Chelsea’s new monsters, bench depth and other Women’s FA Cup final lessons

Clockwise from top left: Lauren James, Chelsea celebrations, Pernille Harder, Alessia Russo with Sophie Ingle (left), and dejection for Manchester United. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock

Hybrid monsters

After Chelsea had navigated their way past Bayern Munich in 2021 to earn a place in their first Champions League final, Emma Hayes labelled her gutsy side “mentality monsters”. They then lost the final against Barcelona by a humbling 4-0 scoreline. But the “mentality monsters” moniker stuck and has been reaffirmed in three consecutive FA Cup wins and back‑to-back Women’s Super League titles, with a third in sight. After beating Manchester United 1-0 to win the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, Hayes had a new label for her side. “What the team has become is the most flexible team,” she said. “Our team has become ‘hybrid monsters’. We can float between things in ways that takes years to master. They are so adaptable.”