Football has a tendency to behave like a child at Christmas. The shiny new toys are the best ones, with anything older quickly discarded. As Sam Kerr enters her fifth season at Chelsea, there is no doubt that she is a star, but is she still the star?
She very much was against Paris FC on Thursday, as Kerr scored a UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) hat-trick to help Chelsea to a 4-1 win over the team that had knocked out Arsenal and Wolfsburg in qualifying. Despite a slow start where they were pegged back after taking an initial lead, Chelsea ended up making light work of their opponents at Stamford Bridge.
At points, this scoreline flattered their performance but, a week on from the frustration they endured against Real Madrid, it was broadly deserved.
With BK Hacken achieving a shock win over Real earlier in the evening, the opportunity to secure three points became even more crucial for Chelsea. But it was easy to see why Paris FC had caused opponents such issues, with their midfield press clearly unsettling the WSL champions. Erin Cuthbert found herself repeatedly encircled in the middle of the pitch; her partners, Jessie Fleming and Sjoeke Nusken, pushed far too high to help out.
Chelsea were without captain Millie Bright, despite manager Emma Hayes’ best efforts to…
