3 takeaways as Chelsea Women hoist third-straight FA Cup with win over Man United

Despite not playing near the level of football that has been produced recently, the Chelsea Women found a way, securing yet another FA Cup behind a Sam Kerr goal.

Iconic. When you think of word clutch there is only one name that should come to mind in women’s football. Sam Kerr. For the third consecutive FA Cup final, the Australian nightmare herself netted the decisive goal to propel her side to victory. First it was Arsenal, then it was Manchester City, and this past Sunday afternoon it was Manchester United. Each powerhouse had their shot at taking down Emma Hayes’ Chelsea side with a domestic trophy on the line, and all of them came up short. Hayes’ ability to adjust out of halftime as her side gained more control of the game demonstrates just how talented she is as a manager with the lights shining right in her face.

While Man United’s time will eventually come, the consistency of Chelsea is something that cannot be overlooked. For the first time in this ultra-competitive Women’s Super League era, a club has found a way to hoist three straight FA Cups. No matter the personnel, the opposition, or the timing of the contest, Hayes’ side knows how to come out and deliver in front of the biggest crowds they will see all season. With the first 22 seconds, the west Londoners saw the ball in the back of their own goal, and after repeatedly being threatened by the red of Manchester, their belief never wavered.

There are always ebbs and flows in any cup final, but no team has been able to deal with it better than CFC. Coming out of the dressing room for the second half having been on the backfoot for the entirely of the first 45 minutes, the coaching staff and the players on the pitch in blue knew their time was going to come at some point.

While they had not played together much so far throughout this campaign, it just had to be Pernille Harder and Kerr who combined to what ended up being the game-clinching goal in the second half. After what has been one of the most turbulent years at Chelsea Football Club in recent times, especially on the men’s side, the club secured its first piece of silverware under the new ownership. In just a few week’s time, Chelsea could be holding another trophy as they hope to see off a campaign that has been filled with milestones and memorable accomplishments. Here are three takeaways from a match that had over 77,000 fans in the stands at Wembley Stadium.

3 takeaways from a thrilling FA Cup final triumph in front of a record crowd at Wembley.