When Chelsea were drawing with Roma at half-time and needed to find a goal from somewhere, Sonia Bompastor opted to bring on a defender instead of a striker.

Some of the head coach's staff questioned her decision - but Bompastor was proven right to trust Ellie Carpenter.

The Australian scored within six minutes as Chelsea went on to win 2-0 and has made a key impact for the Blues on several occasions this season.

"I made the final decision and someone in my technical staff said: 'But we need to score, and you are bringing on a defensive player?'" said Bompastor.

"We laughed after the game because I said: 'Right now, she's scoring a lot of goals, so I don't know if she's a more defensive or attacking player!'

"It worked so it's good. I was confident Ellie would create a lot in the second half."

So why has Carpenter been so effective for Chelsea this season?

Carpenter's 'licence to go forward'

Unbeaten Chelsea are top of the Women's Super League table, having only dropped points in their opening weekend draw with Aston Villa.

Carpenter has started all but one of their WSL matches and has netted four goals from a full-back or wing-back position.

In Sunday's 6-0 win at Charlton, Carpenter scored in the 13th minute, won the most tackles (three) and made the most ball recoveries (12) of any Chelsea player.

Only Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Victoria Pelova have had more touches in the opposition box than Carpenter's 56 this season.

And only Manchester City winger Hemp and Tottenham's Drew Spence have created more chances from open play in the WSL than Carpenter.

"She has been brilliant this season and she has that attacking prowess," former England striker Ellen White said on the Women's Football Weekly podcast.

"She has comfort behind her because she has trust in the other defenders and midfielders to give her the licence to go forward.

"I love her celebrations too! Opposition [teams] target players who are most prolific, but Chelsea have four or five who can score from anywhere on the pitch."

Carpenter arrived from Lyon in 2025 where she had worked with Chelsea boss Bompastor and won the Champions League together in 2022.

She was known to be an attacking full-back, like fellow Blues defender Lucy Bronze, and this season has become accustomed to the right wing-back position.

It has worked for Chelsea with Bronze moving inside as part of a back three and they have conceded just four goals this season, the least of any WSL side.

Carpenter's success at the other end of the pitch has been clear, but she has not reneged on her defensive duties - ranking second in the squad for successful tackles made.

Where has she improved?

Carpenter has always been a threat for Chelsea but in her first season in the WSL, a regular criticism was that she could be wasteful with her crosses.

That is something Bompastor thinks the 26-year-old has improved on and means she is contributing to more goals - scoring four and assisting one.

The Australian has also created 19 chances in the WSL this season and has played 141 successful passes in the final third, the most by any Chelsea player.

"Ellie is performing at a really good level. She has goals from her left foot too which is unusual," said Frenchwoman Bompastor.

"She is able to impact the game. The way we want to play as a team, she is really important out of possession and in possession.

"In possession, she always has the mindset and mentality to go forward. She has a lot of pace and is improving a lot in terms of her technical aspects.

"She is now able to deliver really good crosses, to be in the box and be clinical to score goals. I'm not sure she can have a bigger impact than what she is right now."