Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has made a stunning goal-scoring return after a 20-month injury absence, netting her 100th goal for her English club side Chelsea.

After being kept on the bench for the opening fixture of the Women’s Super League against Manchester City, Kerr was finally unleashed as a late substitute in Sunday’s 3-1 victory at Aston Villa.

And the 32-year-old Australian, who hasn’t played for the Blues since January 2024 because of a chronic ACL injury, immediately made her presence felt at Villa Park by netting the third goal in the Londoners’ second-straight league win.

“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,” Kerr said after reaching the landmark in just 128 games for Chelsea.

“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.”

Her coach Sonia Bompastor had hinted on Friday that the Matildas captain would be in action with a “hopefully, we’ll see”.

Kerr’s appearance off the bench in the 75th minute was a huge boost to the visitors. Chelsea was ahead 2-1 at that stage thanks to Aggie Beever-Jones’s second strike of the season, although it was cancelled out by Ebony Salmon, before a Missy Bo Kearns own-goal.

Kerr, whose fellow Maltilda Ellie Carpenter also featured for Chelsea in the match, then made an immediate impact, racking up a club century by ramming home a loose ball in the Villa box from close range, three minutes into injury time.

“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 said afterwards.

Bompastor said she 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”.

‘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,” she said.

Later, Australia defenders Clare Hunt and substitute Charlotte Grant both helped Tottenham maintain its 100 per cent start to the season with an impressive 2-0 over win at Everton, for whom their international teammate Clare Wheeler was a starter.

Another Australia player getting on the scoresheet was Leicester City’s  Emily van Egmond. She grabbed the winner in a 1-0 win over Liverpool.

The Reds had been thumped 4-1 by Everton in their opening match and van Egmond’s headed goal on the hour sent them to a second defeat in two matches.

Manchester United returned to the top of the table after thrashing a London City Lionesses side featuring Matildas defender Alanna Kennedy 5-1.

-AAP