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Chelsea narrowly beat Manchester City in a thrilling women’s FA Cup final when Australian star Sam Kerr gave Emma Hayes’ side a 3-2 victory in extra time.
It was a tantalizing match between the two best formed teams in the country; when he came to Wembley, City had a 13-game winning streak and Chelsea an 11-game winning streak.
Intriguingly, the last time one of these teams lost a match was against the other, and unsurprisingly it was an incredibly even affair.
It was the first time that the men’s and women’s FA Cup final had been played on the same weekend, and after Saturday’s stalemate between Liverpool and Chelsea, it was clear very early on that Sunday’s final – played in front of a record crowd of 49,094 – would not succeed. follow.
After a frantic start, the deadlock was broken just after half an hour, when Kerr headed a deep loop cross from Millie Bright across the line at the far post. It was a deserved opener for Chelsea, who had handled the opportunity much better than his opponent in the early stages.
READ: Liverpool win FA Cup final after beating Chelsea in nerve-wracking penalties
It was the second time this season that City and Chelsea have faced each other in a major final, with City winning 3-1 of the Women’s League Cup final in March.
Kerr also opened the scoring that day and Chelsea might have feared déjà vu as the lead lasted less than 10 minutes.
Lauren Hemp’s stunning individual goal brought City back to the same level as the attacker cut Bright in and curled a glorious effort into the far post, keeping Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger firmly in place.
However, Chelsea regained the lead just after the hour and this time it was a miracle strike by Erin Cuthbert that put the team ahead. With very little backlift, she crashed a long shot from the bottom of the crossbar that City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck couldn’t get close to.
Chelsea must have thought their goal was to secure successive FA Cup titles, but the City side never know when it will be defeated.
With less than two minutes left of 90, Hayley Raso checked a through ball to her chest and finished brilliantly with the outside of her boot to level City again.
It was a hugely important moment for Raso on the biggest stages. Four years ago, she wasn’t even sure she could walk again after breaking three vertebrae in a collision on the field while playing in the US.
But this side of Chelsea can claim to be one of the best women’s football has seen in the country.
There have been some concerns about whether the physical and emotional toll of winning the women’s league title on the final day of last weekend, after a grueling season-long battle with Arsenal, would have taken too much on the Chelsea side, but Kerr’s relentless energy summed up the desire with which the team plays.
It was Alanna Kennedy’s fault, who missed an interception attempt, giving Chelsea the ball 10 minutes into extra time. Kerr ran more than half the field before firing an effort that misdirected Alex Greenwood and Roebuck.
The win secured an 11th title with Chelsea for Hayes, further cementing her place as one of the leading coaches in the women’s game.
