Sam Kerr reaches new Chelsea milestone | OneFootball

Sam Kerr (Pedro Soares / SPP)

Sam Kerr scored her 100th goal for Chelsea on Sunday – marking her return from a knee injury that has kept her out of action for almost two years.

The Australian replaced Johanna Rytting Kaneryd with 15 minutes left against Aston Villa at Villa Park, and in added time she netted to complete a 3-1 win.

She added to a first-half goal from Aggie Beever-Jones and a 55th-minute own-goal from Missy Bo Kearns.

To reach the milestone, Kerr said afterwards, was significant for her.

“It means everything,” she said to Chelsea’s official website. “To score 100 goals for any club is amazing, but to do it for a club like Chelsea is incredible. It’s something I’m really proud of and I don’t take it lightly.”

The achievement has come in 128 games, and highlights Kerr’s importance to Chelsea’s success in recent years.

“I know people may think scoring 100 goals is just another thing, but for me, it’s an amazing achievement and something I’ll look back on for the rest of my life,” she added.

“I’m a goalscorer, that’s what I love doing, and those 100 goals represent a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifices to get there.”

Sonia Bompastor: Sam Kerr is an idol

It is the first opportunity head coach Sonia Bompastor has had to see Kerr in competitive action for the Blues, having taken the reins last summer.

“I was really pleased Sam was able to come on for 20 minutes and was even more pleased with the fact she was able to score, because I think it takes the pressure off her going into the future and her next games for the club,” Bompastor said.

“I think it’s wonderful. Personally, I’m really pleased, but I think she is also really pleased with that, and you know what Sam represents for Chelsea. For me, she’s an idol.

“We now have this really good story to tell after the game, it’s so positive, and gives a lot of confidence to her and the team too.

“We are all really pleased for her because we all know how tough it was for her, being away from the game and from the pitch for so long. So for her official return, being able to come in, to make an impact in the game and score her 100th goal, I think we are all proud of that.”

Kerr, now aged 32, joined Chelsea in 2020. She has previously represented Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash in the US, and Perth Glory and Sydney FC in her native Australia. She is her national team’s all-time leading goalscorer with 69 strikes currently to her credit.