Chelsea secured a fifth FA Cup trophy triumph and a third on the bounce following a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Emma Hayes' side got off to a slow start in the capital as Leah Galton looked to have fired the Red Devils in front inside the opening minute before a quick VAR check confirmed Ella Toone was offside in the build-up.
The warning signs were there, however, and Chelsea failed to find a foothold in the opening proceedings as a fluid United attack pulled apart Chelsea's defence but were betrayed by a lack of clinical edge in the final third.
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United were ultimately left to rue their chances as the second half cut a different story courtesy of the introductions of Pernille Harder and Sophie Ingle who breathed new life and a dose of experience into a Chelsea side struggling to get on top of things. Harder set up Sam Kerr for the match's only goal just before the 70-minute mark and the Blues put in a dogged defensive display to see out the match's remainder as United hunted for an equaliser.
Celebrations ensued in the blue half of Wembley Stadium as Chelsea got over the line. It was a nail-biting end to the game as United came close to scoring an equaliser in the dying stages of stoppage time. It was Chelsea's day but celebrations will no doubt be short-lived as attention will quickly turn to Wednesday night's meeting with West Ham in the WSL.
Here's the main talking points from Wembley Stadium...
Chelsea continue momentum towards domestic double
In his post-match reflection, United manager Marc Skinner quipped that the 13 goals scored by Chelsea in the lead-up to Sunday’s FA Cup clash didn’t help his side, and it’s not difficult to discern that a 1-0 victory here will only tip towards Chelsea’s favour.
Momentum is a powerful thing in football and right now it’s in Chelsea’s hands. Despite a dominant performance from United and a far-from-vintage display from Chelsea, United were victims once again to the seemingly one rule in English women’s football: don’t give Chelsea a chance without taking your own.
Hayes was quick to acknowledge the poor first-half display but credited her side with grinding out the win, a habit that Hayes underlined as honed over time and ultimately key in her ongoing bid to sustain Chelsea's domestic dominance.
"The first-half United had but this is a victory for the grind," Hayes said. "Hard work for me absolutely matters and I think we can absolutely roll up our sleeves and hang with the best of them."
And with just one point separating United from the Blues in the season’s final throes and Chelsea touting a game in hand, it’s a lesson United might have to consider from the vantage point of runners-up once more when the league season comes to a close in two weeks time.
The Blues take on West Ham next, followed by Arsenal and finally relegation-threatened Reading, and while United will hope that the Gunners can potentially provide them a favour to make for a more dramatic final day, Chelsea are riding a powerful enough wave to make even this prospect feel unlikely.
Sunday’s victory will only further fuel their conviction that the league title is theirs to seize.
Chelsea weathered United’s storm
It was an uncharacteristically poor start to the game from Chelsea. They were extremely fortunate not to be 1-0 down inside the first minute, saved only by the offside flag.
United started as they meant to go on and were playing around the Blues’ almost non-existent press with ease. Chelsea didn’t look up for it and it almost cost them.
Hayes admitted in her post-match press conference that her side were far from their best in the opening stages, criticising a lack of “execution” and citing the strenuous nature of rapid-fire fixtures when competing on multiple fronts as a hurdle Chelsea were struggling to cope with.
“Nobody plays more games than Chelsea, it is really difficult to play again and again,” Hayes said. "Only we know what it's like. We're the team that has done it year after year, competing on all fronts."
The Red Devils had almost all of the better chances in the first half and were unfortunate not to be ahead at the break. It spoke volumes that Hayes was desperate to get her players together and give instructions at every opportunity.
But a tactical shift in the second half coupled with the confidence imparted by the experienced heads of Harder and Sophie Ingle helped Chelsea not only weather the storm but wrest control of the match. And United were left to rue their missed chances as Kerr was on hand to punish the opponents.
Pernille Harder makes the difference
There were plenty of questions raised before kick-off when team news dropped. Harder has been outstanding for Chelsea in recent weeks since her return from injury, with five goal involvements in her last two appearances. But there was only room on the bench for the Dane.
Hayes justified the selection pre-match, admitting the forward had played a lot of football in a short space of time. Caution was taken given she’d had such a long injury layoff.
The Chelsea boss was more than vindicated as she timed Harder’s introduction to a tee. They switched to a 4-4-2 and she almost put the Blues in front with her first involvement.
Harder was crucial in the build-up to the winning goal as she found an on-rushing Kerr at the back post and put it on a plate for her teammate. If you were to pinpoint the exact moment momentum switched, it was most likely when Harder stepped on the pitch.
"When Pernille Harder came onto the pitch, we had a second runner because they were man-marking Sam Kerr. And we desperately needed that runner," Hayes said.
"Without P[ernille], Sam [Kerr] wouldn’t have gotten that goal and Pernille came in, did exactly what we’d asked and what we’d missed."
Sam Kerr is inevitable
This week Chelsea’s Kerr was named the Football Writers Association’ player of the season and while she has had a fantastic season, plenty of people questioned whether she was deserving of the award ahead of the likes of Khadija Shaw or Rachel Daly.
While Sunday’s display at Wembley was by no means the forward’s best display in a Chelsea shirt - she proved exactly why she’s regarded as highly as she is. You only have to give her one chance and she’ll finish it.
Ahead of Sunday, Kerr claimed she loves the pressure of the big occasion, sitting comfortably with the knowledge that she can “do something great”.
The general consensus in women’s football is that Kerr’s claim is less a claim so much as a fundamental tenet of modern women’s football. The Australian’s talent is non-negotiable, but her inherent sense of timing and her proclivity for the occasion is unrivalled.
That Kerr invariably delivers on the big stage has almost become a cliché in its own right, and while this season Kerr's goal tally has paled in comparison to other seasons, her penchant for big game moments has been as sharp as ever, with Kerr largely the reason Chelsea even made the final following her hat-trick against Liverpool in the fourth-round and the only goal against Aston Villa in the semi-finals. She’s proven to be the difference maker once again.
“I’ve never coached a player like her,” Hayes said of Kerr. “A player to have such conviction, such confidence, such courage. The way she attacks everything. What I love about Sam is that she’s willing to take responsibility for the team in the top half of the pitch.
"She's just so alive. She’s so alive to situations. She can cope with the pressures, the expectations, everything that comes with being a top-level footballer."
Chelsea 'transitioning' but experience ultimately plays key role
Hayes made six changes from last season’s starting line-up in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, with Lauren James, Maren Mjelde, Jessie Fleming, Melanie Leupolz, Niamh Charles and Eve Perisset all featuring this time around.
The latent inexperienced nature of the changes is difficult to ignore, a sentiment that Hayes proudly considered evidential of her bid to make Chelsea’s success as durable and sustainable as possible.
"That for me is a big sign of progress, that we can win while transitioning," Hayes said.
But where transition is key to a dynasty’s efficacy, experience proved the margin on Sunday with the inveterate Harder and Ingle making huge differences as they replaced midfield strugglers Leupolz and Fleming, with the Welsh skipper in particular being singled out by Hayes.
“We desperately needed Sophie Ingle,” Hayes said. “We needed someone to control the middle of the park, something that I don’t think we did in the first half. Then we grew into the game and I thought we had the better second half.”
Alongside Erin Cuthbert, Ingle helped to wrestle the midfield back in Chelsea’s favour and from there the front line finally got their service they were so desperately crying out for.
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