Chelsea breezed past Austrian outfit St Pölten to seal their second Women’s Champions League victory of the campaign. Two goals from Catarina Macario, a finish from Wieke Kaptein, a double for Sam Kerr on her return to the starting lineup and an unfortunate Lisa Ebert own goal moved them up to second at the halfway stage of the league phase.
It was the perfect night for Kerr who was making her first start for the Blues in 692 days. It has been a long road back for the Australian but with goals in the WSL and now the Champions League, she is starting to gain momentum as she builds up minutes and confidence. There was also a welcome back to the lineup for Naomi Girma, who missed the start of the season with a hamstring problem, while Lauren James got a 15-minute cameo as she made her return from the ankle injury she picked up in the Euro 2025 final.
“It’s really positive especially when coming to a time where it’s really busy,” Sonia Bompastor said. “We are going to play every three days with big games coming, so it’s important to have the depth and the quality.”
It was the kind of free-scoring performance Bompastor has been waiting for this season. Despite their unbeaten run in all competitions, Chelsea have struggled to put games to bed. Their manager had told them to avoid “overthinking” before this encounter in which they were heavy favourites. It worked – the visitors created 43 chances, with 19 on target and had 75 touches in the opposition box.
“We were able to apply the gameplan,” the manager said. “We created a lot and we got some great goals. It’s always good for the individual and team confidence to be able to do that.”
The disparity between the two sides was evident. While both have dominated their domestic leagues in recent years, the difference in resources, investment and experience is stark.
Quick GuideSkinner defends Earps before Manchester United return
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Marc Skinner will welcome the return of “good person” Mary Earps to Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday. United’s women play at Old Trafford in the competition for the first time but there will be a spotlight on Paris Saint‑Germain’s goalkeeper after her criticism of the England manager, Sarina Wiegman, and Earps’s successor as the Lionesses’ No 1, Hannah Hampton, in her autobiography.
Skinner, who managed Earps at United for three years, said: “Me and Mary have always had a good relationship. So I’ll say nothing but good things. I’ve not read the book. I don’t know anything about it – I’m hearing snippets, of course. I’m always one of those [who thinks] you have to be careful what you say but Mary believes in it. So that’s her truth, she has to speak it.
“From our perspective, we’ll welcome her as somebody on the opponents’ team in this game. But also always pay tribute to what she has done when she was at Manchester United. I know Mary’s a good person, so I look forward to the challenge of trying to beat her and her team on Wednesday.”
Earps also writes in the book about her decision to leave United last summer at the end of her contract, citing a lack of urgency from Skinner and the club to tie her to a new deal. Skinner said: “There are moments where she might speak about the urgency, but also the club will have their own view and opinion on that.
“I wasn’t in those conversations. She can tell me how she feels in that instance. I will feed back to my superiors who make that conversation, but it didn’t happen in that moment. She didn’t sign a contract and we move on.” PA Media
St Pölten have endured a tempestuous start to their season. Sitting second behind Austria Wien domestically, they have had a baptism of fire in the league phase, falling to heavy defeats at the hands of Atlético Madrid and OL Lyonnes. A change at the helm followed with 47-year-old Laurent Fassotte replacing Lisa Alzner at the end of October.
Despite their inconsistent form, St Pölten were welcomed on to the pitch by a drumroll of their vociferous fans who never stopped singing in spite of Chelsea’s dominance.
Bompastor had called for patience from her players as they faced an organised defensive block but their superiority in all areas eventually paid off. Chelsea were particularly dangerous down the right. It was from this area that the breakthrough came as Ellie Carpenter sent a low ball across goal for Kaptein to turn home.
The visitors continued their pressure but were made to work for their second goal. Kerr somehow could not prod the ball over the line while Girma had a comical finish disallowed for offside.
They eventually got their reward just before the break when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd turned over possession and found Macario in the box. The American placed a low shot past the impressive Carina Schlüter into the far corner to double the score.
St Pölten had registered their first shot on target just before the break when Carina Brunold tested Livia Peng from distance and the visitors became more adventurous as they looked to push out and relieve the constant pressure on their defence. Sarah Gutmann got on the end of their best move of the game, making a strong run into the box, but she was ultimately unable to find an end product.
Chelsea, however, were ruthless and extended their lead a minute later. When Alyssa Thompson was felled by Izabela Krizaj in the box, Macario stepped up to confidently convert from the spot. Thompson then had an effort ruled out for offside. Both coaches rang the changes but it did little to disrupt the visitors’ flow with Kerr and Sjoeke Nüsken both coming close.
The icing on the cake came for the visitors when Kerr finally got her goal before they welcomed James on to the pitch for the first time this season. The England international was instrumental in their fifth with the unfortunate Ebert turning her delivery into her own net, before Kerr struck again from close range. It was a victory that set Chelsea up perfectly ahead of the visit of Barcelona to Stamford Bridge next week.
