Ellie Carpenter came off the bench to score in her 50th UWCL outing as Chelsea women beat Roma 2-0 on Wednesday. The win pushed Chelsea to the top of today's UEFA Women's Champions League standings, tied with Arsenal and OL Lyonnes with seven points off three matches.
Carpenter Slots in to Give Chelsea the Lead in UWCL Deadlock
Chelsea controlled the first half but couldn’t convert, prompting coach Sonia Bompastor to pull both Lauren James and Alyssa Thompson at the break. When Carpenter subbed in, she needed just six minutes to make a difference.
The Australian right-back linked up with Wieke Kaptein before driving a hard shot that clipped Roma defender Winonah Heatley and wrong-footed goalkeeper Rachele Baldi in the 51st minute.
Chelsea then held firm until the final minutes, when Kadeisha Buchanan climbed above her mark to tap in another Kaptein delivery in the 89th. Still, it was Carpenter who led the charge.
"Ellie is performing at a good level," Bompastor said afterward. "She is really impacting the results for us right now."
With four goals and three assists across all competitions, Carpenter now leads Chelsea in goal contributions this season. Meanwhile, Roma dropped to 16th in the UEFA Women's Champions League standings with just one point.
While Chelsea vs Roma was always expected to favor the hosts, Bompastor's side did well to earn their fourth straight clean sheet in the process.
