A look back at 2022: Chelsea Women’s year in review

Given how 2021 concluded in the world of the Chelsea Women, it was clear this club had a long way to go to compete at the highest level. 2022 was a historic year, not only because it marked the 30th anniversary of its merger with the men’s team, and Emma Hayes’ 10th season in charge of CFC, but the ambition and drive on and off the pitch has taken a jump. The Blues have seen three legends take their talents elsewhere this year, but in an eventful summer, the club added world-class talents at all levels of the pitch to replace some of the best this club and even the league have ever seen.

From a memorable final day of the WSL season against Manchester United to seal the club’s third consecutive league title to an extra-time triumph over Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final, 2022 was filled with moments that will be in CFC lore forever. Hayes and the Blues secured two trophies and failed to execute in the second half of the Conti Cup to add a third, but at the end of the day, this year was all about taking this club to the next year, especially in Europe.

Hayes made it clear in the summer transfer window that she was targeting versatility, and in the first few months of the season, the coaching staff has utilized it to both give players rest, and demonstrate the amount of depth and little drop-off there is from one player to the next. Whether it was Jess Carter’s breakout season during the 2021/22 campaign or Millie Bright and Sam Kerr earning recognition as one of the 20 Ballon d’Or nominees, there has been a multitude of individuals that have had a historic 2022.

46 wins in all competitions throughout the entire year and only two losses is quite an impressive record for a team that has gone through many trials and tribulations off the pitch. Trying to sum up the entirety of 2022 around CFC is an impossible task. In a year filled with highs, here are the Blues’ top-five moments in no particular order in 2022.

1. Chelsea’s FA Cup final against Manchester City / Clinching the WSL title at Kingsmeadow (May 2022)

This is by far the most obvious choice on this list, and to acknowledge one more moment in 2022, I am going to group the two trophies that Hayes’ group earned together. For CFC fans, these two matches are ones everyone no doubt remembers where they were when each of them happened. From Sam Kerr’s historic second half which included two world-class goals against Manchester United to the rocket by Erin Cuthbert in the second half at Wembley, the road for the Blues to capturing these trophies featured two different roller coaster rides that made them as memorable as they are.

CFC found itself either tied or down in both contests as both clubs gave the Blues the best it had with the season coming to a close. Marc Skinner and Man U had the team on the ropes in the first half with the Blues needing a win to clinch their third domestic title in a row. Goals by Martha Thomas, and Ella Toone presented Manchester United with a halftime lead despite the Blues scoring just a few minutes after United’s first through Cuthbert. What transpired in the second 45 minutes will go down in history as one of if not the greatest individually clutch performance in Chelsea Women’s history.

With a left-footed volley from the top of the box just seconds after the whistle blew for the second half Kerr tied the match back up at two apiece. The precision and focus of Kerr were on full display as she completely shocked United after they had thought they had just played spoiler on the final day of the season. For the next 44 minutes, CFC showed its class and ability to overcome adversity. Guro Reiten netted her 10th goal of the season to give the Blues a slim lead just five minutes after Kerr’s first of the afternoon. The Australian kept the second-half celebration at Kingsmeadow going with another sublime finish from outside the box to put the game on ice.

In the final match of the 2021/22 campaign, the Blues found themselves up against the same opponent that defeated them in the Conti Cup final a few months prior. Not only did these two contests make the list due to the trophy at the end of them, but the quality of goals that each of them provided, and the challenges that Hayes’ side faced.

Whether it was the stunning cross by Bright that found Kerr at the back post to open the scoring or Cuthbert’s rocket off the crossbar to reestablish the CFC advantage in the 63’. The Scottish international’s reaction after the goal said it all and despite Man City finding an equalizer at the death, Kerr came to the rescue once again to help the Blues hoist their second trophy in a two-week span. The joy of winning titles never gets old and for Hayes’ side, this year may have provided two of the toughest finals this club has had to endure in order to come out on top.

2. Triumph over Arsenal in FA Cup semi-final (April 17, 2022)

Anytime Chelsea faces off against Jonas Eidevall and the Gunners, the two are bound to produce a classic. For Arsenal, it was a match it would rather forget, but for Hayes and CFC, it was one they will never forget for quite a long time. With a back-three of Bright, Carter, and Aniek Nouwen, the Blues completely stymied a Gunners’ attack that had outscored their opposition 8-0 in the previous two contests to clinch a date with CFC in the FA Cup semi-finals. Five total shots were recorded by Arsenal on its home turf during this match, and none of them required the of Ann-Katrin Berger between the sticks.

With a 0-0 scoreline at the intermission, the game was up for grabs, and just five minutes into the second 45, Reiten swung her left foot through the ball following a quick build-up by the Blues. The Norwegian found the top right corner, passing the outstretched arms of Manuela Zinsberger, and providing CFC with all the momentum with 40 minutes of football to play. What made that goal special was its timing.

