Throughout recent football history, we have seen a number of attacking partnerships go down in history. Whether it be Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp or Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, these goalscoring duos are remembered to this day. With the evolution of football prioritising one striker formations in recent years, these types of partnerships have faded into memory. But, Chelsea Women are bucking that trend with their lethal partnership of Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr forming one of the most prolific partnerships that English Football has ever seen. It is this duo that gives Chelsea an edge that few teams can match.
Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr Partnership: Chelsea’s Route to Victory
Individual Talent
Fran Kirby alone was already an elite tier striker, drawing comparisons to Lionel Messi himself in the past, her ability to finish with either foot as well as her head made her the perfect spearhead for Chelsea over the years. Not content with just Kirby, however, Chelsea made the move to sign Samantha Kerr from Chicago Red Stars. Australian Kerr came into the club with a reputation as one of the top strikers in all of women’s football, holding records for the most individual goals in an NWSL and W-League season.
Adding a goalscorer to Chelsea’s already well-oiled offensive machine could have spelled disaster for Emma Hayes but instead, she was gifted an attacking partnership that has set the WSL alight since their formation. In the 2020/2021 WSL season, Kerr and Kirby’s partnership helped unlock the best potential of both women with Kirby easily slotting in as the wide player, allowing Kerr to roam the box for goalscoring opportunities.
The Numbers
The numbers are truly incredible, Sam Kerr romped to the Golden Boot with 21 goals scored in 22 games with eight assists to boot. Kirby’s output wasn’t harmed at all by Kerr’s presence as she grabbed 16 goals and 11 assists in the WSL campaign. Those numbers alone are impressive for the two but what makes them such a killer partnership, is how often they made assists to one another. At almost all times Kerr and Kirby know where the other is going to be and a number of Chelsea’s goals last season were set up by either Kerr or Kirby and finished off by the other.
The impressive performances of the partnership helped pull Chelsea to the WSL title in their first full season together. As these two get to play together more going forward, their chemistry can only improve and make Chelsea more unstoppable than they already are. We’re seeing a historic footballing partnership in its prime right now, sit back and enjoy the goals galore.
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