Underdog Player of the Season: Erin Cuthbert
There is arguably nobody more valuable to Emma Hayes’ team throughout the entire season than Erin Cuthbert. The Scottish international was no doubt the Player of the Match in the final two games of the season, despite some goalscoring heroics from the aforementioned striker, Kerr. Cuthbert’s heart, hustle and willingness to give it her all every single time she steps out onto the pitch at both ends make her my choice for the ‘Underdog Player of the Season.’
Cuthbert was not in the line-up against Manchester City in the Conti Cup final loss, and she was possibly one of the biggest reasons why the Blues collapsed the way they did in the second half. The lovable dressing room personality scored the first goal of the season, and arguably the biggest one of the year in the second half of the FA Cup, when she struck one off the crossbar and in. This restored the Blues’ lead after Manchester City found a leveler early on, which helped Hayes’ side prevent the Citizens from taking two trophies from under Chelsea’s noses.
Cuthbert may not score the most goals or put the biggest numbers on the stat-sheet at the end of 90 minutes, but she is going to be as priceless as ever next season with the exit of Ji So-yun now official at the season’s conclusion. She won the second-most tackles in the entire league behind only Tottenham’s Ashleigh Neville. Her intensity and love for Chelsea as a club bode well for the foreseeable future. She is no doubt a candidate for a possible future captain, even at the age of 23.
Everything Cuthbert does gets overlooked by many people, but all that matters is that she saved her best performances for last. She even won Player of the Match in a contest when she was brought on at the half. Cuthbert is tactically intelligent and she is a known forward thinker on the pitch. She is always one step ahead of the rest of the individuals on the field with her. Given her natural grit and work ethic, Cuthbert is going to be a continued mainstay in the middle of the park for years to come under Hayes.