworth-Clifford, Agnew (Subs: Logan, Rodgers, Richardson, S Carstens, M Carstens, Cavanagh, Hayes, Noonan, Luana, McAneny)

Chelsea: Mušović, Périsset, Björn, Mpomé, Lawrence, Cuthbert (c), Kaptein, Jean-François, Baltimore, Hamano, Beever-Jones (Subs: Hampton, Cox, Bronze, Bartel, Reiten, Rytting Kaneryd, Macario)

#MATCH EVENTS

KICK OFF! Underway at a very noisy Celtic Park

9' - Not the most eventful start. A break in play with a Celtic player down injured, but she's okay

11' - Chelsea's third corner, but nothing come of them yet

14' - Cuthbert is fouled, a free kick in a promising position...

15' - Taken short by Lawrence, then blocked

16' - Celtic's keeper Daugherty is now down r eceiving treatment, so the Chelsea players stop for a drink

20' - Baltimore Chelsea's standout so far, given the Celtic players on the left flank a torrid time

22' - GOAL! Unbelievable. Celtic have barely had a kick, but after a lethal counter, they lead. Murphy Agnew with the goal, following a perfectly timed run. Celtic 1-0 Chelsea. The Blues need to wake up now

26' - Celtic nearly in again! This time Perisset puts it out for a corner

28' - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!! Celtic's lead does not last long. Good work from Beever-Jones, who cuts it back to Hamano, whose strike isn't the cleanest, but beats Daugherty. Maika picks the ball up, and we go again Celtic 1-1 Chelsea

32' - My word... Agnew is in again, and Musovic comes about 50 yards out of her goal, and nearly takes her out! Thankfully she misses, and the attack breaks down anyone

32' - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!! And now Chelsea lead! Lawrence has three bits at the cherry, the first an outstanding save from Daughtery, but finally the full back finds the back of the net and it's Celtic 1-2 Chelsea

45+1' - Into 3 minutes of injury time, Chelsea playing it round nicely but to little effect

HALF TIME! Not particularly impressive from Chelsea. After going behind to a shock goal, Chelsea managed to turn it around to 2-1, and we lead at the break.

SECOND HALF! Bompastor maybe did not like what she saw, as has made a triple sub. Lucy Bronze, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Guro Reiten on for Erin Cuthbert, Ashley Lawrence and Sandy Baltimore. Interesting choice of subs, likely speaks more to rotation

50' - Ante seems to have been upped thus far

58' - SUBSTITUTION: No third yet, and Bompastor brings on Macario for Hamano, to maybe change that

60' - Worrying moment as Reiten is hacked down, but looks okay to continue

65' - Celtic still in this game. Perisset deflects an effort behind for a corner

69' - Lovely work from Rytting Kaneryd, who lays it off for Macario, whose strike flies just wide. Cat would have loved a goal...

70' - Cat comes close again! Good save from Daughtery

71' - Bjorn has a golden chance for the third, but puts it over!

73' - Celtic nearly equalise! Musovic and the defence just about scramble it away

78' - Daughtery called into action again, two more saves from the Celtic keeper. Third goal elusive...

80' - Celtic look to be pushing now, Noonan puts a shot behind but really should have found the target

88' - Chelsea free kick, but Macario odds for an ambitious shot over a cross, and it comes to nothing

90' - Four minutes of injury time. Need to not be silly, now.

90+2' - Great feet from JRK in the box, who wins a corner

90+3' - Sign of the game state that Chelsea opt to run the clock down in the corner, rather than put the ball in the box

90+4' - RED CARD! Very late drama, in the final seconds. Beever-Jones makes a late tackle, and is shown a second yellow.

90+5' - Chelsea defend the free kick, and that's full time

#FULL TIME: Celtic 1-2 Chelsea

#Up the Chels!

#Welcome to the /r/chelsealadiesfc match thread for our sixth WSL game of the season, away to Liverpool

Date: 10th November 2024

KO: 12:30 GMT

Competition: Women's Super League

Venue: Totally Wicked Stadium

#MATCH PREVIEW

For the second time this month, Chelsea would travel up to Merseyside for an away WSL game.

The opponents this week would be a side who have given the Blues real trouble in recent years, Liverpool.

The dramatic 4-3 loss in May last year nearly scuppered our title challenge at the last - to the point that Emma Hayes all but conceded defeat. Of course, the rest is history...

Furthermore, back in 2021/22, Liverpool had defeated us 2-1 on the opening day of the season - so there is plenty of reason to not take this match lightly.

