Chelsea started life after Emma Hayes with a 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 2024/25 WSL season.
New manager Sonia Bampastor’s first competitive game in charge of the Blues ended with victory at a sold-out Kingsmeadow on Friday night.
Villa similarly went into the game fresh-faced in the dugout, but Robert de Pauw’s first game resulted in defeat.
The hosts’ triumph means they have extended their perfect record against Villa to the WSL to nine wins from nine games against them in the top flight.
Chelsea came close to taking the lead on 90 seconds when Guro Reiten had space for a half-volley on the edge of the Villa box, only for his effort to go just wide.
Reiten again let fly from a similar distance soon after as the Blues won possession high up the pitch, but again his shot was deflected wide and the visitors headed wide.
Villa’s first real chance saw Paula Tomas drag a cross across the six-yard box before Missy Bo Kearns cleared the ball off the line when possession was recycled soon after.
Ten minutes before the break, Chelsea broke the deadlock. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd received possession in the center of the pitch and looked to weave her way towards the byline, but then clipped left-back Tomas and unleashed a fierce strike from distance that missed no chance to save Sabrina D’Angelo.
After the break Rachel Daly’s header bounced off the top of the crossbar Village intended to equalize the results.
In second-half stoppage time, Daly forced Hannah Hampton into an incredible save from a corner before Villa keeper D’Angelo headed home from a corner which was also ‘had to keep out the English stopper.
Chelsea managed to hang on and claim all three points despite Villa’s late push for an equaliser.
