LONDON -- Chelsea's summer signings proved the difference as the Blues overcame a difficult start to claim a crucial three-goal advantage heading into the second leg of their UEFA Women's Champions League qualifier against Real Sociedad, winning 5-2.
The scoreline looked far less convincing at the hour mark. Sociedad led 1-0, having initially stunned Chelsea with an early opener, and also were level at 2-2 after the hour mark, and the Blues looked short of the sharpness expected from a side beginning a new campaign.
Ainhoa Marín opened the scoring in the seventh minute, firing a shot beyond Hannah Hampton after Chelsea failed to deal with the danger.
Their response, however, came from a summer signing. Katie McCabe, who joined from local rivals Arsenal in a high-profile move, delivered a dangerous corner that Naomi Girma delicately tapped home to level the score.
Veerle Buurman then put Chelsea ahead, heading home Lauren James' cross in a move that once again highlighted the Blues' threat from set pieces. But that strength also proved to be a weakness. Chelsea nearly conceded from another Sociedad corner before Cecilia Marcos capitalized, firing past a scrambling Hampton to make it 2-2.
Chelsea's lack of a traditional preseason was particularly evident in the final third. Rather than spending August playing a series of European friendlies, as many of their rivals did -- Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City both played Barcelona, Arsenal faced Paris FC and Sociedad even drew with OL Lyonnes -- the Blues traveled to New Zealand and Australia for games against Auckland FC and the A-League All-Stars.
The tour undoubtedly provided valuable bonding time for a squad undergoing significant change, but it offered fewer opportunities to test tactical ideas, integrate new signings and fine-tune Chelsea's technical approach against elite opposition.
For much of the opening hour, Sociedad's impressive defensive organization disrupted Chelsea's build-up and restricted their opportunities in the final third. The introduction of Melvine Malard, however, changed the contest.
The French forward, who joined Chelsea from Manchester United this summer for an £800,000 transfer fee according to sources, struck twice to wrestle control of the tie back from the Spanish side.
James completed the scoring spectacularly, smashing Ellie Carpenter's pinpoint cross into the roof of the net to make it 5-2. The result was more than simply a strong opening to Chelsea's European campaign. It offered an early glimpse of a side that is beginning to look increasingly like Sonia Bompastor's team rather than a continuation of the squad she inherited from Emma Hayes.
Bompastor is entering her third season at the helm, and the transformation has been gradual. Her first campaign was a blend of Hayes' established core and Bompastor's ideas, ultimately producing a domestic treble. Last season was more clearly transitional, as she reshaped the squad around her preferred style of play.
It was also a season that exposed just how much work remained to be done. Chelsea surrendered their six-year Women's Super League title streak to Manchester City, suffered their first defeat under Bompastor, were beaten 5-1 by eventual champions City and exited the Champions League in the quarterfinals against Arsenal.
Defeat to City in the FA Cup semifinals compounded what became one of the club's most disappointing domestic campaigns in recent history.
Those struggles are also the reason Chelsea find themselves in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in six seasons. Winning the WSL had previously guaranteed their place in the league phase, meaning last season's failure to retain the title has forced the Blues to navigate an additional hurdle before reaching Europe's elite competition.
Yet that difficult campaign may ultimately have provided the foundation for a more complete rebuild and the qualifiers, albeit important competitive games for Chelsea's plans to finally win the continental trophy that has eluded them for so long, advance the club's preparations and squad cohesion ahead of the WSL commencing next weekend.
This summer has seen Bompastor move decisively away from the old guard of the Hayes era. Millie Bright has retired, Sam Kerr has moved to the NWSL and Niamh Charles has joined Manchester City. In their place, Chelsea have brought in players such as McCabe and Malard, while also adding Barcelona youngster Giulia Dragoni to increase both quality and depth. The changes are beginning to give Chelsea a squad that more closely reflects Bompastor's vision.
That could be crucial in a season in which the Blues have plenty to prove.
The 5-2 victory over Real Sociedad does not erase the problems of last season, nor does it guarantee their return to the summit. After all, this is only halftime of a two-legged tie with Chelsea traveling to Spain next Wednesday before their domestic campaign kickstarts the following Saturday.
Chelsea's new additions helped turn a precarious tie into a commanding advantage. For a club in the middle of such a significant transition, that may be exactly the kind of statement they needed to begin the season.