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Football

Chelsea 2-1 Paris FC: Alyssa Thompson ‘a real bright spark’ but best ‘is still to come’

Chelsea’s dominant victory over Paris FC was lit up by the newest member of their attack, Alyssa Thompson, who traversed the Stamford Bridge pitch with agile runs and eventually got the rewards her efforts deserved.

Thompson may be just 20 years old, but her arrival at Chelsea was accompanied by lofty expectations arising from the club record price tag. Now, in her seventh appearance, she has finally got off the mark.

She darted down the wings and led her side’s counter-attacks, showing expert positioning to put herself in the right place to be able to set up Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s goal, and tapped home an excellent Keira Walsh delivery to get her first goal for the club.

It was an impressive display, but, says manager Sonia Bompastor, the best of her is still to come.

“A young player, a lot of talent, but I think we haven’t seen yet the best of her, but hopefully we will see that soon,” said Bompastor.

“She is coming from abroad, she speaks the language, which helps, but again, it’s a new environment, a new club, she needs to learn to connect with new players on the pitch, new team-mates, so hopefully, even sooner, we will see an even better version.”

Thompson’s first goal is one which will put her at “ease”, says Brighton forward Fran Kirby, who previously spent nine years at Chelsea.

Former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie added that now Thompson has scored, she imagines the “floodgates will open”.

“She’s been a real bright spark,” Kirby said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “I think against Tottenham she looked really sharp, it was probably that final product.

“Today, getting that assist and goal will make her feel a little bit more at ease going into the next game. A little bit of pressure off.”

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Football

Alyssa Thompson adds sparkle to Chelseaâ€s WCL cruise against Paris FC | Women’s Champions League

Chelsea kickstarted their European campaign with a comfortable victory over Paris FC. Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal in west London as Sonia Bompastorâ€s side dominated proceedings. Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Erin Cuthbert also got on the scoresheet.

It was a memorable night for Thompson who added the hosts†third immediately after the break. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a bright start to her Chelsea career since making a high-profile £1.1m move from Angel City this summer. She played an integral role in getting Chelsea this Champions League win at Stamford Bridge and Bompastor was delighted with her progression.

“Iâ€m glad for her because I think sheâ€s been working hard and the fact that she was able to score her first goal is really important for her confidence,†she said.

“Sheâ€s really quick and she has an engine. I think we havenâ€t seen the best of her yet but hopefully weâ€ll see that soon. Sheâ€s coming from abroad … Itâ€s a new environment. She needs to learn to connect with the players on the pitch.â€

Chelsea had endured a frustrating start to their Champions League challenge, the only trophy to elude their grasp. This will have therefore come as a welcome result after a 1-1 draw against Twente last week in Enschede and a host of wasted opportunities that were starting to cause some consternation.

Erin Cuthbert toes in Chelseaâ€s fourth in the second half. Photograph: John Walton/PA

“I think we were the better team,†Bompastor said. “We created a lot again. We scored really good goals from different players and we could have had more.â€

The recent lack of attacking cohesion has not been helped by Bompastorâ€s rotation. There were just two changes on this occasion with Baltimore and Sjoeke Nüsken coming in.

Paris FC had suffered an equally underwhelming start, surrendering a 2-0 lead to the newcomers OH Leuven. Sandrine Soubeyrand welcomed back the goalkeeper Mylène Chavas while Maëlle Garbino and Anaële Le Moguédec also came in.

It promised to be an intriguing contest between two managers who are very well acquainted. Bompastor and Soubeyrand played for France together for over a decade while also meeting often as managers in the Première Ligue.

Chelsea dominated proceedings from the start. The urgency to score early was clear and led to a series of snatched opportunities when patience was needed. Nüsken and Cuthbert had efforts from distance while Aggie Beever-Jones scuffed two gilt-edged opportunities.

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Quick GuideRoundup: Barça rout Roma, Wolfsburg and Leuven win lateShowblank

Alexia Putellas [pictured] scored a penalty but missed another as Barcelona won 4-0 at Roma to maintain their flying start to the league phase. After thrashing Bayern Munich 7-1 in their opener, Barça broke through after just two minutes in the Italian capital, Esmee Brugts scrambling the ball in from close range.

Barcelona won a penalty early in the second half, only for Putellas to send her attempted Panenka over the bar. Just before the hour, Kika Nazareth volleyed into the far corner to double the visitors’ lead, and Putellas made amends with her second spot-kick. Caroline Graham Hansen’s late tap-in completed the rout.

Twente could not follow up last week’s draw with Chelsea as they lost 2-1 at OH Leuven despite taking a first-half lead through Jaimy Ravensbergen. The Dutch side held on until the 82nd minute before conceding a penalty, converted by Linde Veefkind. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Sara Pusztai struck a spectacular winner for Leuven, smashing the ball into the top corner.

Earlier, a much-changed OL Lyonnes side eased to a 3-0 home win over St Pölten. Jule Brand opened the scoring with her first goal for the club, and Ada Hegerberg headed the hosts’ second just before half-time as the Austrian visitors paid for missed chances. Teenage midfielder Lily Yohannes completed the scoring soon after the restart with a brilliant lob from close to the halfway line.

