As Emma Hayes reflected on a continuation of Chelsea’s dominance, the manager came up with a new phrase to sum up their victory over Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup final. “The hybrid monsters,” Hayes smiled, taking deep satisfaction from a performance that turned with the click of her fingers. Time and time again they roll the dice, and from a first-half display where Chelsea were clearly second-best came a response that underlined their mentality. Long hailed as the mentality monsters, Chelsea have mastered the ability to control games without the ball and then winning them with the flick of a switch.
“Finding ways to win when you’re not at your best is always, always a mark of a great team,” Hayes said. Such football does not ordinarily receive much respect, but perhaps with this Chelsea team that is changing. “Sometimes we sneer or look down on winning matches the way we do,” Hayes suggested. “Sometimes there’s a sense where everything has to be perfect.” The FA Cup final was not an occasion for that, given United’s strength and the physical demands of Chelsea’s recent schedule. “Trust me, it is really difficult to play every three days, again and again, and play high-octane football,” Hayes said.
