The Addicks finished third in the Women's Super League 2 last season and earned promotion to the top flight by winning a play-out against relegated Women's Super League side Leicester City as part of the league's objective to increase the WSL to 14 teams.

It's been tough for Charlton so far, and they came into Sunday's match without a single point earned in seven matches this season. From a Chelsea perspective, that meant it was imperative to win, especially with us sitting neck-and-neck with Manchester City at the top of the table.

Blues head coach Sonia Bompastor has an oft-used phrase when she says she likes her team to score early to 'kill off the opposition's hope'. That's exactly what we did when Nathalie Bjorn netted after three minutes, then a brace from Melvine Malard and a strike by Ellie Carpenter all came before the 20-minute mark.

For a newly-promoted team with no points on the board, against an experienced Chelsea side, that was effectively game over, and second-half goals from Aggie Beever-Jones and Giulia Dragoni completed the 6-0 win.

Here's a look at how a ruthless approach secured the three points...

All-out attack

There was no holding back on Sunday, as the Blues attempted 36 shots against Charlton, our highest total in a single match in the WSL this season.

Our assault on the opposition's back line made sure there was no chance for them to dig in and attempt to frustrate us with a low block, and it also allowed us to build our goal difference to plus 23, with the title race looking like it might come down to fine margins this season.

Bompastor's earlier call for the team to be more clinical has been answered, as we have scored in all eight of our WSL fixtures this season. No other team has done so.

Deadly Malard

Malard and Chelsea have been the perfect fit since the striker's summer move from Manchester United. The Blues No9 has already equalled her WSL tally of six managed with the Red Devils last season and is thriving up front in her new home.

One of the reasons for her superb form could be that she is focusing solely on finding the back of the net. Against Charlton, she netted her brace in the space of just 10 minutes, making a game-changing contribution early on in the match.

If a striker scores twice in a game, they need not contribute much else. In a show of attacking efficiency during her 50 minutes of action, Malard touched the ball 13 times, completing all five of her passes and scoring twice from three shots on goal. It is that deadly form that will strike fear into opposition defences in the weeks to come.

McCabe delivers again

Another summer signing who has fit like a glove is Katie McCabe. Her high standards ensure that she puts in consistently strong performances every week and she once again stood out during the win over Charlton.

Creating more chances (five) than any other player on the pitch, McCabe also ranked second for crosses attempted (six), completed passes (78) and completed passes in the final third (22).

Both McCabe and her right-sided counterpart Carpenter were aggressive in winning the ball back, with the Australian ranking highest for recoveries (12) and the Republic of Ireland captain following just behind her with 11.

It was another unselfish performance from McCabe and her performances could well continue to improve as the weeks go by at her new club.

Bjorn is back

Chelsea supporters will have been delighted to see Nathalie Bjorn lead the team out as captain at The Valley following her injury-hit season last term.

The experienced defender made her first start of the campaign against Charlton and began the match in the best way possible with her early goal.

It was an assured display from Bjorn as she played just over an hour in the back line before being replaced by Alyssa Thompson. Having the Sweden international back in form will be a huge boost as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast in the coming weeks.