Postpublished at 15 mins
St Polten 0-1 Chelsea
A rare loose pass from Keira Walsh falls to Carina Brunold. She's got half of the pitch to run and Lucy Bronze to beat but opts for a poor pass to her right and the play breaks down.
Summary
Chelsea claim thumping win over Austrian side to go second in league table after three games
Kerr scores twice on her first start for Blues since December 2023
James makes first appearance since Euro 2025 final
Other goals came from Kaptein, Macario (two) and Ebert own goal
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Postpublished at 15 mins
GOAL - St Polten 0-1 Chelseapublished at 20:13 GMT
Wieke Kaptein (12 mins)
There it is.
Chelsea are patient as Catarina Macario slides in Ellie Carpenter. She picks out the run of Wieke Kaptein in the box and she slots into the bottom corner.
Image source, Getty Images'Fantastic opportunity for Kerr'published at 20:12 GMT
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Anita Asante
Former Arsenal defender on Disney+Fantastic opportunity there for Chelsea to get on the scoresheet.
Sam Kerr doesn't quite connect with the ball how she wanted to. Then it's a scrap in the six-yard box.
St Polten get so many bodies around the ball.
Postpublished at 10 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Keira Walsh slips it through for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. She looks for Sam Kerr about six yards from goal but she fluffs her effort and St Polten survive.
Postpublished at 9 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Another Ellie Carpenter cross lands in the gloves of Carina Schluter.
Needs to be better than that.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 20:09 GMT
Comment using the form at the top of this page
I think it will be a good game. Hoping for Chelsea to get their head in the game!!!
Lucas
'Chelsea will need their technicians tonight'published at 20:08 GMT
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Anita Asante
Former Arsenal defender on Disney+St Polten will give Chelsea no room to operate, so they need their technicians. Catarina Macario is one of those who can link up with Sam Kerr.
Postpublished at 7 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea have had 81% of the ball so far.
It's just a matter of time before they open the scoring.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 6 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
This is one-way traffic and nothing else.
St Polten will be somehow hoping to keep Chelsea at bay for as long as possible.
Postpublished at 5 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Speaking of Ellie Carpenter. She looks to drill a low ball across the box but it's straight into the gloves of Carina Schluter.
Postpublished at 4 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Every St Polten player is wearing short sleeves on a night where the temperature is about six degrees Celsius.
Just Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter and Keira Walsh have gone for the short-sleeve option for Chelsea.
Must be hard as nails.
get involved Get Involved - 'Attack-minded Chelsea'published at 20:02 GMT
Comment using the form at the top of this page
My eyes nearly popped out when I saw the Chelsea line-up - talk about attack minded! Good to see the return of Girma and Lauren James - who we have really missed creatively. Kerr to score two.
Scott - Fife
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 2 mins
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
As expected, Lucy Bronze starts at centre half alongside Naomi Girma. Ellie Carpenter is in her favoured right-back spot.
KICK-OFFpublished at 20:01 GMT
St Polten 0-0 Chelsea
Away we go in Austria.
'An early goal would be great'published at 19:59 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor was very complimentary of St Polten ahead of tonight's tie.
The two sides have different ambitions in the competition but the Frenchwoman isn't underestimating the Austrian outfit.
"They are a well-organised defensive unit, very compact. They don't allow you much space on the pitch and they are aggressive out of possession, so it's always difficult to break their lines, to break their block. An early goal would be great; if not, we must stay patient."
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 19:58 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
Big fan of the Women's Champions League song.
Another belter.
Postpublished at 19:57 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
Safe to say it looks rather chilly in the ground tonight!
Tonight's venuepublished at 19:57 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
Tonight's match will be played in Vienna's NV Arena. The stadium was opened in 2012 and can hold 8,000 spectators.
The roof structure is made entirely of wood!
Image source, Getty Images'I'm really excited Kerr's starting tonight'published at 19:55 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor, speaking on Disney+: "It has been a quick turnaround from Saturday going into the game tonight. We are expecting a tough game today, rotated a little bit but I think we still have a strong starting 11 to compete in this game and hopefully we see that tonight."
On Sam Kerr starting her first Chelsea game since December 2023: "Really excited about that. I think she's been waiting for that moment to start a game with us, that's a Champions League game. We are expecting to face a low block, so I'm hoping for us to create a lot of opportunities, having a lot of balls in the box and hopefully we see her scoring goals tonight."
'We are confident in her'published at 19:54 GMT
St Polten v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
With Hannah Hampton missing, tonight is a chance for Livia Peng to show what she can do between the sticks.
Sonia Bompastor has faith in the 23-year-old: "The way she is performing, and she hasn’t had a lot of minutes, but she played well in the first game against Twente and she is performing well in every training session.
"It is a positive for her to play in the game and we are confident in her. She has a lot of quality and she will be playing. That is what we’re focused on."
