New faces but same old Chelsea in winning start

There was one question on everybody's lips as the Women's Super League season got back under way - can anybody stop Chelsea?

It is far too early to tell but it was the same old outcome at Stamford Bridge as Sonia Bompastor's side were not at their best, but showed a ruthless streak again to see off Manchester City.

There were debutants on both sides, a few tweaks here and there, but it did little to change the narrative of another victory for the reigning champions.

"Both teams are nowhere where they want to be. If City made better decisions going forward, they could have had more chances," former Chelsea defender Gilly Flaherty told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Chelsea didn't look invincible as such, but they looked like creating. I think both teams will look different in a few weeks."

It was the same feeling last season - that Chelsea did not feel invincible and there were areas where they could be exploited.

Yet nobody managed to take advantage as they went unbeaten in their WSL, FA Cup and League Cup triumphs.

They took time to settle in Friday's opening game, instead needing to figure out how to stop the movement of their opponents and get around a new-look set-up from Andree Jeglertz in his first game in charge of City.

The match had been teed up nicely by Chelsea's presentation of blockbuster deadline day signing Alyssa Thompson walking out on a red carpet before kick-off.

Sam Kerr, the Australian superstar striker, was also back in the squad for the first time in 20 months after her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

And there was a debut for Kerr's compatriot Ellie Carpenter - an exciting full-back addition from eight-time Champions League winners Lyon.

But after working out City's fluid system, the hosts quickly settled into their usual routine to take control of the match.

They realised Carpenter had the better of City captain Alex Greenwood with her pace and was causing the visiting defence problems. So Chelsea kept getting the ball to Carpenter and the debutant assisted Aggie Beever-Jones for the opener.

They doubled their lead in the second half, capitalising once again with their attacking quality after City created good chances of their own, but did not take them.

An own goal from Niamh Charles on a Greenwood set-piece was the only chink in the armour despite all of City's pressure and creativity - and the unanswered chants of "we want Kerr" was the only thing missing in an otherwise perfect scenario for the Chelsea support.

They had three points against one of their title rivals and Carpenter ran the show.

"Yeah, I'm pleased with the result but also the performance," said manager Bompastor. "In the first half we had control and created the most dangerous opportunities.

"We were able to keep some really good players at City quiet. We had a strong start in the season and I'm pleased with that, but it's only the first game.

"In terms of the psychological aspect, it's always important to beat a big opponent and someone who is trying to fight for the league.

"I won't go crazy with these three points. We still have 21 [games] to go."

Carpenter worked with Bompastor during three of the Frenchwoman's five years at Lyon so they knew each other well before she arrived in London.

With England international Lucy Bronze still recovering from the broken tibia she played with during Euro 2025, Carpenter was handed an immediate chance to make an impression.

And her impact was instant and impressive.

Each time she received the ball, Carpenter was not afraid to take on Greenwood and provided countless opportunities with her direct approach and dangerous deliveries into the box.

"It was a great performance from Ellie. I know Ellie by heart so I was not surprised by her debut for Chelsea and in the league," added Bompastor.

"She is a great player. You could see she brought an immediate impact on the performance and the result.

"She has this quality and she's a good addition to our squad. It's good to have her at Chelsea. We are really proud to have her."

While it felt like the same old for Chelsea, it was a different feel for City.

Swedish boss Jeglertz put his own stamp on their style, making little tweaks and encouraging more dynamism from his team.

Greenwood started at left-back as opposed to the centre-back role she has played in recent seasons for City, while England forward Lauren Hemp switched from the left-hand side to the right and was often inverted.

Midfielders Yui Hasegawa and Sydney Lohmann switched roles throughout and they set up differently when they were pressing Chelsea's backline.

So what worked, and what didn't?

"What is an important thing for me in my way of looking at football is that we need to be dynamic," said Jeglertz. "I think it's the key thing for players to be able to play in different spaces and not always just in one area.

"[Hemp's switch] gives us so many more ways to attack and more possibilities - not just with crosses, but with central combinations.

"I like players who are versatile like she is. She is a clever football player and is good at combining with players. It gives more opportunities for her to combine.

"We put a lot of energy in the high press and I thought we nailed it in the second half. The way Chelsea's formation was initially, we didn't really expect that.

"But of course, everything is about scoring goals and we conceded two. We created enough chances to get at least one point - but that is how it is."