The performance produced by Chelsea at Villa Park was far from the best of the Sonia Bompastor era, but the 3-1 victory will live long in the memory of supporters thanks to the debut of Alyssa Thompson and the goalscoring return of Sam Kerr.
Aggie Beever-Jones had put the Blues in front against Aston Villa with a close-range header. However, the home side hit back before the interval as Ebony Salmon guided an excellent 20-yard shot over the head of Hannah Hampton and into the top corner.
Hampton had to make two fine stops to keep Chelsea level in the contest, but then came the response of champions as we re-established our lead in the second half when Keira Walsh managed to squeeze a shot home, via a deflection, from a Blues corner.
In the 75th minute, Kerr was introduced from the substitutes' bench. It was her first competitive appearance in 634 days due to a knee injury sustained in January 2024. Naturally, it wasn't long before the Australian made her mark.
As the game moved into its 93rd minute, a Chelsea corner resulted in a scramble inside Villa's six-yard box. Kerr reacted fastest to divert the ball into the net and celebrate her 100th goal for the Blues. It was the perfect return.
The goal also ensured back-to-back wins for Bompastor's side at the start of the Women's Super League campaign, and you can view our favourite images from a good afternoon's work in the Midlands below...