Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa: Champions open WSL season with first win of post-Emma Hayes era

Chelsea began life after Emma Hayes with a 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa on the first day of the 2024/25 WSL season.

New manager Sonia Bampastor's first competitive match in charge of the Blues ended in victory at a sold-out Kingsmeadow on Friday night.

Villa went into the game similarly with a fresh face 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 in the WSL to nine wins from all nine games against them in the top flight.

Chelsea went close to taking the lead inside 90 seconds when Guro Reiten was afforded space for a half-volley on the edge of the Villa box, only for her effort to trickle narrowly wide.

Reiten again let fly from a similar distance soon after when the Blues won possession high up the pitch, but again her shot was off target and the visitors were let off the hook.

Villa's first real chance saw Paula Tomas drag a cross through the six-yard box before Missy Bo Kearns had the ball cleared 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 centre of the pitch and looked to weave her way to the byline, but then cut back inside left-back Tomas and unleashed a fierce strike from distance that gave Sabrina D'Angelo no chance of saving.

After the interval, a looping header from Rachel Daly bounced off the top of the crossbar as Villa sought to level the scores.

Deep into second-half stoppage time, Daly forced Hannah Hampton into an incredible save from a corner before Villa goalkeeper D'Angelo came up with a fine header from a corner which also needed to be kept out the England stopper.

Chelsea managed to hold on and claim the three points despite Villa's late push for an equaliser.

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