Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (Kerr 68’)
WEMBLEY STADIUM — The spectacle of that somersault, Sam Kerr poking the ball past Mary Earps and contorting her whole body in mid-air, is how today will be remembered.
For all the talk of a record domestic crowd of 77,390, this FA Cup final needed a defining image and it got one in the form of the ultimate clutch player and revolving Chelsea striker.
The sight of Emma Hayes celebrating goals of this significance has become familiar enough. Yet Kerr’s meant that little bit more, precisely because Chelsea’s monopoly on both this competition and the WSL has been so threatened this season.
Both sides went into this final knowing they could end the campaign as double-winners, or equally, they could end up with nothing.
For a Manchester United side ahead of schedule, that would be more forgivable – it is easy to forget how seamlessly they have gone from the wilderness to FA Cup finalists and WSL leaders in the space of five years.
All that was in the subtext when United burst onto the front foot from the first whistle. The pre-match music had barely stopped blaring over the speakers by the time Nikita Parris was wheeling away in celebration.
Leah Galton’s offside finish ultimately meant nothing, but at the same time it said everything about the “rebel” spirit which Marc Skinner hoped would see Manchester United to their first major trophy since reforming in 2018.
No one, least of all Katie Zelem’s father Alan who played at this ground for in the late 1980s, can have envisaged scenes like this. He could not have imagined his daughter’s own journey from mascot and flag-bearer to Manchester United captain, leading out her side at the national stadium.
United were determined to make that kind of ammunition count and when you consider that Hayes’ team could conceivably have been two down inside 10 minutes, the defending champions did well to ride it out.
They engineered their own best effort of a flat first half when Lauren James’ innocuous header somehow bobbled onto the post, helped away from harm by Mary Earps, realising the danger late on and stretching out a hand. It was a save so important that Earps and Maya Le Tissier roared at one another in celebration.
It was the first real warning shot fired by Chelsea as United were put on notice. Alessia Russo was given a golden chance from a botched pass by Erin Cuthbert, instead choosing to shoot from distance.
Hayes’ side will inevitably punish that kind of profligacy, but they could not pull the trigger when United made their first real slip-up. Le Tissier fell to the turf as Kerr raced towards goal to tee up Pernille Harder – fortunately for Earps, the substitute’s shot was straight at her.
Moments later, it was the same combination, Harder racing past Millie Turner to find Kerr, that finally saw the breakthrough.
Harder’s introduction had revived a Chelsea attack that, for all they maintain they have the depth to cope without Fran Kirby, had been lacking a cutting edge in the final third and they had managed just two shots on target by the hour mark.
With Hayes bouncing on her heels on the touchline, she knew chances were at a premium. United needed to take theirs when it was scrambled away from the goalline deep into injury time.
That is what made Kerr’s finish so much more special. Chelsea no longer have things all their own way, and yet here they are, dominating the competition in a way no side has since the Arsenal teams of the late noughties.
It’s now three FA Cups in a row – United are the only ones who may yet interrupt their monopoly of the WSL too.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/oVthNrv
Post a Comment