Sam Kerr celebrtes with her Chelsea teammates in match against Wolfsburg Source: Chelsea FC www.chelseafc.com
Sam Kerr has dazzled in three consecutive performances for Chelsea FC, in both legs of the Champion’s League quarter-final against Wolfsburg, and a WSL match against Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old scored a stunning goal from a tight angle in the 55th minute in the first leg of the quarter-final to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead before helping set up Pernille Harder in the 66th.
Kerr then proceeded to back up the mid-week performance on Sunday against Aston Villa, the Australian was the only goal scorer for the match, combining with teammate Fran Kirby in the 24th minute for a header between the penalty spot and six-yard both. She then backed up that first goal with a second after half time, with a clinical first touch shot over the keeper.
Anticipation was high once again with the second mid-week clash in as many weeks, with Chelsea on the road for the second leg of the Quarter-final. Kerr made sure she was on the score sheet once more, putting the ball into the back of the net whilst surrounded by three opponents in the 31st minute.
Kerr’s two goals across both legs helped Chelsea defeat Wolfsburg for the first time in the Champion’s league, with the Blues making their third semi-final in three years.
On one of the biggest stages in women’s soccer Kerr stood up and proved why she is one of the leading faces in women’s soccer. Despite lockdowns in the UK, Kerr has improved her craft this season, scoring 15 goals in her 19 appearances for the Blues. Additionally, she has settled into a comfortable rhythm with her partner upfront, Kirby, the pair providing assists to one another nine times this season, with Kerr leading on the scoreboard with five goals to Kirby’s four.
Coach Emma Hayes has publicly stated she wants to see more improvement from the Australian, but she didn’t hold back sharing how happy she was with Kerr’s performance following the first leg of the quarter-final.
“It was her best game in a Chelsea shirt. She looked relaxed and calm, held the ball up, and had a swagger about her game,” she said.
“I thought Sam was unbelievable tonight. She enjoyed being on the biggest stage and showing why she is one of the best in the world.”
There is little doubt Kerr is one of the best soccer players Australia has ever produced, leading on the field as captain of the Matildas and as the face of the W-League for years before transferring to Chelsea in 2019 and just this week the 27-year-old was ranked second in ESPN’s ‘Top 50 Female Footballers’ only falling behind American star Sam Mewis.
The semi-final against the winner between Bayern Munich and Rosengard will go ahead at the end of April, but Australians won’t have to wait much longer to see Kerr lead the Matildas for the first time in over 12 months, with a pair of friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands set to go ahead on the 11th and 14th of April.
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