Chelsea extended their undefeated run this season with a key victory over Roma in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, thanks in part to a decisive goal from substitute Ellie Carpenter. Carpenter entered the match at halftime and quickly made an impact, opening the scoring in the 51st minute by finding the near post past Roma goalkeeper Rachele Baldi. Later in the game, Kadeisha Buchanan secured the win with a header from Wieke Kaptein’s cross, cementing Chelsea’s triumph.

Chelsea came close to scoring several times in the first half, with Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones both threatening Roma’s defense, but it was Carpenter’s goal after the break that broke the deadlock. The Chelsea full-back reflected on the performance, citing a halftime team talk focused on capitalizing on their opportunities: “At half-time, the coach said we must put our chances away. I’m happy I scored.”

Elsewhere in the competition, Arsenal continued their strong form with a 3-0 victory over Benfica. Alessia Russo starred for the Gunners, scoring a hat-trick that included one goal in the first half and two in the second. With this performance, Russo became the highest-scoring English player in Women’s Champions League history, reaching a tally of 23 goals.

Both Chelsea and Arsenal’s wins maintained their undefeated starts to the season, signaling their intent as contenders in the competition.