Chelsea 2-1 Paris FC: Alyssa Thompson is a ‘real bright spark’ but the best is ‘yet to come’

Chelsea in control Victory over Paris FC The newest member of their attack, Alyssa Thompson, lit up as she traversed Stamford Bridge with graceful runs and ultimately received the rewards her efforts deserved.

Thompson may only be 20 years old, but her arrival at Chelsea has been accompanied by lofty expectations stemming from the club’s record price tag. And now, in her seventh appearance, she’s finally off the mark.

She ran down the flanks and led on the counter-attack for her team, showing excellent positioning to put herself in the right position to set up Johanna Retting-Canerried’s goal, and scoring an excellent goal from Keira Walsh to score her first goal for the club.

It was an impressive display, but, as director Sonia Bombastor says, the best is yet to come.

“Young player, she has a lot of talent, but I think we haven’t seen the best from her yet, but hopefully we will see it soon,” Bombastor said.

“She’s coming from abroad, she speaks the language, which helps, but again, it’s a new environment, a new club, and she needs to learn how to communicate with the new players on the pitch, and her new teammates, so hopefully, even sooner, we’ll see a better version.”

Thompson’s first goal is one that will make her “feel good”, says Brighton striker Fran Kirby, who previously spent nine years at Chelsea.

Former Scotland captain Rachel Corsi added that now that Thompson has scored, she imagines “the floodgates will open”.

“It was a really bright spark,” Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I think she looked very strong against Tottenham, and that was probably the final product.

“Today, getting that assist and goal will make her feel more comfortable going into the next game. It will take a little bit of pressure off of her.”