Image source, Getty Images
Sam Kerr's last European goal came on her last start in December 2023
At a glance
Sam Kerr scores twice on her first Chelsea start in almost two years
Catarina Macario scores her first goals this term after Wieke Kaptein's opener
Lauren James has a hand in a goal on her injury return as Chelsea go second in the table on seven points
Sam Kerr scored twice on her first Chelsea start in almost two years as they cruised to victory against St Polten in the Women's Champions League.
After missing several earlier chances, the Australian striker finished from close range in the 75th minute to claim her side's fourth goal, and headed home her second in added time.
A 13th-minute Wieke Kaptein strike and two from the impressive Catarina Macario had put Chelsea in control against their Austrian opponents.
And Lauren James also made an impact off the bench in a fifth goal for Sonia Bompastor's side four minutes from time.
The England forward entered the action in the 76th minute for her first appearance since the Euro 2025 final, and an ambitious long-range effort was diverted in by St Polten defender Lisa Ebert.
Chelsea had 40 shots in the match, 17 on target, and sealed a crushing success when Kerr nodded in the sixth from a Niamh Charles cross.
They were dominant from the start and led when Kaptein met Ellie Carpenter's cut-back with a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Macario doubled the lead just before the break with a left-footed shot across goalkeeper Carina Schluter from the edge of the penalty area.
The United States striker scored her second from the penalty spot shortly after the break after Alyssa Thompson was felled, before Kerr collected a pass from Kaptein to slot home past Schluter.
Kerr, making her first Chelsea start since December 2023 after returning from an ACL injury in September, wasted three presentable opportunities in the first half and smashed another close-range effort over the bar in the second period.
Naomi Girma thought she had scored on her first appearance of the season when her header hit the post, rebounded off the defender and into the goal off the back of her head.
But the 32nd-minute effort was belatedly ruled out because Kerr was offside in the build-up.
Macario came close to completing her hat-trick, but her audacious free-kick cannoned back off the woodwork.
Schluter made a string of fine saves too for the hosts, but the late goals put the gloss on a clinical Chelsea display, giving them two wins and a draw in the competition, while St Polten remain bottom of the table without a point.
Analysis: Kerr shows class is permanent
Having not started a club match in 692 days, Kerr looked a little rusty.
Although the 32-year-old had scored twice in nine cameo appearances this season, starting a match was a different proposition.
Her wayward finishing and two instances of straying offside were uncharacteristic, but the way she touched Kaptein's cross out of her feet before firing home showed she has not lost any of her instincts.
The second goal was vintage Kerr - the awareness to drop off the defender to find space to meet Charles' cross and the accuracy to guide a header high into the net.
After a weekend that saw her side surrender top spot in the Women's Super League to Manchester City, boss Bompastor will take great encouragement not only from Kerr's exploits but James' too as she immediately reminded everyone of her confidence to attack and shoot from distance.
Chelsea are yet to hit the heights of last season, but they are now second in the league phase table with seven points and surging towards the quarter-finals.
What's next for these teams?
On matchday four Chelsea will take on last season's runners-up Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on 20 November (20:00 GMT), while St Polten travel to Oslo, Norway, to face Valerenga on 19 November (20:00 GMT).
Player of the match
Number: 9 C. Macário
Average rating 8.64
Number: 33 C. Schlüter
Average Rating: 6.10Number: 10 K. Elmore
Average Rating: 5.00Number: 16 F. Nagy
Average Rating: 4.55Number: 8 V. Laino
Average Rating: 4.50Number: 27 S. Gutmann
Average Rating: 4.42Number: 18 A. Woelki
Average Rating: 4.27Number: 13 C. Brunold
Average Rating: 4.21Number: 11 M. Rukavina
Average Rating: 4.19Number: 15 L. Peneau
Average Rating: 4.15Number: 14 E. Seiro
Average Rating: 4.13Number: 25 A. Ollivier
Average Rating: 4.10Number: 9 I. Aistleitner
Average Rating: 4.06Number: 5 T. Vračević
Average Rating: 4.06Number: 22 J. Klein
Average Rating: 4.05Number: 6 L. Ebert
Average Rating: 4.00Number: 21 I. Križaj
Average Rating: 4.00Number: 9 C. Macário