Former Chelsea manager Matt Beard has put together a very decent squad, and they have strengthened well this season, with additions including the highly-rated young Canadian forward, Olivia Smith.

However, the Reds results have not been the best thus far this season - and the side who upset the order to finish fourth last season have fallen into midtable. Matt Beard has cut a frustrated figure at times, on the sidelines - but a 2-1 win vs Aston Villa last time out might signal a change of fortunes.

In positive squad news, Bompastor confirmed pre-match that both Lucy Bronze and Cat Macario are available for selection. Lauren James remains out, as well as Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel and Sophie Ingle, as they rehab their respective ACL injuries.

Both Manchester City and Arsenal played on the Friday night, and romped to impressive wins - 4-0 vs Spurs, and 5-0 vs Brighton, respectively. Results like that keep the pressure on Bompastor's side, who are the only team to have a 100% winning record in the WSL this season. It will be a stern test to keep that up, on Sunday lunchtime.

#HOW TO FOLLOW

The BBC will be broadcasting the match live in the UK. For those in other territories, it will also be available to watch for free online on the WSL YouTube channel

As always, text updates will also be provided by 5th Stand, and the club's official X/Twitter page.

#LINE UPS:

Liverpool: Laws, Fisk, Clark, Bonner, Evans, Hinds (c), Matthews, Holland, Höbinger, Smith, Kiernan (Subs: Micah, Spencer, Fahey, Kapocs, Enderby, Daniels, Silcock, Shaw)

Chelsea: Hampton, Bronze, Bright (c), Buchanan, Baltimore, Nüsken, Cuthbert, Reiten, Hamano, Rytting Kaneryd, Ramirez (Subs: Mušović, Beever-Jones, Mpomé, Kaptein, Périsset, Lawrence, Jean-François, Macario, Björn)

#MATCH EVENTS

KICK OFF! Remembrance Sunday observed, we are underway

1' - slack Liverpool passing inside the opening minute sees Chelsea nearly in, and then Liverpool respond by winning a corner

2' - two corners in quick succession thankfully lead to nothing. Liverpool really punished us from set pieces in this fixture last seson

5' - properly end to end stuff here! Ramirez nearly breaks through, already looks to be causing problems for the Liverpool defence. At the other end, Olivia Smith is looking seriously lively, and Buchanan and Bronze have to combine to stop her getting a shot away

9' - Liverpool really pushing the long ball strategy

19' - lovely build up from Chelsea around the Liverpool box, but Cuthbert's eventual effort is over the bar

21' - Liverpool set piece, but they take it short, and Baltimore defends it excellently

26' - Ramirez wins a corner, Liverpool eventually clear it, and then Liverpool almost fashion a chance on the counter, but Baltimore again does well

29' - Smith wins a free kick off of Cuthbert, arguably she had already fouled Bright

30' - Liverpool test Hampton with two aerial crosses, but Hannah stands up well

31' - Best chance so far!! Reiten's deep cross finds Rytting Kaneryd at the far post, the angle is very tight and Rachel Laws does well to smother it

34' - JRK nips in to win it off Evans, who then fouls her and gets booked. Reiten to take the free kick... headed behind for a corner... and after a bit of drama Liverpool eventually have a goal kick

37' - GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!! It looked like the chance had gone, but Chelsea take the lead! An usual pinballing, after a brilliant touch from Hamano set up Ramirez. Ramirez miscues the initial shot but it deflects to JRK, whose shot cannons off the crossbar. Reiten then puts it back in, and a Liverpool defender tries to clear it, only for it to find Ramirez - who this time scores. Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool!

42' - GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!! Liverpool have been playing out from the back with variable success, and it costs them here! Ramirez pressures Rachel Laws' goal kick, which is then lept on by the eager Guro Reiten. Reiten has a lot to do, but finds the back of the net with Laws stranded... Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool!

45' - Smith now in the book for Liverpool, too

45+3' - thumping Bright header from a Liverpool corner, but the Reds get it back in through a quick throw in. Hinds fouls Bronze, and the danger is gone

45+4' - another Liverpool set piece, again taken short. It again doesn't work, and it's half time

HALF TIME: Chelsea 2-0 up at the break

SECOND HALF - and a SUBSTITUTE - Lawrence on for Bronze, with the full back appearing to have taken a knock in first half injury time

54' - acrobatic clearance from Bright, as Liverpool push

59' - Hamano nearly gets Chelsea in

61' - Another Liverpool set piece. Hinds has an effort from the second ball, but Hampton is equal to it

66' - Holland this time tries to test Hampton, but no stress.

