Chelsea Women 3-0 PSG Women: Lauren James scores twice as Blues breeze into quarter-finals

It is a happier Christmas this year for Emma Hayes and her Chelsea team.

This time last year, the Blues crashed out of the Champions League with a 4-0 defeat by Wolfsburg in their final group game. The Blues had only needed to avoid defeat by three goals to progress. It was undoubtedly their lowest point of the season.

Fast forward 12 months and Hayes’ side are in the quarter-finals having topped their group without losing a game after a brilliant Sam Kerr strike and a brace from Lauren James gave them a 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Lauren James doubled Chelsea’s lead after 55 minutes to help guide the Blues to an easy win

It is some achievement, given they started their campaign with Hayes having to watch on from home after recovering from an emergency hysterectomy.

‘It was the performance I wanted, it’s the performance I’ve seen in training, particularly this week. I feel that most importantly it will give the team performance. It was certainly a satisfying performance.

I think I’ve learned so much over the years, I don’t even know when the draw is so I’m not even thinking about that. I just know that if you want to compete in Europe, you’ve got to put in performances like that.’

There had been a lot of talk about how English teams have struggled in the Champions League over the last decade but Hayes is not surprised at how her side and Arsenal, who also finished top, managed to navigate tricky groups.

‘I think sometimes we just think ‘oh there’s investment into the game in England therefore they’re going to compete’ without really recognising what experience actually means. If you think about Paris, Wolfsburg, Bayern, Lyon, maybe less so Barcelona’s journey in Europe, sometimes we think about two years ago when we were in the final that was the start of that [journey], but we weren’t ready.

‘I think English teams are at a better level to compete because of the demands of our league, the quality of our squad depth, the training at higher intensity over a longer period of time has prepared us to be in a better position.

‘I think the English clubs are exactly where we should be based on those factors. So I’m not surprised really for Arsenal and ourselves to be in the position we are and I think we have to be mindful that I remember getting tonked here by Wolfsburg and it was a gulf. Do you think that the gulf has just closed merely by signing players? It just doesn’t work like that.

‘There’s so much grind that goes on in a training capacity that takes years to actually to get to the level where you feel like ‘that’s what experience looks like’ and I think my team look experience in Europe and it’s probably put is in that position in the group.’

James scored her second of the game just seven minutes later as Chelsea topped Group A

Chelsea knew they would progress as group winners if they avoided defeat by two goals and PSG boss Gerard Precheur had promised a ‘full on attack’.

The French side started brightly as Kadidiatou Diani nearly created a goal out of nothing. The forward hit a speculative 40-yard shot at goal that Blues’ goalkeeper Zecira Musovic did well to push onto the crossbar.

But PSG failed to capitalise on that chance as Chelsea started to take control of the game. Lauren James came close to opening the scoring as she fired a shot to the near-post which Sarah Bouhaddi just managed to keep out.

James continued to cause problems down the left and forced Bouhaddi into another fine save as she fired a low drive to the bottom left corner.

But there was nothing Bouhaddi could do to prevent Kerr from finding a breakthrough in the 42nd minute. Sakina Karchaoui lost the ball in her own half and Kerr pounced, dribbling past Amanda Ilestedt before firing a sensational left-footed strike into the top corner.

Emma Hayes’ side are in the quarter-finals having topped their group without losing a game

If that was an impressive goal, Chelsea’s second was sensational. James finally found the back of the net just after half-time as she capitalised on a Bouhaddi mistake. The forward cut out the goalkeeper’s slack pass to Kheira Hamraoui, laid the ball back to Fran Kirby, who then found Kerr. She played a first-time pass back to James who then slotted the ball into the net.

Chelsea were cruising and seven minutes later they had third and James had her second. Another well-worked move saw Guro Reiten play in Kirby down the left, who crossed for an un-marked James to slot home.

PSG nearly pulled a goal back when substitute Magnaba Folquet curled an effort just wide but that is the best the French side managed in the second half.

The draw for the quarter-finals does not take place until February 10. The hardest draw Chelsea could get would be holders Lyon, who finished a surprise second behind Arsenal. The Blues could also face Roma or Bayern Munich.