Just a few moments before, Beth Mead fired her strike just wide left of the goal. In a moment where it seemed the Gunners were going to find the breakthrough, the Blues silenced the home crowd with a world-class curler by a player that only continued to get better from then on. In one of her final contests for the Blues, club legend Ji So-yun netted one of the goals of the season. The South Korean beat Lia Walti at the top of the box to get the ball to her right foot before firing her shot emphatically off the crossbar and into the back of the net.

It was Ji’s final goal for the Chelsea Women in her career as she departed the club during the summer to play football back in her home country. On top of that, it was the second time the Blues had beaten Arsenal in their last three meetings following a controversial defeat in the opening match of the 2021/22 campaign. For its farewell goal for Ji, and the masterclass CFC put on in the second half, this was a game that had to make it on the list somewhere.

3. Securing Kadeisha Buchanan from Lyon during the summer (June 10, 2022)

When it comes to selecting a top signing of the summer transfer window to include on this list, the confirmation of Canadian international Kadeisha Buchanan from the defending Champions League winners stands out among the rest. In the beginning parts of the 2022/23 campaign, Buchanan struggled to find her footing, but since her move to the right side of a back-four, the Canadian has flourished and has been one of the most impressive players for the Blues. Bringing her to west London in the first place demonstrated how far this club has gone to attract the best of the best around the world.

Two years prior, the Blues signed Pernille Harder in one of the most expensive transfers in the history of women’s football, but for Hayes to convince a five-time European champion to play for CFC was a massive step in the right direction. Usually, players have the desire to play for Lyon due to the amount of success the club has had in women’s football throughout history, but in 2022 the Blues stopped that trend, for now, adding one of the world’s most talented central defenders to a team that had allowed just 11 WSL goals all of last season.

Buchanan added that all-important European experience that CFC desperately wanted after going out in the group stages to Wolfsburg in its last Champions League campaign. She was the second signing of the summer for Hayes after Eve Perisset, confirming her stay in London for three years after the new ownership group officially came on board at Chelsea. For the significance of signing a player from Lyon, and how much she had made an impact since her arrival, the transfer of Buchanan to CFC was a moment that could not be left off the list.

4. PSG 3-0 to conclude the year at Stamford Bridge (December 22, 2022)

Trying to narrow down this list to just five moments was an extremely tough task given how much success CFC has had both as a team and individually in 2022. A contest at the Bridge had to make it on the list, and while it wasn’t the first of 2022, a resounding triumph over one of the best teams in all of Europe to clinch the top spot of Group A going into the new year.

Gerard Precheur and PSG even defeated their league rivals, Lyon to go top of the French top-flight in the previous week, but none of that mattered when they came up against a red-hot CFC at the Bridge. Seeing the women’s game grow, and having the women’s team play in bigger stadiums was important, but the way the Blues did it resulted in one of the most impressive victories the club had seen in 2022.

From the two team goals that Lauren James finished for her first two Champions League goals of her career to the left-footed strike by Kerr to silence all of the critics that have been hounding Kerr in the early months of the campaign, this match had everything for a CFC fan. James was a non-factor in her first season in west London, but she came right out of the gate in September to prove why the Blues paid a large price to bring her in from Manchester United.

Two forceful finishes in front of over 10,000 fans at the Bridge summed up her emergence at CFC in 2022. It was a message to the rest of the contenders in the Champions League this season that the Blues are here, and the early elimination in 2021 was only going to motivate them even more as the competition continues.

It was the largest loss PSG has endured since the 6-1 defeat to Lyon in the French top-flight last season. Wolfsburg and Barcelona among others are top threats along with Hayes’ side to hoist the Champions League trophy in May, but for the Blues to close out 2022 with a convincing win against a team that reached the semifinals last season says a lot about the ambition of this club going forward into the new year.

5. Millie Bright signing on with a new contract until 2025 (August 11, 2022)

For Todd Boehly and the new ownership group, extending many of the core figures of the Chelsea Women’s team over the last few years had to be one of the main focuses. At the beginning of August, CFC had 16 players who had contracts that concluded at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. English international Bright was coming off of one of the most memorable summers of her life, having won the European championships, and being one of the most vital pieces to the team that finished the job at home in front of their fans at Wembley.

Since 2017, Bright has started in every match she has played in the WSL for CFC except for one, providing unmatched stability in defense for the Blues. Even though Bright is going into her 30s, she played the most minutes of any other CFC player so far this season. She has quietly become one of the best defenders in all of women’s football this year, and for the Blues to have her for another three years means a whole lot for this club that has the desire to reach the pinnacle of Europe.

Some may point to Guro Reiten or Erin Cuthbert as the most prominent extensions of the year, but for what she has done for the club throughout her career and her consistent contributions each game, Bright’s extension no doubt is more significant than all of them so far. In her first season at CFC, Bright was awarded the Players’ Player of the Season, and just like the current Blues’ captain on the men’s side, her impact on the game goes beyond the few goals that she is able to produce. The 29-year-old has been a part of the west London side since 2014 and put pen to paper on one of the most critical pieces of paper for the Chelsea Women in 2022.