Chelsea 3-0 PSG UWCL: Player ratings as Lauren James brace sees Blues take top spot
By Ali Rampling
Chelsea signed off for 2022 by ensuring they progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals as group winners with a comfortable victory over PSG at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
The Blues had already confirmed their place in the knockout stages thanks to last week's victory over Vllaznia, and wrapped up top spot in Group A thanks to a Lauren James brace and stunning solo effort from Sam Kerr.
Despite Chelsea knowing they only required a draw to ensure they topped the group, the fixture was anything but a cagey affair. PSG saw the game's first sightings of goal, Sandy Baltimore firing narrowly wide and Kadidiatou Diani rattling the upright with an audacious effort from range.
But Chelsea gradually began to exert their dominance, with Erin Cuthbert pulling the strings in midfield and Lauren James in the thick of the action on the right flank. Having been fed by Cuthbert, Fran Kirby sent a looping cross to the back post for James to connect with, but she fired narrowly wide.
James then tested Sarah Bouhaddi with a swerving effort after working the space herself with a series of step overs, before again being denied by the PSG goalkeeper after superb work from Cuthbert.
It was ultimately a moment of Kerr magic that broke the deadlock four minutes before the break, the Australian striker picking up a loose ball and rifling a left-footed effort into the top corner.
Having done everything but get on the scoresheet in the first half, it was James who doubled Chelsea's advantage 10 minutes into the second. The Blues capitalised on Bouhaddi's poor attempted pass out from the back, Kirby and Kerr combined, and the latter fed James, who stroked home.
Chelsea wrapped up the victory with a slick third just after the hour. Kerr and Magdalena Eriksson linked up on the left, Guro Reiten split the PSG with a stunning pass, and Kirby had the awareness to unselfishly cut the ball back for James, who couldn't miss.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Zecira Musovic - 6/10 - Largely a spectator and didn't have a great deal to do.
RB: Niamh Charles - 7/10 - Had a real battle with the world class Martens, and the PSG winger was withdrawn at the break having struggled to get the better of Charles.
CB: Kadeisha Buchanan - 7/10 - Won so much in the air and swept up magnificently with her pace and reading of the game.
CB: Millie Bright - 6/10 - Steady and solid, hardly gave the PSG forward line a sniff.
LB: Magdalena Eriksson - 6/10 - Involved in the build up to Chelsea's third, combining well with Kerr and Reiten. Beaten by Baltimore early in the first half, but otherwise solid.
CM: Sophie Ingle - 8/10 - Won the arial duel in the build up to Chelsea's opener. Steady and composed and works really well alongside Cuthbert.
CM: Erin Cuthbert - 9/10 - Pulled the strings in midfield and was at the heart of every positive Chelsea move, feeding Kirby in the build up to a chance for James, before bursting past two PSG defenders to tee up the James again in the first half. Crunched into tackles and so efficient in possession.
RW: Lauren James - 9/10 - So close to getting on the scoresheet in the first half, firing a volley narrowly wide before working two opportunities herself with her skill and strength, but denied by Bouhaddi on both occasions. Deservedly on the scoresheet in the second half with a well-taken brace.
AM: Fran Kirby - 8/10 - Picked out James with a smart, looping cross to the back post in the first half. Cleverly combined with Kerr for Chelsea's second, before showing terrific awareness and unselfishness to cut the ball back to James for her side's third.
LW: Guro Reiten - 7/10 - Pivotal to Chelsea's third with a stunning, defence splitting pass in the build up.
ST: Sam Kerr - 8/10 - Opened the scoring in stunning fashion, rifling a left-footed effort into the top corner from the edge of the box. Teed up James for Chelsea's second and was instrumental in the third, spinning de Almeida to kickstart the move into life.
Substitutes
SUB: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (63' for James) - 6/10
SUB: Bethany England (73' for Kerr) - 6/10
SUB: Jessie Fleming (73' for Cuthbert) - 6/10
SUB: Jelena Cankovic (73' for Reiten) - 6/10
SUB: Eve Perisset (79' for Charles) - 6/10
PSG player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Sarah Bouhaddi - 5/10 - Denied James with a pair of smart saves in the first half, keeping out a swerving shot and tipping a close range effort around the post. At fault for Chelsea's second with a poor back pass.
RB: Li Mengwen - 6/10 - Not completely overrun by Reiten as most fullbacks have been this season. Rarely ventured forward.
CB: Elisa de Almeida - 4/10 - Wrong-footed by Kerr in the build up to Chelsea's opener, and spun by the Chelsea forward in the build up to conceding a third.
CB: Amanda Ilestedt - 5/10 - Struggled to contend with the movement of Kerr and Chelsea's dynamic front three.
LB: Sakina Karchaoui - 4/10 - Misjudged the bounce in build up to Chelsea's opener, enabling the ball to run through to Kerr and largely given the runaround by James.
CM: Oriane Jean-Francois - 5/10 - Couldn't contain Kirby and Cuthbert and struggled to exert her dominance on the game.
CM: Laurina Fazer - 4/10 - Largely overrun by the excellent Cuthbert, lost out in the air to Ingle in the build up to Chelsea's opener, and withdrawn at half time.
CM: Grace Getoro - 6/10 - Looked one of PSG's most dangerous players when on the ball, but drifted in and out of the game as Chelsea dominated.
RW Sandy Baltimore - 5/10 - Fired narrowly wide in the opening exchanges, but that would be her clearest sighting of goal all evening, and she was withdrawn early in the second half after being left to feed off scraps.
ST: Kadidiatou Diani - 6/10 - Cracked the bar in the first half with an audacious effort from range. Looked PSG's most dangerous player, but largely starved of service.
LW: Lieke Martens - 4/10 - Struggled to exert any influence on the game before being withdrawn at the break.
Substitutes
SUB: Ramona Bachmann (45' for Martens) - 5/10
SUB: Kheira Hamraoui (45' for Fazer) - 5/10
SUB: Magnaba Koné Folquet (59' for Baltimore) - 5/10
SUB: Soufiya Ngueleu (79' for Diani) - 5/10