Sonia Bompastor’s side made light work of the London derby with a dominant 3-0 win over West Ham. Melvine Malard got us started before Keira Walsh and Maika Hamano came off the bench to wrap up all three points late on. But can we talk about this defence? That's six consecutive clean sheets across all competitions now- absolute brick wall at the back!
That late equaliser was such a bizarre moment. The whole situation with the goal kick and the penalty happened so quickly that I had to watch it back. Not really looking to blame anyone, but it got me thinking about how these kinds of communication mix ups can happen at this level, especially in such an important moment of a game. Has anyone seen anything similar happen in the WSL or Champions League before?
Seb giving up his directorship to dedicate himself to this project really stood out to me. It’s one thing to dream about building your own home, but completely another to put such a big part of your working life on hold to make it happen. Whatever the final result, I have a lot of respect for the commitment that takes. You can tell this isn’t just a house project for him, it’s something he’s genuinely poured himself into.
It’s funny seeing a former Spurs academy player end up at Cobham after spending so many years in their setup. Given how many young players Chelsea have around the club, I’m curious whether Black can actually push towards the first team rather than just becoming another name in the academy ranks.
Ran across an interview clip of Teemu talking about his time in Norfolk and it made me proper nostalgic. What an absolute bargain he was, joining us on a free and going on to score 87 league goals for Norwich.
He was absolute class on and off the pitch, and always seemed to carry himself brilliantly even when things weren't going our way in the Premier League. Norwich themselves described him as one of the best players in the club's history.
Unquestionably a modern-day Norwich legend for me
He came on early after Ethan Mbappé went off injured and eventually grabbed France’s second in the 2-0 win over Estonia. Hopefully another little confidence boost for him after joining Leeds.
Palmer is set to withdraw from the England squad with a minor injury, with Morgan Gibbs-White expected to replace him. Really unlucky timing for Palmer. After being recalled by Tuchel following the World Cup omission, this was a good chance for him to get back involved with England and show what he can do. He's started six of Chelsea's seven games this season and already has four goals and two assists, so hopefully this is genuinely just a minor issue and nothing that keeps him out for long. Gibbs-White was apparently already close to making the squad, so it makes sense for him to come in. I just hope Palmer gets the rest he needs and comes back fully fit. That's the main thing.
Seeing the reports linking us with Alessandro Bastoni and a potential £68.6m move has definitely caught my attention.
I can see why Chelsea would be interested. We’ve been conceding far too many goals and Bastoni is experienced at the highest level, comfortable on the ball and used to playing in a back three.
Obviously, this is just a reported interest at this point, and £68.6m is a serious amount of money for a centre-back. Barcelona are also reportedly interested, so it's not like we'd be the only club looking at him.
But if the club genuinely thinks Bastoni is the defender who can improve the back line, I'd rather see them spend big on someone proven than sign another young project and hope it works out.
Would you be happy with Chelsea spending around £69m on Bastoni?
I honestly thought we were going to lose this after Hull scored twice in the first half. Going 2-1 down after taking the lead was so frustrating, and Chelsea looked like they were making things harder for themselves. João Pedro getting the equaliser in the second half was a huge relief though. At that point I was just hoping we could somehow find a winner, but in the end we had to settle for the draw.
What a way to start the game! 1-0 up and suddenly I’m believing in everything again. The boys need to stay focused now because there’s still a long way to go, but I LOVE this start. Come onnnnn Chelsea, finish the job!
A hat-trick against Colchester after Swindon went 1-0 down is some introduction. What caught my eye wasn't just the three goals, but the fact that he scored them in the second half after Colchester had looked comfortable early on. Is this the beginning of a big season for Drinan, or is it too early to read much into one game?