Wolfsburg grabbed a late victory at VÃ¥lerenga thanks to Janina Minge’s penalty. The midfielder converted from the spot with the last kick of the game after Naina Inauen’s foul in the area. Wolfsburg took the lead through Lineth Beerensteyn in the 57th minute, but Sara Hørte headed home just three minutes later to level for the hosts in Oslo. Guardian sport

Photograph: Matteo Ciambelli/REUTERS

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Their pressure eventually told, however, when Nüsken went down in the box with half an hour played. The offence from Le Moguédec was not initially spotted by the referee, Michalina Diakow, but after a brief trip to the VAR monitor, she duly pointed to the spot. Baltimore stepped up to convert for the second week in a row.

Chelsea consolidated their advantage just before the break when Thompson broke forward at pace. A clever turn gave her space to stand up a cross for Rytting Kaneryd to loop a header home. The winger looked slightly bemused that it had ended up in the back of the net, celebrating with an expression that said she is not accustomed to scoring with her head.

Chelsea did not let their foot off the gas and extended their lead immediately after the break with Thompsonâ€s close-range finish. They soon had a fourth when Cuthbert touched home a Sam Kerr header on the line.

There was still time for the Cobham academy product and England youth international Lexi Potter to make her debut as Chelsea saw out a comfortable victory. It was an important three points on the board ahead of a trip to Austria to face St Pölten next month.

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Ash Thompson leaves role as Sheffield United Women head coach after suspension | Sheffield United Women

The Sheffield United head coach, Ash Thompson, has left his role at the Womenâ€s Super League 2 side, with the club saying they have “mutually agreed to part waysâ€.

The news comes 19 days after the Guardian revealed that Thompson had been suspended from his duties. The teamâ€s assistant head coach, Luke Turner, has been in charge on an interim basis in the meantime and they have picked up one point from their opening four league matches of the WSL 2 campaign and are bottom of the table.

There was never any formal announcement of Thompsonâ€s suspension, although earlier in September, a club spokesperson told the Guardian: “Sheffield United Women confirms that Luke Turner takes charge of the senior womenâ€s team on an interim basis, with Ash Thompson currently unavailable.†Thompson was also contacted for a response.

On Tuesday, a short statement from the club said: “Sheffield United can confirm that the club and womenâ€s manager Ash Thompson have mutually agreed to part ways. Following a review, both parties agreed that this was the right time for a change of leadership.

“The club would like to thank Ash for his efforts throughout his time at the club. Luke Turner will take charge in the interim.â€

Sheffield United were poised for relegation last season after a disappointing campaign under Thompson, finishing bottom of the division, but they received a reprieve from being demoted after Blackburn Rovers withdrew from the league over financial concerns. That saw Sheffield United reinstated to the second tier to ensure the league had 12 participating clubs this season.

Formerly a coach at Leeds, Thompson had been in charge of Sheffield United since the summer of 2024. That came after three years working within the clubâ€s youth academy, including a spell as their under-21s manager.

Turner, who has been working for the club since 2020, has had three previous spells as interim manager between 2022 and 2024.

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WWE

Klay Thompson Doesn’t See Why Mavs Can’t Win NBA Title After Kyrie Returns from Injury

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Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson believes his team can win the NBA championship when Kyrie Irving, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his left knee last March, returns to the court.

Thompson made his remarks during the Mavericks’ media day on Monday.

The 33-year-old Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds last season. He’s a nine-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player who helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship.

Clearly, having Irving back in the mix will help the Mavs. The question is when he’ll return, but that’s unknown right now.

Irving spoke on his rehab at media day (h/t Tim Cato of DLLS Sports).

“I’m figuring out what I can do to push myself to where I need to be,” Irving said. “I’ve made that statement clear that I’m trying to be better than I was, which is a hard task. I felt like I was in a great rhythm before I got injured. I felt like I was able to play 40-plus minutes per night with no problem. … It was more of the mental approach that I’m trying to get back to, that my talent and my skill will catch back over time as I continue to play against the best players in the world.

“Just don’t pay attention to putting yourself in a position to put a date out there (to return). And if you don’t make that date, then what happens? You’re in here answering questions, like, ‘It was pushed back.’ I’d rather just let it be where it is.”

Right now, FanDuel Sportsbook lists Dallas 14th on the NBA championship odds ledger at 40-1. Dallas’ biggest problem toward winning the NBA Finals is a loaded Western Conference, which features the favorite to win the title (the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder).

Other potential powerhouses include the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, all of whom have shorter odds to win the championship.

The Mavs, of course, have a star big man in Anthony Davis and a star rookie in No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. They are surrounded by good talents including Thompson, big man Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington, among others.

When Irving gets back, the Mavs will be a formidable threat. They’ll still face a tough climb to get to the mountaintop, but Dallas does look like a playoff team on paper. From there, who knows what might happen, but for now, the Mavs look forward to their season opener on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.

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