Average Rating: 8.64Number: 19 J. Rytting Kaneryd
Average Rating: 8.12Number: 22 L. Bronze
Average Rating: 8.07Number: 2 E. Carpenter
Average Rating: 8.05Number: 18 W. Kaptein
Average Rating: 7.98Number: 10 L. James
Average Rating: 7.74Number: 20 S. Kerr
Average Rating: 7.71Number: 32 L. Potter
Average Rating: 7.66Number: 30 K. Walsh
Average Rating: 7.63Number: 21 N. Charles
Average Rating: 7.59Number: 12 A. Thompson
Average Rating: 7.58Number: 16 N. Girma
Average Rating: 7.45Number: 17 S. Baltimore
Average Rating: 7.33Number: 5 V. Buurman
Average Rating: 7.27Number: 6 S. Nüsken
Average Rating: 7.22Number: 1 L. Peng
Average Rating: 6.88After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
Related topics
UEFA Women's Champions League Scores & Fixtures
Tuesday 11th November
UEFA Women's Champions League Table
On Tuesday 11th November
Skip to table keyMatch Participants:
- Chelsea, Position 2, Points 7
- St. Pölten, Position 18, Points 0
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 OL Lyonnes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
|
2 Chelsea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 7 |
|
3 Real Madrid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
|
4 Barcelona | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
|
5 Wolfsburg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
|
6 Manchester United | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
|
7 OH Leuven | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
|
8 Atletico Madrid | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
|
9 Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
10 Juventus | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
|
11 Vålerenga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
|
12 Bayern Munich | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 3 |
|
13 Paris FC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 2 |
|
14 Twente | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
|
15 SL Benfica | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
|
16 Paris Saint-Germain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
|
17 Roma | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 0 |
|
18 St. Pölten | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | -15 | 0 |
|
Key
- Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Quarter-finals
- Position 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 : Play-off
Team Lineups
home team, St. Pölten
Manager: Laurent Fassotte
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Pitch Formation
- 33, Schlüter, Goalkeeper
- 21, Krizaj, Wing Back16, Nagy, Defender6, Ebert, Defender22, Klein, Defender27, Gutmann, Wing Back
- 10, Elmore, Midfielder8, Laino, Midfielder15, Peneau, Midfielder25, Ollivier, Midfielder
- 13, Brunold, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 33, C. Schlüter
- Number 22, J. Klein , Captain
- Number 6, L. Ebert
- Number 16, F. Nagy , Yellow Card at 45 minutes plus 3
- Number 27, S. Gutmann
- Number 21, I. Križaj , Yellow Card at 38 minutes, substituted for M. Rukavina at 59 minutes
- Number 25, A. Ollivier , substituted for A. Woelki at 60 minutes
- Number 15, L. Peneau , substituted for T. Vračević at 73 minutes
- Number 8, V. Laino
- Number 10, K. Elmore , substituted for I. Aistleitner at 73 minutes
- Number 13, C. Brunold , substituted for E. Seiro at 82 minutes
Substitutes
home team, St. Pölten
- Number 9, I. Aistleitner
- Number 12, L. Hermsmeier
- Number 19, Ľ. Maťavková
- Number 11, M. Rukavina
- Number 14, E. Seiro
- Number 5, T. Vračević
- Number 18, A. Woelki
away team, Chelsea
Manager: Sonia Bompastor
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Pitch Formation
- 1, Peng, Goalkeeper
- 2, Carpenter, Defender22, Bronze, Defender16, Girma, Defender17, Baltimore, Defender
- 9, Macário, Midfielder30, Walsh, Midfielder18, Kaptein, Midfielder
- 19, Rytting Kaneryd, Striker20, Kerr, Striker12, Alyssa Thompson, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 1, L. Peng
- Number 17, S. Baltimore
- Number 16, N. Girma , substituted for V. Buurman at 46 minutes
- Number 22, L. Bronze
- Number 2, E. Carpenter
- Number 18, W. Kaptein , substituted for L. James at 76 minutes
- Number 30, K. Walsh , Captain, substituted for L. Potter at 59 minutes
- Number 9, C. Macário
- Number 12, A. Thompson , substituted for N. Charles at 59 minutes
- Number 20, S. Kerr
- Number 19, J. Rytting Kaneryd , substituted for S. Nüsken at 59 minutes
away team, Chelsea
- Number 14, N. Björn
- Number 4, M. Bright
- Number 5, V. Buurman
- Number 21, N. Charles
- Number 8, E. Cuthbert
- Number 23, M. Hamano
- Number 10, L. James
- Number 27, O. Jean-François
