Chelsea back at the top: Bompastor's game plan is paying off

Chelsea did not enter this season as the favourites to win the Women's Super League. Even so, the team rose to the top of the table on goal difference after seven matches without defeat. The league's top scorers, its most prolific chance creators and its least-conceded side, Chelsea present a serious challenge to Man City.

Sonia Bompastor's long-held aims of technical control and positional play are now visible on the pitch. The team's attack relies on high, overlapping full-backs who control the tempo of passing and recover quickly when possession is lost. Ellie Carpenter and Katie McCabe are the best examples of this role. Carpenter leads the league among defenders in goals, shots and touches in the opposition penalty area.

In midfield, the arrival of Lexi Potter allowed Keira Walsh to move into a more advanced role. This change has helped Chelsea set the pace of matches more effectively. The football produced is not only easier to watch but also more reliable in front of goal.

Melvine Malard and Lauren James have contributed in front of goal, and combined with the midfield's high ball-winning pressure, the team scores from a wide range of players. Walsh and Sjoeke Nusken's four goals between them are a concrete example of this variety. The two substitutions made at half-time in the match against Palace also showed how effective Bompastor's in-game management has been.

Whether Chelsea can sustain this consistency will become clearer in the coming weeks. Still, the data from the first seven rounds clearly show that the team has returned to the centre of the title race.