Sam Kerr opens Chelsea account in thumping Arsenal win

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr hailed Chelsea fans as "unbelievable" after notching her first goal for the Blues in their 4-1 thumping of champions Arsenal in the Women's Super League on Monday (AEDT).

In a post-match post on Twitter, Kerr said: "Chelsea fans are buzzing here for my first goal for the club. It was an unbelievable experience for my first London derby. Thank you so much ... you guys were amazing, come on Chelsea."

Sam Kerr after scoring for Chelsea on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

The striker headed home from a cross by Norwegian winger Guro Reiten in the 13th minute to double Chelsea's advantage after Bethany England had put them in front shortly after the start.

It was a crushing win for Chelsea against the reigning champions. At one point Kerr's side was 4-0 up before the Gunners got a consolation goal to make the scoreline look less embarrassing.

In a post-game interview with Optus' former Matilda Alicia Ferguson, Kerr admitted that the shift to London from the US had not been as easy off the pitch as it has been on the field.

"I have been struggling waking up every day when it's pitch black at 8 o'clock," she joked.

She added she had been surprised at the level of the game in England.

"They are easy players to play with, unbelievable. Coming into this league I didn't know many players but I have been really surprised with the quality of the players."

And, she added, she was keen to catch up with her Matildas teammates for the Olympic qualifiers.

"I always look forward to that," she smiled.

Meanwhile Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro, WSL manager of the year last season when he guided the Gunners to the title, warned that the W-League in Australia – where he won titles with Melbourne City – needed to offer more soccer to persuade the best players to stay.

With Matildas Caitlin Foord due to join him at Arsenal and Hayley Raso already having made the move to Everton, the W-League could lose more of its big name attractions.

Montemurro said England had the standard and quantity of soccer that appealed to players all around the world.

"It's professional football, it's the realities of 30-40 weeks and you get to be a professional.

"You are getting games like these week in, week out," he said in a post-match interview.

"As footballers you need to be in the best environments possible, if you want to be challenging for the best you need to be with the best."

Australian women's football, he said needed "to have full time programs and they need to be playing 12 months of the year.

"I am not sure what form and shape it takes, whether it's a tournament during the W-League season and continues on during the winter season. But the reality is that we just need to play more football."