Chelsea women's player ratings vs Leicester: Lionesses hero Aggie Beever-Jones keeps reigning WSL champions perfect as Sam Kerr gets more minutes

In-form striker Aggie Beever-Jones scored again as Chelsea made it three wins from three with a tight 1-0 victory over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. The Blues forward maintained her perfect record of scoring in every WSL game so far this season with a well-taken finish against Rick Passmoor’s Foxes, who played well for large periods but lacked killer instinct in the final third.

In a match which started with an impeccably observed minute’s silence in tribute to Matt Beard, the former Chelsea manager who tragically passed away on Saturday, the visitors made a bright start at Kingsmeadow. But Chelsea soon took the lead when Beever-Jones took advantage of a ricochet off Celeste Boureille to find the back of the net for the third time this season. There was a tale of two full-blooded challenges in and around Beever-Jones’ goal, though, as first Chelsea captain Millie Bright and then Leicester midfielder Emily van Egmond were perhaps fortunate not to receive red cards for robust tackles in separate incidents. Sonia Bompastor’s side kept pushing for a second before the break as Erin Cuthbert and Keira Walsh forced excellent saves from Leicester goalkeeper Janina Leitzig.

Looking to inject more energy into her side’s play, Bompastor brought on both Maika Hamano and Alyssa Thompson at half-time. But while both substitutions tried to make Chelsea’s lead more comfortable, opportunities were few and far between as Leicester remained in the game, albeit being reduced to hopeful long-range efforts which failed to test Blues goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Sam Kerr soon made her return to Kingsmeadow after recovering from an ACL injury, and she almost got on the end of a fantastic solo run from Beever-Jones. Leicester kept probing, though, and they came close to snatching a late equaliser but Hampton made a superb save to deny Rosella Ayane right at the death, ensuring the three points headed to the champions.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Made a terrific save right at the death to deny Ayane.
Nathalie Bjorn (6/10):
Up against Hlin Eiriksdottir, it was a solid outing from the Sweden international.
Millie Bright (6/10):
Whenever Leicester got into a good position, the captain was generally there to snuff out the danger. But on another day she could have been sent off for a robust first-half challenge.
Veerle Buurman (7/10):
Handed a chance to impress her manager, she was involved in the build up to Beever-Jones' goal, slipping the ball into Cuthbert who kept the chance alive.

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Midfield
Ellie Carpenter (6/10):
Marauded forward as you would expect, but her crosses didn't lead to much.
Keira Walsh (6/10):
Forced Leitzig into an excellent first-half save with a powerful long-range drive.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
All action as always, she kept the ball alive for Beever-Jones' goal and was on the receiving end of a poor challenge from Van Egmond.
Sandy Baltimore (5/10):
Scrapped to create a few crossing opportunities but they were few and far between. She was then withdrawn at half time.
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Attack
Wieke Kaptein (7/10):
One of Chelsea's better performers, she pierced through Leicester's midfield, taking up plenty of good positions.
Catarina Macario (5/10):
Tested Leitzig with an effort in the first half before being subbed at half time.
Aggie Beever-Jones (7/10):
Profiting from a ricochet off Boureille, the striker took her goal really well. She came close to setting up Kerr, too, with a lovely solo run.

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Subs & Manager
Guro Reiten (N/A):
A late substitute, she didn't have enough time to make an impact.
Alyssa Thompson (6/10):
Brought on at half time, she added energy to Chelsea's attacking play.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (N/A):
Like Reiten, she wasn't on the pitch long enough to effect the game.
Sam Kerr (6/10):
Returning to Kingsmeadow following her ACL injury, she was almost through on goal following a brilliant run from Beever-Jones, but the chance was snuffed out.
Maika Hamano (6/10):
Introduced for the second half, she was neat and tidy as Chelsea pushed for more goals.
Sonia Bompastor (6/10):
Her decision to start Buurman paid off, though she would have hoped the half-time introduction of both Hamano and Thompson led to more.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager