Key takeaways
- Malard: Four competitive goals put her top of Chelsea’s scoring charts.
- Impact: She has scored from the bench and the starting XI.
- Bompastor: Her summer reunion is producing tangible attacking returns.
Melvine Malard’s Chelsea goals are beginning to provide a persuasive answer to the club’s centre-forward question.
Her opener in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over West Ham took the summer signing to four competitive goals, making her Chelsea’s leading scorer this season.
That total comprises two goals in Champions League qualifying and two in the Women’s Super League.
The circumstances make those contributions particularly useful. Across three scoring appearances, Malard has broken a deadlock, restored a lead and helped Chelsea put difficult matches beyond their opponents.
What Malard’s four Chelsea goals have changed
| Opponent | Competition | Score before her goal | Score afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Sociedad | Champions League qualifying | 2-2 | 3-2 |
| Real Sociedad | Champions League qualifying | 4-2 | 5-2 |
| Birmingham City | WSL | 1-0 | 2-0 |
| West Ham | WSL | 0-0 | 1-0 |
Three of those goals arrived while Chelsea were level or protecting a one-goal advantage.
That gives the early return significance beyond its size. Malard has repeatedly contributed while there was still a contest to resolve.
Sunday provided the latest example. Chelsea had plenty of possession but needed somebody to turn an opening into a lead.
West Ham opener shows Malard’s strength under pressure
According to Chelsea’s official match report, the Blues reached the half-hour mark without a shot on target despite having 64 per cent possession.
Sjoeke Nüsken created the breakthrough by winning possession and finding Malard.
The striker received the ball with her back to goal, held her position, turned and finished into the bottom corner.
It was an important demonstration of what she can offer centrally. Chelsea could find her under pressure and still get a shot away, rather than needing to release her into open space.
Nüsken’s contribution deserves equal recognition. Her pressing created the opportunity that Malard converted.
The sequence offers Bompastor something useful to build on: winning possession higher up the pitch and finding a forward capable of finishing before the opposition recover.
Three goals from the bench underline another strength
Malard’s first three Chelsea goals came as a substitute.
Her two-goal competitive debut against Real Sociedad immediately demonstrated that capacity to change a match.
Nüsken released her for the goal that restored Chelsea’s lead at 3-2. Ellie Carpenter subsequently supplied her second, extending the advantage to three goals.
The official account of that European victory records two different routes to goal: a run beyond the defence and a finish from a delivery across the box.
Against Birmingham, her alertness produced another valuable contribution. Malard punished hesitation over a backpass to score Chelsea’s second, eight minutes after coming on, as detailed in the club’s match report.
Those appearances give Bompastor flexibility. Malard has already influenced matches when introduced against tiring opponents, while West Ham supplied a scoring return from the starting role.
Bompastor’s reunion has a clear footballing foundation
Chelsea signed Malard from Manchester United on a four-year contract, bringing her back together with a coach who first identified her potential at 14.
Bompastor later coached her in Lyon’s senior side. Their relationship therefore predates this summer’s recruitment by years.
Speaking when Chelsea announced her signing, Malard said:
“My objective is to become better every single day and to win trophies.”
Her next task is sustaining this contribution across a longer run of matches.
Competition remains productive. Aggie Beever-Jones replaced her at West Ham and supplied Maika Hamano’s late goal, giving Bompastor another reason to value both forwards.
Malard’s strongest argument is the range of situations she has already influenced. She has attacked space, finished crosses, punished hesitation and scored with a defender close behind her.
Four goals offer an encouraging early return. The variety behind them gives Chelsea something substantial to develop.
