Chelsea v Paris FC LIVE: Kerr hat-trick steers Blues to Women’s Champions League victory

TNT Sports has licenced the rights from DAZN to co-broadcast one game per match week during the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage as well as each quarter-final, semi-final, and the final itself. So make you tune in for every round of matches to check out the best of the action, as Emma Hayes and Chelsea go in search of the title that would end the manager’s tenure in style.

Sam Kerr scored a superb hat-trick as Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners over Paris FC at Stamford Bridge in the Women’s Champions League.

The French visitors played some excellent attacking football in an evenly-balanced first half, deservedly equalising through Thea Greboval’s towering header after Kerr had opened the scoring for Chelsea on the end of a teasing Lauren James cross.

But it was the Blues who dominated after the break, with Kerr bagging her second shortly after the interval, meeting Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s low cross to restore Chelsea’s lead.

And the Australian completed her hat-trick on 56 minutes with a brilliant third, latching on to a long ball forward from the goalkeeper and sending an audacious lobbed shot over the goalkeeper from outside of the box.

Chelsea controlled proceedings from thereon in, withdrawing Kerr and James to rest them up for the weekend’s fixture against Leicester City.

And substitute Sophie Ingle added gloss to the scoreline with a volleyed finish from a corner in stoppage time to make it four.

The final whistle goes and Chelsea have picked up three important points to strengthen their standing in Group D.

That’s the game. Sophie Ingle meets a low corner first time, turning a volley on target after being left completely unmarked in the box. 4-1.

There will be five minutes added on at the end of this game.

A Chelsea win here would take them to four points after two games, two behind Häcken, with Real Madrid and Paris FC sitting third and fourth respectively. Hayes would have taken that at the start of the campaign although will still be annoyed that her side didn’t pick up the win in Madrid last time out.

Chelsea are trying to keep the ball and deny Paris possession in attacking areas, with three points on the horizon.

Buchanan is withdrawn moments after making an important sliding tackle in the box, with Mjelde replacing her.

It’s perhaps a final roll of the dice for the visitors as they throw on attacking options in search of two late goals. Bussy is a real talent and will be a big threat in these final ten minutes or so.

3-3 draws have been something of a speciality for Paris FC this season and they’re eying another one here, throwing plenty of bodies forward.

Paris aren’t out of this game yet, and Berger makes a fingertip stop after a brilliant flowing move carves open the Chelsea defence.

It’s a standing ovation for Sam Kerr as she is withdrawn by Emma Hayes. Tonight is the eighth time she has scored a hat-trick for Chelsea and she’s put her team on course for a win here. Fishel comes on. And Lauren James is also taken off, with Perisset on.

Paris work an overlap only for play to be brought back due to the ball flicking off the referee. It’s probably the right call, but feels quite harsh for Paris, who had won the ball back off Chelsea and were building a decent attack, only for the hosts to get the drop ball.

The Chelsea midfielder is back on after that stoppage, applauded back onto the field by the home supporters.

The Chelsea midfielder goes down hard in a challenge and the medics are on. It looked like she may have clashed heads there.

A Chelsea break sees Kaneryd find Kirby, whose cross is brilliant and picks out Kerr coming in at the far side. It looks all the world like a fourth goal is coming, but she slices her effort wide.

Fleury has only just come on and very nearly pulls one back for the visitors, dropping into a pocket of space in the box but sending her shot off target when she really should have at least tested Berger.

Cuthbert turns and finds herself in space with the goal within range. She has a crack and sends a fizzing shot narrowly over the bar with the goalkeeper struggling. That would have been a belter and it wasn’t far away.

Chelsea mix things up in midfield, with Ingle replacing Nusken.

It’s a hat-trick for Sam Kerr! A long ball forward is snatched onto by Kerr, who bursts forward with the two covering defenders chasing her down. The Australian was never going to make it all the way into the box, so opts for a chipped shot from range as she comes under pressure from the defenders, sending a looping shot over the keeper. Nnadozie scrambles back but can’t keep it out as the ball drops over her head and in. 3-1!