Chelsea manager Emma Hayes heaped praise on forward Lauren James after she scored a hat-trick in The Blues’ 5-1 victory over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
James was the star of the show as Chelsea put in an impressive display in front of a healthy crowd at The Bridge.
The England international scored her first goal from close range early in the game before thumping the ball across goal for her second just after the break. James then showed bravery as she raced into the box to connect with a Johanna Rytting Kaneryd pass to complete her hat-trick.
When discussing James’ qualities in the post-match press conference, Chelsea manager Hayes said that the youngster is the most naturally-gifted player in the English game.
“She is the most naturally-gifted footballer in the country, she does things with very little backlift and gets the ball out of her feet,” Hayes said.
“She is a really intelligent footballer and I think she knows that she has the ability to finish in and around the penalty area. Sometimes, she doesn’t realise just how powerful she is; it’s about getting it on target because she’s good enough, she doesn’t have to put any more power into it. Finessing her finishing is a challenge that I have set for her.
“I am really happy for her this week.”
While James’ finishing was nothing short of clinical, Hayes hailed the player’s contribution out of possession and she believes that the goals were simply a reward for her hard work.
She said “The work that Lauren did out of possession was outstanding. The way that she back-pressed, the way that she counter-pressed, the way that she shut off the pitch in the right moments, dominated her duels and she did it for 90 minutes. I think she was selfless in her work, she was outstanding.
“Her forward play was unstoppable but she got herself into great positions as a result of the work that she did for the team off the ball.”
Hayes will be hoping that James can light up Stamford Bridge again when Chelsea take on Paris FC at the venue on Thursday evening in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage.