London England, March 27th 2025: Mayra Ramirez of Chelsea celebrate with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd of Chelsea and Lauren James of Chelsea after scoring a goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London, England (Alexander Canillas/SPP)
Lauren James scored twice in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over WSL bottom side Leicester City, sealing UEFA Women’s Champions League football for the Blues next season.
And after the match, Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor had lots of praise for the Lioness.
“I think everyone knows the quality LJ has,” Bompastor said, according to the club’s official website.
“She’s a world-class player. When she’s playing at that level, she’s one of the best in the world, for sure. It’s good to have her on my team. It’s good to coach her. I enjoyed watching her performance today.
“She’s been doing a lot for weeks now. In terms of the women’s game, it’s good to have a player like her for the fans, her team-mates, but also for the players who are playing against her. It’s good to see a player of that level.”
Sonia Bompastor: Champions League football is crucial for Chelsea
Unsurprisingly, Bompastor was also pleased to confirm European football with a victory that also saw Sam Kerr become the club’s leading WSL goalscorer of all time.
“I’m really pleased with the result,” she said.
“It was a really important one. We are now qualified for next season’s Champions League, which is crucial for a club like Chelsea.
“And the first half was good in terms of the performance. We could have done better in the second half.”
Chelsea are second in the table, six points behind leaders Manchester City. They could yet be leapfrogged by Arsenal, who have two games in hand, and as such can still win the title – or finish in second place.