68' - SUBSTITUTION: ABJ on for JRK

70' - Close! Chelsea work a corner back to Cuthbert outside the box, and Laws parries her long range effort over for another corner, which comes to nothing

73' - Cuthbert is booked, another Liverpool free kick. It was a real feature of last year's game, Liverpool's threat from set piece - they've really disappointed with them today

78' - Baltimore and then Lawrence do well to progress the play forward, Reiten nearly gets on the end of it, but Liverpool's Daniels does well to block it

80' - SUBSTITUTION: Macario makes her return to action replacing Hamano, and Kaptein comes on for Cuthbert

81' - break in play with Liverpool's Enderby down, looks in some pain, but can continue

90' - GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!! Points are secured! Ramirez again involved, with a poweful run down the right wing. Her cut back finds Kaptein, whose shot isn't the best - but fortunately lands at the feet of Beever-Jones, who re-directs it past Laws to make it Chelsea 3-0 Liverpool

FULL TIME! An excellent 3 points for Chelsea

###Final result: Liverpool 0-3 Chelsea. The Blues successfully navigate a real banana skin of a fixture. Three goals, and a clean sheet! Our 100% record continues

#Up the Chels!

#Welcome to the /r/chelsealadiesfc match thread for our fifth WSL game of the season, away to Everton

Date: 3rd November 2024

KO: 18:45 GMT

Competition: Women's Super League

Venue: Goodison Park

#MATCH PREVIEW

Chelsea's first match following the international break will be a trip to Merseyside, to take on Everton at Walton Hall Park.

The Toffees are winless so far this season, and have had their season disrupted by some significant injuries. With just two points from their five league fixtures, Everton are level with West Ham and Aston Villa as the three teams propping up the rest of the table - and as such, Chelsea are expected to return down south on Sunday evening with another three points.

Of course, there are no guarantees in the WSL - and in Everton's favour is that with fewer players involved with their national teams, they will have a more rested squad, and more time to prepare for this fixture.

Once again, Chelsea will be playing in the Sunday evening fixture - meaning we will know our rivals results before kick off. The match of the weekend elsewhere is on Sunday lunchtime - with Man United hosting Arsenal. Man City - who currently sit one point above Chelsea at the top of the WSL (albeit with a game in hand) have a slighter easier task than their city rivals, travelling away to Crystal Palace, where Chelsea won 7-0 earlier this season.

In terms of squad news, Lauren James remains absent with a calf strain, and Cat Macario is still short of fitness. Wieke Kaptein is unlikely to be involved. The Dutch midfielder returned home early from international duty with a toe injury and although Bompastor revealed an x-ray ruled out a fracture, will likely not be risked.

The match begins a run of three consecutive away fixtures for the Blues - and we will hope to get that run off to winning ways, and maintain our 100% record to start this season.

#HOW TO FOLLOW

Sky Sports will be broadcasting the match live in the UK. For those in other territories, it will also be available to watch for free online on the WSL YouTube channel

As always, text updates will also be provided by 5th Stand, and the club's official X/Twitter page.

#LINE UPS:

Everton: Brosnan, Vanhaevermaet, Finnigan, H Payne, Hope, Hayashi, Sarri, Snoeijs, Olesen, T Payne. (Subs: Wheeler, Bissell, Ramsey, Foster, Lalwey, Settle, Jones, Thomas)

Chelsea: Hampton, Lawrence, Bright (C), Buchanan, Baltimore, Nusken, Cuthbert, Reiten, Hamano, Kaneryd, Beever-Jones (Subs: Musovic, Ramirez, Bjorn, Perisset, Bartel, Kaptein, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Bernabe)

#MATCH EVENTS

KICK OFF! Underway at Goodison Park

3' - Chelsea have already gone close twice, good early signs

6' - Stunning long diag from Bright, Rytting Kaneryd gets on the end of it, but is offside

14' - GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! It had looked like Everton were starting to grow into the game, but Chelsea have nipped that in the bud with an early lead. If she starts, she scores... Beever-Jones nods home a lovely Buchanan cross, and it's Chelsea 1-0 Everton

36' - Chelsea creating plenty of chances, but not been able to find another goal. Reiten the latest to go close

43' - GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! Chelsea finally take one of those chances! Erin Cuthbert robs Sarri, and then powers into the Everton box, and fires past Brosnan to make it Chelsea 2-0 Everton

45+1' - GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! Like London buses! Nusken crosses deep to the far post, and a sliding Guro Reiten shows the utmost determination to get there and finish for Chelsea 3-0 Everton

HALF TIME! Easy street for Chelsea so far, barely out of second gear and 3-0 up

SECOND HALF! Some substitutions. Everton make a double change, and Bompastor brings on Kaptein for Hamano, who has been quiet.

