Sonia Bompastor had stressed the importance of her side scoring early in Austria, and the Blues did just that as Wieke Kaptein slotted home from an Ellie Carpenter cross after 13 minutes.

Naomi Girma thought she had doubled our advantage only for VAR to rule out her close-range finish, but Macario swept home a left-footed strike just before the break to put Bompastor's side firmly in control.

Our dominance continued after the break. Alyssa Thompson won a penalty that Macario converted; Kerr then struck on her first Chelsea start for 692 days by finishing off another neat move inside the St. Polten penalty area.

There was a welcome return to action for Lauren James, featuring for the first time this season after recovering from injury. She made her mark with a shot that was deflected into her own net by Lisa Ebert, and Kerr netted a late header to round off the scoring and send the Blues second.

An early opener

Bompastor made five changes to the side that earned a 1-1 draw away at Arsenal on Saturday, the most significant of which was the inclusion of Kerr in the Chelsea starting XI for the first time since December 2023.

Livia Peng, as expected, began in goal while Girma replaced Millie Bright in defence for her first start of the campaign. Carpenter and Sandy Baltimore were brought into the full-back roles.

The pattern of the game was set inside the opening minutes. The home side dropped deep, with all eleven players behind the ball, and invited the Blues to try to break them down. Only 13 minutes were required to do so.

Our opener was well worked, as after wave after wave of pressure, Macario played a lovely pass behind the St. Polten defence for Carpenter, who looked up and cut the ball back to Kaptein.

The 20-year-old midfielder connected cleanly to guide her shot home at the near post and put the Blues deservedly ahead.

There was no change in approach from St. Polten – and the Blues peppered the hosts' goal. Walsh had an attempt saved; Kaptein guided a shot wide. Kerr was then thwarted by the goalkeeper twice with two different headed attempts.

Girma was assured on her return to the side. She shut down the rare breaks from St. Polten and appeared to have got on the scoresheet when she touched home the ball following a Macario free-kick that was headed back across goal by Kerr.

However, after the celebrations had taken place, VAR deemed Kerr to be offside in the build-up and Girma was denied.

Taking control

St. Polten had defended stoically during the first half, but their backline was breached again just before the half-time interval.

The goal came from a pass from Rytting Kaneryd, who played the ball to her left to Macario and she finished low and hard across goalkeeper Carina Schluter.

In the second period, Chelsea attacked with the same intensity they had displayed before the break. Macario was involved once more as she forced a top save from Schluter, but in the 52nd minute, we were awarded a penalty.

After an excellent crossfield pass from Lucy Bronze, Thompson's pace and trickery were too much for Izabela Krizaj, who tripped the American in the box. Macario converted from 12 yards to complete her brace.

Sjoeke Nusken was lively after being introduced as a substitute on the hour mark alongside 19-year-old Lexi Potter and Niamh Charles. The German midfielder won a corner with a shot soon after coming on and forced a save from Schluter with a fierce strike.

Total dominance

Kerr had worked to find herself in typically dangerous positions all evening, but couldn't seem to find the right opening to get herself on the scoresheet. That was, until the 75th minute, when she took the ball from Kaptein, took an excellent first touch and finished across the goalkeeper for our fourth.

There was another welcome sight for Chelsea fans soon after, as James replaced Kaptein to make her first appearance for the Blues since March.

Immediately showing her quality, James hit a shot towards goal that took a deflection, wrong-footed Schluter, and flew into the net. The evening concluded with another from Kerr, who planted a header home after a fine cross into the box from Charles.

The score ended at 6-0, but it could've been even more. Chelsea fired 42 shots towards the St. Polten goal, and the home side responded with just one in reply.

While the scoreline was important, this was a pivotal evening for the likes of Girma and James, who were returning from injury, and, of course, for Kerr, who showcased her goalscoring quality and completed 90 minutes.

What it means...

Bompastor's side move up to second in the UWCL league phase table, pending Wednesday night's results.

What comes next...

Chelsea return to action in the Women's Super League with an away trip to face Liverpool on Sunday lunchtime.

The teams

Chelsea: Peng, Carpenter, Bronze, Girma (Buurman 45), Baltimore, Rytting Kaneryd (Nusken 59), Walsh (c) (Potter 59), Kaptein (James 76), Thompson (Charles 59), Macario, Kerr
Unused subs: Spencer, Bright, Cuthbert, Bjorn, Jean-Francois, Hamano,
Scorers: Kaptein 13, Macario 44, 53 pen, Kerr 75, 90+2, Ebert OG 86

St. Polten: Schluter, Krizaj (Rukavina 59), Nagy, Ebert, Klein (c), Ollivier (Woelki 60), Elmore (Aistleitner 73), Laino, Peneau (Vracevic 73), Gutmann, Brunold (Seiro 82)
Unused subs: Hermsmeier, Matakova
Booked: Krizaj 38, Nagy 48
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer