Sam Kerr has now scored four goals for Chelsea this season.
As the saying goes, a week is a long time in football, let alone 99.
Sam Kerr knows this sentiment all too well, as her 692-day wait for a starting match with Chelsea concluded on Tuesday.
Following her goal in the team’s 3-1 Champions League victory against BK Hacken on December 20, 2023, Kerr’s career was abruptly halted by injury.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury, sustained during a warm-weather training camp in January 2024, and subsequent setbacks, kept her out of competitive play until September this year.
After scoring twice in nine substitute appearances this season, Kerr capitalized on her first start with two well-executed goals in Chelsea’s dominant 6-0 Champions League victory over Austrian side St Polten.
“It feels good. It felt like I had to work myself into it, but yeah, happy to score,” Kerr stated to Disney+.
“Of course, I prefer to play more minutes. When you come on for 20 minutes it’s a bit hectic, there’s lots of subs and it can be a bit wishy-washy. I feel like today was good.
“I had a few chances in the first half. I’m just happy to be back out here playing in the Champions League again, with an amazing team. I’m relishing every moment.”
For a time, it seemed it might not be Kerr’s night.
Despite starting in two friendlies for Australia last month, her sharpness was still returning, and she missed three opportunities in the first half that she would normally be expected to convert.
Her inaccurate finishing continued early in the second half, and her mistimed run led to teammate Naomi Girma’s first-half header being ruled offside.
Then, the Kerr that Europe’s defenders hoped they might not see again emerged.
A superb first touch from Wieke Kaptein’s cross got the ball under control, before a sweeping right-foot strike left goalkeeper Carina Schluter unable to react.
For her second goal, Kerr dropped back off the defensive line into space, adjusted to meet Niamh Charles’ cross, and placed a header high into the net.
“It feels a bit sweeter, but it also feels a bit weird,” Kerr commented on whether the feeling of scoring has changed after her injury.
“I didn’t score for so long that I was like I haven’t celebrated, really. I haven’t got that celebration thing yet. I’ve got to score a few more.”
Next, Kerr will be targeting her first WSL start since December 17, 2023. With Aggie Beever-Jones missing the last two games with a dead leg, it could come against Liverpool on Sunday.
“I feel 100%, but I was out for a while, so I have to build myself up,” Kerr explained.
“Today was a good set, right? Getting some good minutes in the national team was a good set. I’m definitely fit enough, it’s just about getting miles in the legs now. I’m ready to go.”
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Kerr was not the only player making a comeback on Tuesday.
Lauren James made her first Chelsea appearance in 225 days after recovering from an ankle injury sustained during Euro 2025, while January signing Girma made the starting XI for her first minutes of the season.
“That’s really important. That’s almost crucial when you have all your players available from a quality perspective, but also having depth and being able to rotate,” Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor told Disney+.
“It was a really quick turnaround between the game on Saturday and this one, so when you are able to bring on some fresh legs and quality, it always helps a lot.”
With Beever-Jones and Guro Reiten set to return soon from injury and parental leave, respectively, Bompastor could be faced with a selection dilemma. She doesn’t mind.
“I like to have that problem, I think it’s always better for the manager to have many options and to have to make decisions,” she said.
“It’s always difficult because the players are top quality. But I am comfortable and used to that, it is part of the job.”
Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women’s Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women’s Super League and beyond on the Women’s Football Weekly feed
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