64' - Some things are happening. Nusken has a good chance with a header, but Brosnan makes a good save

68' - SUBSTITUTIONS Bompastor attempts to liven up proceedings with a triple change. Oriane Jean-Francois, Eve Perisset and Nathalie Bjorn on for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Erin Cuthbert and Sjoeke Nusken.

72' - Close! Baltimore has looked very lively, and shows some individual brilliance before striking the bar

75' - Troubling scenes, as ABJ goes down injured

78' - SUBSTITUTION! ABJ hobbles off, worrying to see. Mpome comes on

82' - GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! Not the most eventful second half, but Chelsea have a fourth goal. Broke slightly fortuitously for Wieike Kaptein, but the Dutchwoman smashed it past Brosnan with aplomb Chelsea 4-0 Everton

83' - GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! Like London buses again! The second time in the match we have two in quick succession. Woeful defending from Everton, and Jean-Francois slides a simple pass into Ashley Lawrence, who finishes for the fifth goal. Chelsea 5-0 Everton

90+2' - Into injury time, but this game was over a long time ago.

90+3' - Everton's Sarri goes down, looks in some pain. Chelsea players waving physios on. Comes off in probably the final significant action of the game

FULL TIME! Easy as they come

#Final score: Everton 0-5 Chelsea

#Up the Chels!

Does anyone know where i can get a millie bright scarf? My partner really wants one for christmas

###The Chelsea FC Women October round-up - perfect and in progress, in a month of big wins

Welcome to the second Chelsea FC Women monthly round-up of the 2024/25 season.

These reviews are posted on a monthly basis throughout the season, and each features a summary of all the action for Chelsea FC Women - and a preview of the month to come

(These posts are long reads, so feel free to skip to the end for the summary!)

###Introduction After the 2024/25 season had started with two wins from two relatively straightforward fixtures, October was set to pose more of a challenge to Sonia Bompastor’s burgeoning Chelsea team. We were due to travel away to the Emirates to face Arsenal, and then would complete the North London set with a home fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. Real Madrid would visit Stamford Bridge in our first Champions League group game - and we would then visit the Netherlands to take on Dutch champions Twente. With a limited sample size from September, there was a sense that no strong conclusions could be taken about the new era of Chelsea under our new manager. Following October and the tests ahead, we would likely know more about how the rest of this first season without Emma Hayes is really shaping up.

###Key headlines

Ballon d’Or Awards

At the end of October, the biggest names in the world of football converged on Paris to learn who was to be awarded some of the most prestigious individual awards in the sport.

Since its introduction in 2018 to the women’s game, the Ballon d’Or has attracted some controversy, with some interesting selections…. it tends to be a matter of popularity more than anything, with the feeling that perhaps the people voting are not so regularly watching women’s football.

Nonetheless, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati deservedly secured her second consecutive award - and from a Chelsea perspective, Lauren James was ranked 13th, Lucy Bronze 20th, Mayra Ramirez 21st and Sjoeke Nusken 25th. With four nominees, Chelsea were the second-best represented team in the standings - behind Barcelona.

Emma Hayes also won the Women’s Coach of the Year Award, for both her achievements with Chelsea and with the USWNT, with whom she won Olympic Gold this summer.

Rearranged Man United fixture date confirmed

Following the controversial postponement of last month’s home game vs Man United (due to a clash with our Champions League fixtures), the rearranged date has been confirmed for the 24th November, as our last fixture of the month.

It is never ideal to have to postpone a fixture - especially for the match going fans - but that the game has been able to be fitted into the calendar sooner rather than later is some consolation, as it would likely cause further complications later in the season.

#Now - to the action!

Chelsea 3-2 Real Madrid (WCL)

The Blues’ first opponent in this season’s Champions League was a familiar one - this being the third consecutive season we had been drawn to play Real Madrid in the group stages.

In both 2022/23 and 2023/24, we had the better of the Spaniards - each time coming away with a win and a draw. Each match had its fair share of incident and entertainment - in particular the away game last season, in which Real Madrid benefitted from an absurdly incorrect penalty decision, and Chelsea had a late winner ruled out for an even more absurdly incorrect offside decision.

The two sides are building quite a recent history together - and this added to the anticipation for an occasion. The warmly-regarded midfielder Melanie Leupolz would also be returning to Stamford Bridge, after moving to Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea came into the fixture with plenty of rest, owing to the scheduling controversy which had seen the game vs Man United the weekend prior being postponed.

