Women’s FA Cup final: Sam Kerr seals title for Chelsea against Manchester United

Sam Kerr was Chelsea’s matchwinner but once more as they wrapped up a 3rd successive Girls’s FA Cup title with victory over Manchester United in entrance of a world-record crowd at Wembley Stadium.

The sport had been finely poised till Kerr broke the impasse regardless of Manchester United, competing of their first main cup closing, being on prime for many of the first half.

Marc Skinner’s facet, who’ve by no means defeated Chelsea, imposed themselves early on when Leah Galton had a purpose dominated out inside 23 seconds of kick-off for offside.

United had an edge after the chaotic begin and got here shut once more when Millie Turner nearly stabbed in a free ball on a free-kick, earlier than Galton sliced Alessia Russo’s low cross extensive on the close to publish.

However Chelsea all the time carried a risk by way of Lauren James, who looped a header which was expertly tipped on to the publish by goalkeeper Mary Earps.

With 77,390 watching on at Wembley – a world report for a girls’s home match – Chelsea started to impose their high quality after the break.

Substitute Tougher finally supplied the additional high quality they wanted when she teed up Kerr, making certain Chelsea turned the primary facet since Arsenal in 2008 to win three Girls’s FA Cups in a row.

It’s their fifth FA Cup crown total and the newest in a rising record of phenomenal achievements by Emma Hayes’ facet – and she is going to hope so as to add extra in a number of weeks’ time as Chelsea stay locked in a fierce Girls’s Tremendous League title race with United.

Chelsea nonetheless the crew to beat

Chelsea’s achievement, successful a 3rd consecutive FA Cup crown, won’t come as a shock given their relentless starvation for silverware – but it surely’s nonetheless an immense feat.

They’ve been the crew to beat for a number of seasons underneath Hayes and annually have confronted more and more formidable opponents.

United are the newest to develop and can little question problem once more however in the present day, Chelsea confirmed their superiority within the moments when it mattered.

Kerr, lately named Soccer Author’s Participant of the Yr, has led from the entrance all season, scoring targets and carrying a weight of duty on her shoulders as different senior gamers struggled by way of harm.

It was becoming then that it was Kerr who delivered the match-winning transfer – once more – linking up with attacking companion Tougher, who solely returned from a long-term harm this month.

Hayes has usually described Kerr because the world’s finest striker and he or she all the time turns up on the massive stage – netting in six successive cup finals for the Blues, together with the extra-time winner over Manchester Metropolis in final yr’s FA Cup.

Realizing Kerr simply wants the one probability was at the back of everybody’s thoughts and, when Tougher drilled it throughout the field from the correct, the Chelsea supporters behind the purpose had already began to have fun.

United might be again once more quickly

United had been in unknown territory having reached their first closing however they didn’t present any signal of stage fright.

Having reformed the ladies’s crew solely 5 years in the past, their astonishing rise to the highest of the WSL desk and to the FA Cup closing was already an achievement in itself.

And it is a squad packed stuffed with winners – together with 4 Lionesses who received Euro 2022 at Wembley a yr in the past.

They confirmed their intent within the first half particularly, being the higher facet for big intervals, however as the sport wore on, Chelsea started to take management.

United centre-backs Turner and Maya Le Tissier had been in positive type, taking part in out from the again and largely managing Kerr’s harmful runs in behind.

However United’s lack of ruthlessness in key moments proved expensive.

Turner and Galton’s possibilities within the first half had been squandered, Russo’s efforts went straight to goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and a late scramble in stoppage time was cleared by Chelsea.

It was a harsh lesson in positive margins however United confirmed they belong on this stage and they are going to be again once more. They nonetheless have a WSL title to compete for and now they’ve skilled the Wembley area, they’ll absolutely be hungry to return.