Sonia Bompastor collected her first points as Chelsea manager with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on the opening night of the Women’s Super League.
A left-footed effort from the edge of the area from Sweden winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd opened the scoring. But Bompastor needed goalkeeper Hannah Hampton to be alert in saving from her opposite number Sabrina D’Angelo after a header from a free-kick in the 94th minute to ensure a first competitive win.
An impressive pre-season had given the impression that Chelsea would hit the ground running. Still, this display at home ground Kingsmeadow showed Bompastor has more work to do.
The performance revealed how many unknowns there are about Chelsea, who have a new manager for the first time in 12 years after Emma Hayes left to join the US Women’s National Team this summer.
Did attempt possession-based style work?
A switch to a more possession-based style was emphasised by Bompastor during pre-season as a key difference between her and Hayes. But Chelsea struggled to control the ball against Villa and the game finished with them having had 47 per cent of it. They only registered lower than that in four games last season — against Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona in both semi-final legs.
“We didn’t recognise during the…