Nonetheless, Sonia Bompastor made three initial changes to the side who had thrashed Crystal Palace 7-0 in our last outing - with Sandy Baltimore, Wieke Kaptein and Mayra Ramirez coming in.

There was a final change immediately before kick off - Hannah Hampton was taken unwell just before kick off, and Zecira Musovic took her place between the sticks for her first appearance of the season.

It was also a first start for the club for Wieke Kaptein, with Erin Cuthbert absent from the squad due to a knock in training.

Hampton’s late drop out - and a slightly delayed kick off - did not appear to affect Chelsea much, and it took less than two minutes for the Blues to take the lead.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has continued on where she left off last season, as one of the early standouts in our three games so far. The Swede’s cross was met by Sjoeke Nusken, whose header took a deflection on its way in (eventually credited as an own goal).

Musovic was called upon on a couple of occasions, as Real Madrid settled in the game and began to show their attacking threat - notably through Caroline Weir, who as a former Man City player is well known to Chelsea fans.

Before long, however, the Chelsea lead was doubled - although 2-0 was a slightly flattering scoreline. This particularly felt the case given the nature of the goal - with the penalty for a foul on Nusken looking a soft one. Given the bad luck with officiating we suffered against Real MAdrid last year though - we’d take it.

And Guro Reiten did just that - dispatching the penalty to put Chelsea into a commanding lead.

It was not an advantage we would take into the break - five minutes before half time the away side halved the deficit, with Alba Redondo finishing from close range after a scramble in the box. It was deserved for Real Madrid, who could feel hard-charged to have been two goals down.

Whatever Bompastor said at half time worked, as the second half saw Chelsea shift through the gears. Lauren James - who had been quiet to start the game - became more influential, and her creativity helped push Real Madrid firmly into second-best.

It was not long until the two-goal lead was restored - and unsurprisingly James was the architect, with her delivery headed in by Ramirez. The Colombian could have added another a few minutes later, but was unable to convert a similarly enticing ball from James.

At this point, Bompastor rang the changes, with the win looking secure - and no doubt with an eye on the trip away to come versus. This included a debut for summer signing Oriane Jean-Francois, who looked industrious in her 15 minute cameo.

It was a Real Madrid substitute who made the most impact, however. Linda Caicedo is a young player with a huge reputation, following her brilliant 2023 World Cup. Her season last year was disrupted by serious injury - but she showed some of what she can do here by immediately injecting a fresh impetus to the Spanish side’s attack. It was the young Colombian who pulled the opposition back into the game again, converting after Chelsea failed to clear their lines, to make it 3-2.

The games between these two are never straightforward - so this twist did not feel like a huge surprise.

It set up a nervy final 10 minutes - and Chelsea looked scrappy, struggling to keep the ball. Given her clear vision for wanting to control games in and out of possession, this likely would not have impressed Bompastor in the dugout.

Thankfully, there was not too much drama - with some important defensive interventions from Musovic and Millie Bright helping us to see it through.

Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (WSL)

Next, Chelsea travelled to the Emirates Stadium - a place which has never been a happy hunting ground, with no wins from our three previous trips to Arsenal’s main stadium.

This meant that despite Arsenal having a poor start to their season - including a chastening 5-2 defeat vs Bayern Munich in their midweek Champions League fixture - it was still hard to feel confident about a result.

Having recovered from the illness which kept her out of the win vs Real Madrid, Hannah Hampton was back in goal. Sandy Baltimore - started at left back for the second game in a row, and playing a winger in this position was a sign of ambition from Sonia Bompastor.

The manager under pressure was very much her opposite number, Jonas Eidevall. The Swede is no friend to Chelsea - and after a start to the season where they have won just one WSL game, there was not too much sympathy forthcoming from our fans about the criticism he had been facing.

His critics could add more fuel to their fire within five minutes of kick off. Mayra Ramirez showed remarkable ingenuity to improvise an overhead kick. Her looping effort deceived Daphne van Domselaar in the Arsenal goal (and just about everyone inside the Emirates) to put Chelsea into an early lead.

Things were to get much worse for the home side shortly after - Lauren James’ typically inviting cross was headed squarely home by the rampaging left back Baltimore. That made it 2-0 after just 16 minutes, and the previously raucous Emirates atmosphere turned quickly to boos.

Ramirez was leading the line with aplomb, and giving England captain Leah Williamson a rough afternoon - it was the sort of performance from the Colombian which highlights again that when on her game, she is one of the most dangerous players in the entire league.

