Bompastor Praises Chelsea’s ‘Great Performance’ After Victory Over Manchester City Secures Top WSL Spot

Following their victory over Manchester City, Chelsea, under Sonia Bompastor, appears to be continuing its trajectory of success, reminiscent of its previous period. Bompastor praised the team’s “great performance” after the win propelled Chelsea to the top of the league. Sonia Bompastor has commenced her tenure as manager, succeeding Emma Hayes, with an exceptionally strong beginning. A 2-0 win against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge elevated Chelsea above their competitors to the top of the table, extending their perfect record to 10 victories from 10 matches across all competitions. Bompastor has set a new Women’s Super League (WSL) record, becoming the first manager to secure wins in her initial seven games at the helm, a feat she described as “there to be broken.” Despite her post-match comment, “It’s not about me,” Bompastor’s satisfaction was evident upon the final whistle in London. She remarked, “When you are on the touchline as a manager you have a lot of emotions – sometimes frustration, sometimes happiness.” Bompastor further elaborated, “When I saw the two great goals, I really enjoyed it. I know how difficult it is to score against a really good Manchester City team.” She added, “I just wanted to enjoy it. You don’t get that many opportunities in these great environments to get a victory and a clean sheet against Manchester City – one of the best teams in Europe. “Everything is almost perfect. If you don’t enjoy it now, you will never enjoy it.”” Chelsea’s victory over Manchester City positioned them firmly in control of the WSL title race. Manchester City had traveled to London undefeated, still recalling their impressive win against European champions Barcelona earlier in the current season. However, the absence of England forward Lauren Hemp proved detrimental, and in what Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor characterized as “a game of errors,” Chelsea demonstrated their decisive effectiveness. The cautious first half shifted dramatically when Mayra Ramirez bypassed Alanna Kennedy and Alex Greenwood to score Chelsea’s initial goal, followed four minutes later by Guro Reiten extending the lead to 2-0. This outcome was substantial, even at an early stage of the season, as Chelsea’s game in hand provides them with a strategic advantage in the title contest. They currently hold a two-point lead at the summit, having already faced both City and Arsenal – a daunting prospect for rivals aiming to prevent their quest for a sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title. Bompastor stated, “Maybe at the moment the opposition can think [we are the team to beat] because we have had seven wins in a row in the league.” She continued, “Joining Chelsea, I was really aligned – and still am – with the vision and the ambitions. We are the holders in this competition. “If everyone thinks we are the team to beat, that’s fine for us. As a manager, I love to embrace the pressure. That’s the job.”” Chelsea, under the leadership of captain Millie Bright, has maintained a perfect record in all competitions this season. Nevertheless, Chelsea’s performance was not entirely flawless. Both teams experienced periods of exerting pressure, yet neither managed to establish dominance. In the first half, Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw received an opportunity to score the opening goal at 1-0 following Sandy Baltimore’s errant back pass, but the WSL’s leading scorer failed to convert the chance. The second half remained characterized by mistakes, but Chelsea ultimately capitalized, securing the win despite not performing optimally. Bompastor had stated on Friday that they “had a plan to deal” with Manchester City’s possession dominance, and this strategy proved effective, even though their opponents held 63% of the ball. Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert commented, “It was a different type of performance. We have dominated a lot of games possession-wise but tonight we were happy to sit behind the ball, be compact. “It was more of a traditional performance – but Sonia is a winner and will do whatever it takes to win. We got the tactics spot on.”” With several key players still sidelined – including strikers Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel, who are recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, as is defender Kadeisha Buchanan, and with England forward Lauren James and defender Niamh Charles also absent – Chelsea’s potential for improvement is considerable. The most striking aspect might be that the team is still operating below its peak performance level. Bompastor stated, “Maybe one of my strengths – and the staff’s – is that we know exactly how we have to perform. We have a clear vision on what we have to do to achieve our goals. “At the moment we are performing, getting good results, but there is still lots of room for improvement. We have players injured who can come into the squad. “Sometimes people think because you have the good results, that’s enough. For me, that is not enough. I know exactly what we have to do to get even better.””