- Number 6, S. Nüsken
- Number 32, L. Potter
- Number 38, R. Spencer
home team, St. Pölten
Manager: Laurent Fassotte
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Pitch Formation
- 33, Schlüter, Goalkeeper
- 21, Krizaj, Wing Back16, Nagy, Defender6, Ebert, Defender22, Klein, Defender27, Gutmann, Wing Back
- 10, Elmore, Midfielder8, Laino, Midfielder15, Peneau, Midfielder25, Ollivier, Midfielder
- 13, Brunold, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 33, C. Schlüter
- Number 22, J. Klein , Captain
- Number 6, L. Ebert
- Number 16, F. Nagy , Yellow Card at 45 minutes plus 3
- Number 27, S. Gutmann
- Number 21, I. Križaj , Yellow Card at 38 minutes, substituted for M. Rukavina at 59 minutes
- Number 25, A. Ollivier , substituted for A. Woelki at 60 minutes
- Number 15, L. Peneau , substituted for T. Vračević at 73 minutes
- Number 8, V. Laino
- Number 10, K. Elmore , substituted for I. Aistleitner at 73 minutes
- Number 13, C. Brunold , substituted for E. Seiro at 82 minutes
Substitutes
- Number 9, I. Aistleitner
- Number 12, L. Hermsmeier
- Number 19, Ľ. Maťavková
- Number 11, M. Rukavina
- Number 14, E. Seiro
- Number 5, T. Vračević
- Number 18, A. Woelki
away team, Chelsea
Manager: Sonia Bompastor
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Pitch Formation
- 1, Peng, Goalkeeper
- 2, Carpenter, Defender22, Bronze, Defender16, Girma, Defender17, Baltimore, Defender
- 9, Macário, Midfielder30, Walsh, Midfielder18, Kaptein, Midfielder
- 19, Rytting Kaneryd, Striker20, Kerr, Striker12, Alyssa Thompson, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 1, L. Peng
- Number 17, S. Baltimore
- Number 16, N. Girma , substituted for V. Buurman at 46 minutes
- Number 22, L. Bronze
- Number 2, E. Carpenter
- Number 18, W. Kaptein , substituted for L. James at 76 minutes
- Number 30, K. Walsh , Captain, substituted for L. Potter at 59 minutes
- Number 9, C. Macário
- Number 12, A. Thompson , substituted for N. Charles at 59 minutes
- Number 20, S. Kerr
- Number 19, J. Rytting Kaneryd , substituted for S. Nüsken at 59 minutes
Substitutes
- Number 14, N. Björn
- Number 4, M. Bright
- Number 5, V. Buurman
- Number 21, N. Charles
- Number 8, E. Cuthbert
- Number 23, M. Hamano
- Number 10, L. James
- Number 27, O. Jean-François
- Number 6, S. Nüsken
- Number 32, L. Potter
- Number 38, R. Spencer
Match Officials
- Referee:
- Franziska Wildfeuer
- Video Assistant Referee:
- Katrin Rafalski
- Assistant Referee 1:
- Jessica Bergmann
- Assistant Referee 2:
- Simone Jakob
- Fourth Official:
- Davina Lutz
- Assistant VAR Official:
- Johann Pfeifer
Match Stats
Key, St. Pölten v ChelseaBasic Stats
Overall possession
St. Pölten 25.1%Chelsea 74.9%
Shots
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 43Shots on target
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 19Total touches inside the opposition box
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 75Goalkeeper saves
St. Pölten 14Chelsea 1Aerial duels won
St. Pölten 8Chelsea 9Fouls committed
St. Pölten 11Chelsea 3Corners
St. Pölten 0Chelsea 8In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 43Shots on target
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 19Shots off target
St. Pölten 0Chelsea 15Attempts out of box
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 11Hit woodwork
St. Pölten 0Chelsea 1Total offsides
St. Pölten 1Chelsea 4Distribution
Total passes
St. Pölten 265Chelsea 785Pass accuracy %
St. Pölten 74.3Chelsea 91.7Backward passes
St. Pölten 35Chelsea 118Forward passes
St. Pölten 111Chelsea 221Total long balls
St. Pölten 41Chelsea 25Successful final third passes
St. Pölten 17Chelsea 383Total crosses
St. Pölten 0Chelsea 35Defence
Total tackles
St. Pölten 21Chelsea 20Won tackle %
St. Pölten 57.1Chelsea 70Fouls committed
St. Pölten 11Chelsea 3Total yellow cards
St. Pölten 2Chelsea 0Total clearances
St. Pölten 47Chelsea 1Season so far
UEFA Women's Champions League
Skip to form guideKey, St. Pölten v Chelsea
League position, St. Pölten 18th, Chelsea 2ndTotal points, St. Pölten 0, Chelsea 7
Form guide
All competitions
Skip back to season so farSt. Pölten lose
v Austria Wien
1
2
Women's Cup
Chelsea draw
v Arsenal
1
1
Women's Super League
St. Pölten won
v Sturm Graz
2
0
Frauenliga
Chelsea won
v London City Lionesses
2
0
Women's Super League
St. Pölten won
v First Vienna
0
5
Frauenliga
Chelsea won
v Paris FC
4
0
UEFA Women's Champions League
St. Pölten lose
v OL Lyonnes
3
0
UEFA Women's Champions League
Chelsea won
v Tottenham Hotspur
1
0
Women's Super League
St. Pölten won
v Südburgenland / Hartberg
6
0
Frauenliga
Chelsea draw
v Twente
1
1
UEFA Women's Champions League