The Arsenal players had been forced into their second mid-game huddle after Baltimore’s goal, in an attempt to regroup - and to their credit, they did.

However, a frequent criticism of the Gunners over the past couple of seasons has been their wastefulness in front of goal, and that was the case again. Nonetheless, Arsenal have a lot of quality attacking players - and whilst they were creating opportunities, they were very much still in the game.

Cailin Foord emphasised this point shortly before half time, getting the better of Lucy Bronze, and then Hampton, to pull one back for Arsenal. Going into the second half at 2-1, it was very much all to play for.

In the second half, the heavens opened in North London - and the tide turned, too. Arsenal were much improved, and the level from Chelsea dropped off - which meant a 45 minutes in which the home side now had more of the possession and attacking threat. Despite this, we still had some real chances to make our lead a more comfortable one - with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Aggie Beever-Jones (on as a substitute) forcing saves from van Domselaar.

Instead, increased impetus from Arsenal led to the afternoon becoming more uncomfortable - notably with Stina Blackstenius hitting the bar following a Katie McCabe free kick The second half featured some real gritty and determined defending, led by captain Millie Bright - and that made for a tense ending to a game that had started in rampant fashion. Bompastor saw fit to make some changes to secure the win - with Erin Cuthbert returning from injury to add experience to the midfield, and Ashley Lawrence and Nathalie Bjorn also coming on to help see it out.

After the game, Bompastor expressed her disappointment that her players did not “possess the ball better” in this second half - where Arsenal had been the better team. The Gunners had left themselves too much to do from the first half, however - and it has been clear from other games this season that changing to our new manager’s more possession-based approach will be a work in progress.

Nonetheless, to come away from the day with our first ever win at Emirates - despite having a lot of room for improvement, was a hugely positive outcome.

The fallout from the fixture from an Arsenal point of view, was beleaguered manager Jonas Eidevall handing in his resignation. Although it is never nice to see a person lose their job, Eidevall has had a testy history with Chelsea - and that Emma Hayes had chosen this to be the first match she had attended in person since leaving the club, had a certain poetry… for those who know.

Twente 1-3 Chelsea (WCL)

The next assignment for the Blues was likely to be a more straightforward one. Twente were the opponents for the first away day of this season’s Champions League, with the Blues travelling to the Netherlands.

This season is the debut for the current Dutch champions in this competition, and they had started well, winning their first group game 2-0 against Celtic.

However, Chelsea were the heavy favourites, and Bompastor was able to make an initial seven changes to the line-up that had beaten Arsenal at the weekend. Notably, Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze were rested, Oriane Jean-François made her first start for the club, and Wieke Kaptein started her second consecutive game in midfield - and against her former club.

Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones were named in a youthful forward line, initially alongside Lauren James - but James was withdrawn just before kick off, to be replaced by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.

The match started much as expected, with Chelsea dominating. It took just seven minutes for the Blues to take the lead, and as is also expected these days, it was Rytting Kaneryd at the heart of it. The Swede set up Beever-Jones in the box - and the striker slammed home via a deflection.

Beever-Jones would have been especially pleased to score in front of her watching England manager, with Sarina Wiegman killing two birds with one stone by visiting her home country, whilst taking in the performance of one of her Lionesses.

One goal soon became two, and this time it was another of our young stars. It was an audacious lob from 30 yards from Hamano - and it had Wales keeper Olivia Clark beat, making it 2-0 to Chelsea.

The Japanese forward turned out to be the star of the whole night - running the game from her central attacking position, and a real livewire in the Chelsea team. It was a truly eye-catching performance from Hamano, who is only 20 years old, but looked very comfortable taking on a lot of responsibility.

Much like against Arsenal, two goals inside twenty minutes could have spelt trouble for our opponents - but also much like at the Emirates, the Blues could not add to the tally in the first half, despite having the better of every statistical metric.

With Chelsea already in the midst of a busy schedule, Bompastor made her first changes at the break, with Buchanan and Baltimore earning a rest, and Maelys Mpome and Guro Reiten coming on.

Chelsea continued to attack in wave after wave, looking for a third - but could not quite find another cutting edge.

Twente then started to show more signs of life - with Kayleigh van Dooren stinging Musovic’s palms with a long range effort.

With Chelsea not having added any further goals, Bompastor changed it up further - with Mayra Ramirez and Erin Cuthbert entering the fray with 30 minutes left to play.

It did not take long for Ramirez to make an impact. The Colombian powered into the box on the counter after a rare Twente attack, and with Carleer unable to keep up, the defender chopped down Ramirez to concede a penalty.

