Nusken has had a busy summer. She was an integral member of the Germany side that won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in France, and after a well-earned break she has been back with the Blues Stateside.

Sonia Bompastor started Nusken in midfield against the Gunners in Washington DC. She played the first 45 minutes before making way for Sophie Ingle as the Blues edged out our London rivals courtesy of Sandy Baltimore’s well-taken goal.

‘It was good to be back,’ Nusken reflected.

‘I’m very happy that I can start pre-season now with Chelsea. I felt good. I enjoyed my time playing. It was a good game, a tough game, but we did very well and we are happy we won.

‘We are very comfortable with the ball in the build-up, and in the defending phase we can work on being more aggressive,’ added the 23-year-old.

‘There are a lot of things we can improve, but also a lot of things we did well, so we are very happy. It’s a very good start to pre-season. We hope we can keep it going.’