Sonia Bompastor was without regular starting midfielder Kiera Walsh and striker Aggie Beever-Jones for this clash, while defenders Nathalie Bjorn and Niamh Charles were also ruled out of the encounter.

The head coach explained in her pre-match press conference that this clash against West Ham had been more difficult to prepare for after the Hammers had appointed new manager Rita Guarino during the winter break. Bompastor had never come up against the Italian coach before, meaning the Blues were somewhat in the dark over what to expect from the opposition.

Yet any nerves were settled quickly as Chelsea got off to the best possible start, when West Ham’s Yu Edo turned in Ellie Carpenter’s dangerous ball across the six-yard box, and it ended up being another impressive, high-scoring win for the Blues.

Here we explain how we did it!

Thinking outside of the box

The average position map shows that Bompastor deployed Erin Cuthbert in a deeper holding midfield role in place of the injured Walsh. As the Scotland international helped to protect the back three, wing-backs Carpenter and Sandy Baltimore were able to link up with Alyssa Thompson and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.

That duo, who usually play wider roles down the channel, had moved into more central positions, with strikers Beever-Jones and Macario unavailable.

Support in attack also came from Lauren James and Sjoeke Nusken, who pushed up from midfield to completely overwhelm West Ham, forcing Guarino’s side into deep positions and reducing them to just one shot on target in the entire match.

Rytting Kaneryd form continues

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored a hat-trick in our 9-1 win over Liverpool in the Women's League Cup to round off 2025, and after the match, the winger said that she couldn't wait for the new year to begin.

That was because the winger felt she was finding her best form, but she needn't have been concerned by any small breaks. Picked to start once more in our first match of 2026, she continued in the same vein, as she collected the WSL Player of the Match trophy for her performance in the 5-0 victory.

The Sweden international provided an excellent assist for Alyssa Thompson's goal, and was unlucky to score herself when she unleashed a powerful drive and was denied only by the goalkeeper's fingertips and the underside of the crossbar.

With five shots, four crosses, three chances created and some impressive defensive stats to match, as her stats show, Rytting Kaneryd put in a typically hardworking display at Kingsmeadow, committing to winning the ball back in addition to her contributions in attack.

Baltimore puts on a show

Sandy Baltimore scored with a superb curling effort inside the box in the first half and followed that strike up with a converted penalty after the break. But the France international's two goals don't tell the full story of her afternoon against West Ham.

The 25-year-old terrorised our opponents down the left flank, putting in a team-high of 12 crosses when no other player managed more than four. Baltimore also completed the most dribbles of the entire Chelsea side with five as she jinked her way down the flank, consistently looking for opportunities to make an impact.

The left wing-back also won back possession on four occasions, as well as creating two further chances for her team-mates in addition to firing in a brace on the day.

Baltimore has already made 17 appearances for the Blues this season, scoring five goals along the way. On Sunday, she showed why she is so effective.

The future is bright

Bompastor has spoken about the benefits of strong starts already this season, explaining how building a lead early on in games can allow her to give opportunities to players on the fringes of the first team in the closing stages of a match.

That was the case on Sunday, as Chelsea raced to a 4-0 scoreline by half-time against West Ham. The head coach then introduced 19-year-old Lexi Potter after 60 minutes, and 17-year-old Chloe Sarwie also came into the game with 80 minutes on the clock.

The young Chelsea academy graduates played their first-ever minutes in the WSL, giving a good account of themselves in the latter stages of the encounter.

Perhaps even more impressive is that 19-year-old defender Veerle Buurman has become an established member of the first team since returning from her season-long loan at PSV last season.

Buurman made her sixth start of the season against the Hammers and completed 69 of her 77 passing attempts, 22 of which were in the final third. The Dutch international also made nine ball recoveries over the course of the match, three more than any other player on the team.

The future is looking bright indeed for our young blues.