Manchester United suffer heartbreak at Wembley despite a masterclass performance in the first half, as Chelsea walk away Vitality Women’s FA Cup winners for the fifth time in front of a record 77,000 crowd. Sam Kerr got behind Maya Le Tissier on a counter-attack and tapped the ball beyond Mary Earps to break the stalemate.
A somewhat surprising score line considering United stunned the Blues within 20 seconds of kickoff when Leah Galton fired the ball into the back of the net, which was deemed offside. The same opportunity presented itself again at the half-hour mark.
Alessia Russo almost nudged the ball beyond Ann-Katrin Berger too, along with Millie Turner and Nikita Parris were brought down in the box, but to no avail.
It took 67 minutes for Chelsea to get ahead, Lauren James came close with a header in the first half but Mary Earps had it covered, nudging it onto the back post.
Player ratings:
Mary Earps - Calm and cool under pressure, always found a red shirt. Nudged the ball into the back post to deny Lauren James just before the break. - Loved the chest bump with Le Tissier after it. She closed down Sam Kerr to deny a shot from close range and couldn't really do much else. 8
Ona Batlle - Is there a cooler player on the pitch today? Everything Batlle did was touch-perfect and with style. Flawless first touch and drive down the right flanks. Deathly with Guro Reiten stoically in the first half. 9
Hannah Blundell - Troubled Lauren James, well stood and didn’t give an inch, was unlucky to be pulled up early doors with a foul on the forward. 8
Ella Toone - Had a lot of joy with the ball, cut inside into a crowded box arguably a little too often from the left flank but was impactful in the attack. Chose to pass instead of taking the shot herself, and slowed the game a bit in the final third throughout the second half. 7
Katie Zelem - Quick one-touch play in the middle and her set-piece deliveries were flawless. United were so unlucky not to find the target in the first half from them. 7
Leah Galton - Gave United the lead 20 seconds after kick-off but was ruled out for margin offside. Looked dangerous on the attack on the drive forward. Came in the middle to collect the ball to service Toone, Russo and Parris. Her body language turned negative in the early stage of the second half and her energy seemed to lack to win back possession, but her zest to score never dipped. 8
Hayley Ladd - A Lot of room in the middle of the park, one-touch move with Zelem to open the play and transition quickly. Was a bit rough with Erin Cuthbert in the middle but gave as good as she got. 8
Maya Le Tissier - Wise beyond her years, kept an eye on Sam Kerr constantly checking her shoulder. Her play with Turner was intertwined, both sweeping each other and it looked so fluid and effortless. But, she let Kerr get out of sight once which led to the Chelsea goal. 7
Millie Turner - Between Turner and Le Tissier, Sam Kerr was covered today. In constant communication and it was as if they knew what each other were thinking. 8
Nikita Parris - Has chased down everything, but was unlucky not to connect with the ball early on from close range. Subbed at the hour mark. 8
Alessia Russo - Her energy up top was sensational, chasing everything down. Drew a good number of fouls. Nearly got a toe to the ball to beat Ann-Katrin Berger from a first-half free kick. 8
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