While the Blues extended our unbeaten record in the league under Bompastor, it appeared one genuinely under threat during an impressive opening 45 minutes from the home side at Villa Park.

Aggie Beever-Jones had given the Blues the lead after 22 minutes, but it was against the run of play and Villa came back and equalised before the break through a fine finish from Ebony Salmon.

Bompastor had to do something to swing the momentum in our favour and introduced three substitutes at half-time. It paid off. Ten minutes in the second period, a deflected shot from Keira Walsh found the corner, and we re-established the lead.

The introduction of Sam Kerr with 15 minutes to play lifted the Blues once more, and the Australian star soon netted her 100th Chelsea goal on her return to action after more than 600 days on the sidelines.

Here, we look at four key elements that were crucial to the win at Villa Park.

Hampton's proactive approach

Villa played on the front foot and carried a genuine threat, especially in the opening 45 minutes. While Hannah Hampton could do nothing about Salmon’s superb strike in the first half, the Blues goalkeeper prevented the home side from inflicting more damage with a series of crucial interventions.

The England international made three key saves during the match and was decisive in commanding her area, coming out and bravely claiming the ball when Villa were threatening to score.

Her ability to take charge of the box saw her win back possession on nine occasions on Sunday, more than any other player in the side.

Hampton proved that she is not only the last line of defence, but a powerful ally in helping the backline when they are under pressure.

Bright and Bjorn solid at the back

A look at the stats from Sunday shows that Villa managed to have 24 touches in our box and fired 15 shots on goal. Ending the game with only one goal conceded was a testament to the work done by Hampton and our backline.

Seven of those attempts from the home side were blocked, and Nathalie Bjorn weighed in with four of those as she put her body on the line.

The central defensive partnership of Millie Bright and Bjorn was also dominant in the air, as they won four aerial duels each to keep the Villa attack at bay.

While Hampton won back possession the most of any player on the team (nine), Bright was second with seven total recoveries, while Bjorn contributed with four.

The Swedish defender also completed the most passes (45) of any Chelsea player on the day and finished the game with two shots on target at the other end of the pitch.

Cuthbert changed the game

With the score locked at 1-1 come half-time, Bompastor opted to introduce Erin Cuthbert, Sandy Baltimore, and new signing Alyssa Thompson.

While the changes enabled Bompastor's side to get a better foothold in the game, Cuthbert’s energy and determination to take the match by the scruff of the neck were most decisive in turning the tide.

The touch map below shows exactly how much ground she covered as she worked between both boxes, determined to ensure that the Blues came out with a win.

In just 53 total minutes of action, the Scotland international completed the third most passes of the match among the Chelsea players (38) – behind Bjorn with 45 and Keira Walsh with 39.

Cuthbert also made the third most ball recoveries, winning the ball back from the opposition on six occasions, and had the joint-highest successful dribbles with two alongside Catarina Macario and fellow substitute Thompson.

The 27-year-old also had a shot on target, created one chance, and had the most touches (44) of any of the substitutes.

Clinical Kerr is back

With 15 minutes to go and only a one-goal advantage, Villa were pushing to force an equaliser. It was then that Bompastor brought Kerr onto the pitch to make her first appearance in almost two years for Chelsea. And although plenty of time had passed, it was still the same old Kerr.

As the graphic below shows, the striker connected with three of five passing attempts at Villa Park and scored one goal from one shot on target.

In almost 24 total minutes of action, the striker touched the ball just eight times. One of those was the crucial third goal that sealed the points.

It was the type of clinical efficiency that has now seen Kerr net 100 times in just 120 outings. Kerr is back. And with Chelsea looking to compete for four trophies this season, the timing couldn’t be better.