Sam Kerr showed off her famous backflip celebration today in front of a world-record domestic crowd of 77,390 fans as she made it 1-0 to Chelsea, pushing them to a third successive FA Cup win. Manchester United saw themselves in their first FA Cup final today, and although they came out with a fight and dominated possession in the first half, they just couldn’t find a breakthrough before the final whistle; leaving the result 1-0 to Chelsea.
Kerr, recently named Football Player of the Year, had scored previously not just in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 finals but also in both WSL games against Man United this season; consistently proving her talent and value to Chelsea. The threat level of Pernille Harder also cannot be ignored in this match, making an impact from the moment she stepped on the pitch and assisting Kerr in the winning goal. This is now Emma Hayes’ twelfth piece of silverware with Chelsea, showing once again, the team’s relentless ambition and hunger to win.
The United squad was packed with 4 lionesses who won the Euros just one year ago at Wembley and only made one change from their winning side against Tottenham Hotspur in the WSL last weekend, with Katie Zelem coming back from suspension. This defeat will surely only add fuel to the fire for the Reds as the race for the WSL title closes in with them being in first place, only one point ahead of Chelsea. Making it to an FA Cup final is, however, an undeniable achievement for Man United, from only forming their team in 2018 and yet have spent many seasons confidently challenging the WSL, after gaining promotion from the championship at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Match Action at Wembley
The first half got off to a promising start for United as Leah Galton had a ball in the back of the net within the first minute of game time. Unfortunately for the Reds, it was ruled offside, and the game remained 0-0. However, it didn’t stop them as they kept pushing on Chelsea’s backline – which was lacking the talent of Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan. Turner and Russo both had shots deflected by Berger. The biggest chance in the first half from Chelsea was created by Lauren James in the 40th minute when her header was deflected onto the post by Mary Earps.
Chelsea came out from halftime with a quality performance whilst Manchester United lacked ruthlessness in key moments, ultimately costing them the cup. Sam Kerr drilled it into the box in the 58th Minute for Harder to strike, but it was just too easy for Earps who saved it comfortably. On the hour mark, Manchester United manager Marc Skinner put Rachel Williams on the pitch, replacing Nikita Parris. Just eight minutes later Harder made an incredible run, passing the ball across the face of the goal, allowing Sam Kerr to secure it in the back of the net, making it 1-0 to Chelsea.
Manchester United made two more subs towards the end of the game, bringing Mannion and Garcia on for Blundell and Toone. United began to show more attacks as the last six minutes of added time were shown, keeping Berger working hard to deny them an equaliser.
Ultimately, Chelsea came out on top once again and it was a disappointing defeat for Manchester United in their first-ever cup final.
Written by Ruby Joanne
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