Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the Women’s Super League season continued as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Kingsmeadow thanks to a goal from Keira Walsh.
But it came just after the hour mark in what was a close game.
And player of the match Alyssa Thompson revealed afterwards what was said in the changing room at half-time.
“We were just saying keep going at them,” said the US international when interviewed live on Sky Sports. “We had a pretty good first half and we were creating chances, we just needed to put them in the back of the net.
“We all had confidence in each other – just keep doing the same things we were doing.”
And it paid off with a moment of brilliance from Lioness Walsh – and Thompson was quick to praise her team-mate, whose goalscoring is not the biggest part of her game, but who tends to notch spectacular strikes when she does get on the scoresheet.
“Keira is such a great player,” she said. “That shot, we knew was coming – just being able to have that accuracy, we see it in training and [her] previous goals.
“Just having her finish that off for us was great.”
Alyssa Thompson: This was a team performance
However, Thompson was pleased with the team as a whole, explaining: “I felt like today we really played together and we were able to fight for each other on the field. This game, our win, was definitely a team performance.
“We as a whole stayed together the whole game and we just had a great performance overall.”
And she added that she had settled in to the club quickly following her record transfer from Angel City FC in the NWSL last month.
“It’s been great. Having Cat and Nay [Catarina Macario and Naomi Girma] here from the US has been amazing. Everyone on the team has been super welcoming. I feel like I’m just learning so much already, which is so great.
“The players on my team are amazing, so being able to come to training every day with them is great.”
The win keeps Chelsea at the top of the table, remaining two points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.
The Blues’ next WSL match is on Sunday, 1st November – after the international break – when they face London City Lionesses.
Before that, they have a UEFA Women’s Champions League match against Paris FC on Wednesday, 15th October.
