Chelsea Ladies thrashed Bristol City in their opening game of the Women’s Super League season as questions accumulated for the Football Association over its handling of the Mark Sampson saga.

Drew Spence, one of the women at the centre of the investigation into discrimination allegations against the sacked England manager Sampson, scored the opening goal as Chelsea beat Bristol 6-0.

Spence met Katharine Newton QC, who is leading the investigation into allegations of bullying, harassment and racism against Sampson, on Friday. She stood by her allegation that the 34-year-old had asked, during her first England call-up, how many times she – a mixed-race player – had been arrested.

However, the ongoing saga did not appear to distract Spence as she struck the first goal at their new base, AFC Wimbledon’s home ground, Kingsmeadow. The Blues went on to assert their title aspirations in a one-sided match with further goals for Fran Kirby, Magda Eriksson, Gilly Flaherty and a Maren Mjelde brace.

The head of women’s football at the FA, Baroness Sue Campbell, meanwhile, voiced her support for the chief executive, Martin Glenn, over the sacking of Sampson. Sampson’s contract as England women’s manager was terminated on Wednesday based on evidence of “inappropriate” relationships with female players during his time at Bristol Academy.

FA executives have been summoned to appear before the government’s digital, culture, media and sport committee next month to face questions about why Sampson remained in his role for four years despite safeguarding allegations first being raised in March 2014.

However, Baroness Campbell insisted Glenn, who was appointed chief executive in March 2015, should not lose his job.

“We at the FA have lessons to learn but I believe Martin is doing an amazing job turning round a super tanker,” she said. “He is an outstanding chief executive and he has handled this with complete integrity in terms of the process.

“This has not been comfortable for anybody, we need to respect there is some human pain in all this for everybody. It’s a tough situation. I am 100% hopeful no one will lose their job because I don’t think anyone deserves to.

“I believe we are doing a good job at the FA. There are lessons to be learned but I am sure Martin will ensure we learn those lessons and nothing of this nature happens again in the future.”

Sampson is free to work in other jobs within football but that is pending the investigation into bullying and discrimination, first reported by the England striker Eni Aluko.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek, Campbell said she did not believe it should preclude the Welshman from coaching again. “I hope not, because Mark Sampson has taken those players from 14th in the world to third in the world,” she said. “I hope over time people will understand that whatever mistakes people make we can move on, and people need to be given another chance.”

As for the currently managerless England team, they face France in a friendly next month before World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kazakhstan in November.

“We hope to announce an interim person to take us through the friendly with France and the two qualifiers in November by the end of next week,” Campbell said.

“We hope to be advertising and searching both domestically and internationally for the best person for the job as soon as possible. We hope to have that person in post by early 2018.”