Chelsea 6-1 Twente, Women's Champions League: Post-match reaction

Yesterday at 04:55 PM

It's raining goals at the Bridge!

Besides Chelsea Women's debut in the UEFA Women's Champions League group stage against Real Madrid, manager Sonia Bompastor has consistently sent out heavily rotated starting elevens to take on our opposition. However with the rematch against the Spaniards set to take place next week, and a Women's Super League weekend encounter against a Leicester City side sitting second-to-last place in the domestic tournament, Bompastor felt it was best to use today's game against Twente as a way to keep some of our main players in shape.

Soon enough the talent gap between the hosts and the visitors was in clear display. Mayra Ramírez and Catarina Macario combined in a counterattack to get Chelsea the lead only two minutes after kick-off.

This could have been the tune set for the rest of the match, had it not been for the issues setting Chelsea back throughout the season, especially in those matches where we're expected to dominate. It can very well boil down to the tiredness of giving the utmost week in and out to keep up the winning streak that put us five points ahead of Manchester City in the WSL, and also in first place in our UWCL group.

Against a team like Twente, with a good bunch of hard-working players such as Jaimy Ravensbergen that aren't as talented as her attacking counterparts at Chelsea, this rarely goes punished. When it does, as it did when Twente won a penalty spot kick and converted it via Kayleigh van Dooren, it's hard not to question why they let things come to such a place when they have the talent and the tactics not to let it happen so often.

If this team are still figuring out how to defend, they know very well how to attack. Oriane Jean-François got an assist from Ramírez to cut through Twente's backline and get us back in the lead.

Once again, there's so much talent in this Chelsea team that you can only wonder how far they can go by the end of the season. From 40 yards out Ramírez saw the goalkeeper very far from the posts, and took her chance. Of course it went in.

When it rains, it pours. Another goalkeeper mistake gave the Blues a fourth goal in the first half, with Erin Cuthbert stealing the ball upfront and getting some help from Anna Knol as the latter tried a clearance off the line.

The Blues could sit back and relax in the second half, with a three-goal lead at hand and Twente not looking nearly as threatening as they were in the last minutes of the first half. But just to make sure, we added a fifth via Sjoeke Nüsken, less than two minutes after her introduction during half-time.

Despite the now huge lead, the Blues didn't take the foot off the gas pedal. In fact they only became more dominant against the Dutch visitors at Stamford Bridge, forcing more Olivia Clark interventions between Twente's posts with great help from the work of Erin and Sjoeke in midfield.

A sixth goal felt as if it was only a matter of time. On minute 85 it arrived on an Ève Périsset volley.

Carefree!

• Loads of (first-choice) starters today, including Mayra Ramírez... and Niamh Charles!
• Practically two assists and a wonderful goal from Mayra today in 45 minutes of play.
• Sjoeke Nüsken, natural goalscorer.
• Ève Périsset gets her second Champions League goal this season, to top off an overall great performance from her.
• Next up: Leicester City away in the Women's Super League.
• KTBFFH!