Chelsea begin life under Sonia Bompastor with nervy opening Women's Super League win over Aston Villa

Tasked with the unenviable occupation of succeeding Emma Hayes, nether whom the Blues 5 consecutive WSL titles, the erstwhile Lyon manager saw her caller broadside borderline to an unconvincing triumph courtesy of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's fantabulous solo extremity precocious successful the archetypal half, steering the shot beyond Villa goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo successful a infinitesimal of uncommon quality.

Villa for their portion displayed a steely determination to bounds their hosts to a azygous extremity successful what was an awesome archetypal crippled successful complaint for caller brag Robert de Pauw, and mightiness person snatched a constituent successful spectacular manner astatine the decease erstwhile D'Angelo came up for a country and saw her header brilliantly turned implicit the barroom by Hannah Hampton.

Chelsea should person gone successful beforehand aft 4 minutes erstwhile Guro Reiten's transverse was met astatine the acold station by Sjoeke Nusken, but her first-time cross-shot sailed crossed extremity and distant to safety.

Reiten was astatine the bosom of Chelsea's aboriginal originative play. It was her shot successful towards the six-yard container that was headed consecutive into the hands of Villa goalkeeper D'Angelo, past she skewed a decent accidental wide aft uncovering abstraction to conscionable Rytting Kaneryd's cut-back.

The deadlock was breached aft 36 minutes and it was each Rytting Kaneryd's ain work. The shot arrived astatine helium feet successful a cardinal presumption with Lucy Bronze striding up extracurricular her. Feigning to pass, she chopped backmost wrong onto her near foot, near defender Paula Tomas connected the crushed and sent an effort curling astir the dive of D'Angelo and into the country for the archetypal extremity of Bompastor's reign.

Millie Bright ought person doubled the pb connected the changeable of half-time erstwhile she miscued a header from Erin Cuthbert's heavy cross, glancing her effort wide from six yards out.

Rachel Daly sent a caput up and connected to Hampton's crossbar from Kenza Dali's transverse successful the archetypal moments of the 2nd fractional arsenic Villa reminded Chelsea of their threat, moments aft Mayra Ramirez had thumped an effort into the broadside netting for the hosts.

Cuthbert lashed a changeable implicit the barroom from conscionable extracurricular the container arsenic the crippled took connected a frenetic energy. There was a caller urgency to Chelsea's play that hinted they were wary of Villa's attacking danger.

Moments later, Cuthbert again tried her luck, seeking to drawback retired D'Angelo with a spinning thrust from scope that the goalkeeper got down to well.

Lucy Parker astir turned the shot past her ain goalkeeper from Chelsea substitute Maika Hamano's cross, lone a astute halt from D'Angelo preventing the champions from sealing the win.

Daly's thumping header was beaten distant by Hampton successful stoppage clip past D'Angelo, up for a last-gasp free-kick, saw her effort brilliantly turned implicit by her counterpart successful the Chelsea extremity arsenic Villa's brave situation fell short.