The VBS Community Stadium, Sutton, England, November 12 2023 Crystal Palace midfielder Lexi Potter (17) during the FA Womens Championship match between Crystal Palace and Lewes at VBS Community Stadium, Sutton on November 12 2023 (Stephen Flynn/SPP)
Lexi Potter scored the winning goal in a player-of-the-match performance as Chelsea beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 to go second in the Women’s Super League.
Alyssa Thompson had opened the scoring before Carla Camacho levelled things up – but the 19-year-old scored her first senior goal in her first WSL start to seal all three points.
And after the match, her team-mate Keira Walsh was full of praise for her display.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not surprised, I see her in training every day,” Walsh told Sky Sports. “I think she’s had to wait a long time for this but I think it’s more than deserved. She’s an incredible player.
“As you can see, she’s got a very bright future ahead of her.”
Lexi Potter: I’ve been at Chelsea a long time!
Potter, who revealed that her mum was at Kingsmeadow to support her, said she had been delighted when she got the team news.
“I’ve been at the club a long time,” said the academy graduate, who has previously spent time on loan at Crystal Palace
“To score my first goal, I was really happy, and I think [it was] a really good performance from the girls.”
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor had hinted ahead of the game that she was intending to rotate her starting line-up for the match, coming three days after the Subway Women’s League Cup final.
“My job as a manager is to make sure I prepare my players in the best way possible for them to perform at their best level, and as a staff we know exactly what we need to provide to the players for them to be coming into every game with fresh legs,” she told the club’s official website.
The WSL: as it stands
With this win, Chelsea moved on to 36 points, six behind leaders Manchester City.
The Blues could have been leapfrogged in the WSL table later in the evening by Manchester United, who kicked off late at West Ham United due to the London traffic.
But Marc Skinner’s side managed only a 0-0 draw, lifting them to 35 points – three points ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.
