Sonia Bompastor made it clear to her side ahead of the clash in Austria that an early goal was vital. We could not afford to become frustrated against a St. Polten side that was expected to drop deep, restrict space, and look to limit the Blues.

There have been occasions this term where we haven't made the most of our chances; five of our 11 fixtures have ended with the Blues scoring just once. A clinical edge was required – and Bompstor's side delivered to record our biggest victory of the season.

Chelsea dominated from start to finish; the six-goal margin of victory did not flatter the Blues. And it could have been more were it not for opposition goalkeeper Carina Schluter, who saved an impressive 14 of our shots on goal.

Bompastor praised her side's attacking efforts in her post-match press conference and was pleased with how the Blues executed the game plan to prevent St. Polten from counter-attacking.

Macario dominates

Macario had a hand in our opening three goals of the night. It was the American who helped unlock the hosts' defence with a perfectly-weighted pass for Ellie Carpenter, who was able to cut the ball back for Wieke Kaptein to score our first.

The 26-year-old, deployed as a number ten, was allowed to move across the final third to take on possession and threaten the St. Polten goal. That eventually led to our second of the night, as she was able to guide a forceful drive home shortly before half time.

A penalty was added by Macario early into the second period; compatriot Alyssa Thompson the player brought down in the penalty area after a driving run forward.

Macario's influence is reflected in the fact that she completed 39 passes in the final third, delivered six crosses into the box, and created five chances for her team-mates. She also registered 10 shots on goal, of which four were on target.

The graphic below shows her blocked attempts in blue, shots on target and goals in green, and shots off target in red.

Trademark Kerr

Since returning from nearly 20 months on the sidelines due to a knee injury in September, Kerr has been carefully managed by Bompastor.

The Australian striker has featured nine times as a substitute for the Blues this season but against St. Polten, she was back in the starting XI for the first time since December 2023.

Through her excellent movement in the penalty box, Kerr continually put herself in the right positions to threaten goal, but finding the back of the net just seemed to evade her at the crucial moment.

The shot map below highlights some wayward finishing in the early parts of the match before she finally grabbed her first of the evening after 75 minutes.

As with any top striker, once Kerr had one goal under her belt, the second came more easily. With help from a superb ball in from Niamh Charles, Kerr nodded in her second in the 92nd minute.

The strike capped off a superb evening for the Blues, and gave the biggest indication yet that the 32-year-old is returning to her best form.