As the Women’s Super League title race comes to a close, Chelsea has its third consecutive title in its own hands. Emma Hayes and the Blues have powered through the distractions of the ownership and sponsor situations and continued to find ways to secure results. After a win against a stubborn Aston Villa side, Arsenal has its back against the wall, just hoping for the defending champions to slip up.
Hayes and the Blues have two games in hand over the Gunners, but Arsenal continues to hold onto a five-point lead with just seven league matches left in the 2021/22 season. The last meeting between the two in February was a huge match for both teams at the top, but the contest ended in a 0-0 draw. In fact, there were only five shots that found the target as the London rivals split the points. Chelsea has not dropped a point in the league since that match. Even though Manchester City took down the Blues in the Conti Cup final, Hayes and her women kept their eyes on the task at hand: winning their third consecutive FAWSL title.
Chelsea controls its own destiny in the FAWSL after latest win over Aston Villa
Saturday’s win over Carla Ward and the Villains proved to the WSL the perseverance of the team as a whole. So many chances passed them by, but no matter how many times Samantha Kerr failed to convert, she knew what she had to do in the end. Kerr, Guro Reiten and even Bethany England kept firing in shots, but in stoppage time, Kerr rescued Chelsea’s title hopes.
Many times this season, the Blues looked like it wasn’t going to be their year for a third straight title, but currently, they are in the perfect position to continue their miraculous dynasty. After Chelsea’s loss to Reading back in early December, the Blues seemed out of sorts. Goal-scoring was at a premium heading into 2022. A 4-0 loss to Wolfsburg in the Champions League was demoralizing for a team that made it to the final the previous season, as it crashed out in the group stage. For as many downfalls as there were this year for the Blues, it is extremely impressive that Hayes has kept her squad in a prime position to raise the 2021/22 WSL title. Elimination from the Champions League was shocking considering that Chelsea only needed to come away with one point from AOK Stadion to top the group. Instead, Wolfsburg will battle Arsenal starting later this month, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. Even after a loss in a cup final, Hayes and the Blues still found a way to rebound to continue their title charge.
No matter the obstacle, Chelsea has found a way through it, using world class management and some of the best footballers on the planet. Kerr passed Gunners’ striker Vivianne Miedema for most goals in the WSL this season with a game-winner against Aston Villa. The Blues are well equipped to maintain their form in the league with one of—if not the—best forwards in the world alongside Pernille Harder, the Swiss army knife of Ji So-yun and defender Millie Bright.
If they win the rest of their games in the WSL, it will guarantee them the title, but just one slip up and the league is up for grabs once again. Hayes and Chelsea should take it game-by-game and focus on the opponent next on the schedule. This should not be a problem for the Blues as this season has been a rollercoaster full of some disappointments on top of some excitement. Getting bounced from the Champions League and falling just short in the Conti Cup puts football in perspective for the Blues.
Nothing can be taken for granted these days, especially around Chelsea Football Club. With the future of women’s football and the success of the club still up in the air, Hayes has to take advantage of the present. Nobody knows how much the new owner(s) will invest in the women’s team, but the squad needs to cherish what it has at its disposal right this moment. A chance at a third straight WSL title will send a signal to the new owner(s) and continue to grow women’s football, not only at Chelsea, but around the world.
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