Emma Hayes says a difficult Champions League draw has been 'perfect' for Chelsea after they made it three wins on the bounce in Group A.
The Blues produced a composed display to see off Real Madrid, 2-0, at Kingsmeadow thanks to goals from Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert. Chelsea are now five points clear at the top of the group, with Real Madrid and PSG both trailing in their wake.
It means a repeat result when Chelsea travel to Madrid on December 8 would rubber stamp a place for Hayes' team in the quarter-finals. The WSL leaders were dumped out at the group stage in the same competition last season after they had been expected to get through.
But manager Hayes believes that a trickier draw, alongside European heavyweight PSG and Real Madrid, has renewed their focus in the continent this time around.
"I was happy when the draw was made," said Hayes after the 2-0 win. "Sometimes you can have a little switch-off when you say 'we've got the easier group'.
"The fact that we had a really tough group (with Real and PSG) was the most perfect thing for this team. Because of that, we have had to be switched on right from the start.
"That has brought out a growing maturity in the group and you can't buy that. That is what I'm most pleased with.
"And this team is on another level. We play better European football (now) we're becoming accustomed to it."
Chelsea were slow starters in front of any expectant Kingsmeadow crowd, who had seen the Blues win nine games in-a-row in all competitions. Only Fran Kirby went close to scoring in a tense first-half.
Real were also cagey, but were starting to grow into the game before Ingle's intervention shifted momentum. And Hayes believes the patience and composure shown by her team shows how they have become accustomed to top-level European football
"I think a couple of years ago we'd have got impatient in that first half," she added. "But it was calm and controlled. We were lacking in the final third in the first half and weren't at our top level.
"But it was a calm dressing room at half-time. These two teams are relatively well-matched, but I'm now seeing how our experience in this competition makes a difference.
"I think that learning from previous years. It was a really mature performance from us."
Chelsea next return to action a week on Saturday, December 3, with a WSL visit to Leicester City as they look to keep their unbeaten run going. Five days later comes the return trip to Madrid where a win would confirm passage into the Champions League quarter-finals.
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