Reiten was cool as always from the spot, and with that Chelsea were three goals to the good. It was frustrating then, for Chelsea to concede shortly. It was a good finish from Nikee van Dijk - and a straightforward move, with a long ball in behind catching out the Chelsea back line.

That served to raise the volume in the stadium, with the home fans now having something to cheer about - and in amongst the raucous celebrations Julie Bartel also came on to make her Chelsea debut.

The game was enjoyable to watch at this point - Cuthbert typically battling, Ramirez typically dominating, and Twente’s 16 year old Rose Ivens looking exciting on the wing. However, Chelsea were not exactly shutting down the game…

The Blues had made the win versus Real Madrid in our opening group game more complicated than it needed to be, after taking a 2-0 lead - and that was not an experience that needed repeating. Twente are not Real Madrid, though - and despite their improved second half performance we did not have to deal with the nerves of the final 10 minutes at Stamford Bridge the week previously. This was in part due to Mpome, who cast a commanding figure in the defence, and stood up strong to the increased Twente threat in the final phase of the game.

With no late drama, it ended 3-1 to Chelsea at full time. That result saw us move clear at the top of our group, after two games - with Real Madrid beating Celtic 4-0 to move onto four points, two behind Chelsea.

A positive - alongside continuing our 100% winning record thus far this season - was that plenty of players had had the chance to get a run out, as managing the squad’s minutes is a key part of Bompastor’s remit.

Chelsea 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur (WSL)

After a trip to the Netherlands, Chelsea were next back on home soil, for a London derby. The visitors were Tottenham Hotspur - and although they had not had the best start to the season, with just four points from four league games, they are nonetheless a strong side… with some dangerous players, and a coach with a good reputation in Robert Vilahamn. This London derby is often spicy, and after a 3-0 defeat in their previous league game to Man United, Spurs would be looking to bounce back.

The line-up saw most of the players rested vs Twente restored, with Erin Cuthbert making her first start since a minor knock. Lauren James was a notable absence, with the injury that had seen her withdrawn from the line up against Twente confirmed to be a calf strain - and subsequently pulled out of the England squad for the upcoming international break. This did mean a WSL start for Maika Hamano, who was the outstanding player midweek.

Playing the last fixture of the weekend meant we had the benefit of knowing the results elsewhere. The only other team who had held a 100% record, Man United, dropped their first points of the season in a 1-1 draw to Brighton - whilst Man City came from 1-0 down to beat Aston Villa and return to the top of the league. Due to having played one fewer game, this meant even maximum points would not be enough for Chelsea to go into the international break on top.

Chelsea and Spurs had met 14 times in all competitions prior to this game, and the fixture has historically been a bit one-sided, with Chelsea having won all 14.

The visitors started like a side determined to change that record, and had the better of the opening exchanges.

The first goal then, was against the run of play. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd showed a burst of speed to break clear down the right wing, and her cut back found Hamano. The youngster finished from close range - and keeper Spencer would have been disappointed after getting a palm to it - but nonetheless, Chelsea were in front.

Parity was restored 10 minutes late, in a hugely controversial moment - which set the tone for the rest of the match, which was jam-packed full of drama...

Hampton had looked to have stopped a speculative cross-cum-shot from Nilden, just about on the goal line - only for the assistant referee to award a goal. Hampton was convinced it had not crossed - and was booked for her protests, but with no goal line technology, the goal stood.

This livened up both teams (and the crowd) - and Spurs in particular were looking dangerous, with former Blue Drew Spence narrowly missing the target, when she looked certain to score. Just when it was looking like it was to be poised at 1-1 for the second half, Chelsea were back in front in the final minute before the break.

Spurs’ goalscorer Nilden was involved again - this time getting the final touch on what at first looked like an Olimpico goal from Guro Reiten, firing in directly from a corner. It was a sensational effort from the Norwegian - and there was more of that to come…

A chaotic game to this point - and one Chelsea were probably lucky to be leading. Truthfully, despite our excellent record, we had not been “great” once this season - and there has been a sense that there is only so long we can keep getting away with that. This was another game where it felt in the balance - and if we did not step it up, we would be in danger of letting it slip. Thankfully, we did - with the Blues emerging for the second half with a renewed intensity, and one that proved too much for Spurs to handle.

Wieke Kaptein had replaced Cuthbert at the break, with the Scot spotted with an ice pack on her hamstring on the sidelines - but that she was watching on from the bench suggested it wasn’t too serious.

The energy of the young Dutchwoman was needed in a game like this, with Chelsea now dominating across the pitch and clearly on the hunt for another goal to secure the three points. As Chelsea pushed, chances started adding up - and there was to be more goal line drama, too. Reiten challenged Spencer for a deep cross, and as the Spurs keeper stumbled backwards with the ball there were huge appeals from Chelsea fans and players alike that that too had crossed the line… but the officials waved play on.

There was no doubt about what happened next - and the roof almost flew off the terraces at Kingsmeadow, in appreciation of what will likely be one of the goals of the season.

Millie Bright lofted a ball towards the edge of the box - and her delivery was met beautifully by Rytting Kaneryd, who demonstrated impeccable technique to side-foot volley a strike past Spencer. The Swede was not done yet - and within minutes had won a penalty, with the game now being taken entirely away from Spurs. More drama was to follow - the normally reliable Reiten’s spot kick smacked off the post… only to be finished on the rebound by Sandy Baltimore. Those two goals in quick succession made it 4-1 to Chelsea - a commanding lead that was thoroughly deserved on the basis of the Blues’ second half performance.

But still - more twists. Although Summanen’s free kick in the 84th minute was realistically only a consolation, 4-2 in a game like this still felt too close to call.

That was until the final significant act of the game, in injury time - and appropriately it came from the player who had lit up Kingsmeadow with an outstanding display.

It was another world class strike from Rytting Kaneryd, who employed the “chop” she is renowned for to cut back onto her left foot, and curl past Spencer, to make it 5-2 to Chelsea.

The Swede was the star on a night of outrageous entertainment - and one of the best games you would be likely to see all season, and a derby for the ages.

It added up to four wins from four for Chelsea this season - and six in all competitions, and meant that although we sit one point back from Man City, with a game in hand, we were the only unbeaten team left in the WSL.

And encouragingly - the second half showed Chelsea can bring the intensity that so many have been asking for.

###October results in brief

###Summary

The season is now six games old - and Chelsea can boast of a 100% record still, with six wins from six.

This means we are currently top of our Champions League group - and second in the WSL. We sit one point behind Man City - with a game in hand, and by far the best goal difference in the league.

The Bompastor era appears to be going swimmingly, then - and although it is difficult to argue with the results, it is also true to say that the performances at times have not been as good as the outcomes. We have struggled to maintain intensity across 90 minutes, there has been some questionable defending at times - and Bompastor herself has conceded that perhaps she cannot impose the same possession dogma she could in French football, to a league as tough as the WSL.

Nonetheless, those wins included a first away win vs Arsenal in four years, and a 5-2 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur - where our attacking play (led by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd) looked the best it has been all season.

The summary of this is that Bompastor’s Chelsea may remain a work in progress - but we also keep winning, and the squad appear to be adapting to the manager’s methods as well as the manager starting to adapt to her new challenge.

The only real concern from October is the news of an injury to Lauren James - which could keep her out for six weeks, and given her importance to the side creatively, could be a big miss in the games to come.

###November preview

Much of the squad went their separate ways for the last ten days of October, with European nations competing in various playoffs for Euro 2025, or friendlies.

Of concern was that Wieke Kaptein was sent home early from Netherlands duty, following taking part in their 15-0 win over Indonesia - and is due further assessment at Cobham. Midfield is an area Chelsea are light in, and Kaptein has already become an important player - so would be a loss. In better news, Erin Cuthbert was fit to feature for Scotland - and scored in their win vs Hungary, after a month plagued by injury for the club.

We would return to the WSL at the start of November, with the first of a Merseyside double - travelling first away to Everton, and then to Liverpool the week later.

Next, there would be an exciting prospect to come in the Champions League - when we would complete a trio of three consecutive away games by travelling to play Celtic for the first time in a competitive fixture.

We would finally return home to face our toughest test of the season so far - the side who start October on top of the WSL, Manchester City. A huge game that will take place in an appropriate arena - our first league match of the season ast Stamford Bridge.

Although we beat Arsenal at the Emirates this month, the Gunners had been in a state of relative vulnerability - and the game did not feel like the test of our quality. The visit of Man City, the team who we beat to the WSL title on goal difference only last year, looks set to be a more vigorous examination. It is a match that many have pencilled as being significant for the course of the whole season, for both sides.

Following that, we would play Celtic for the second time in a month, taking us past the halfway stage of the Champions League group. Depending on the results of the double-header against the Scottish champions, we may also be close to qualification for the knockout stage, by this point.

Finally, the last fixture of the month will see Chelsea host Man United at Kingsmeadow, in the rearranged WSL game from October - another big game against a team who have started the season strongly.

#UTC!