Chelsea Women added the FA Cup to this season’s triumphs in the League Cup and Women’s Super League (WSL) with a 3–0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Sandy Baltimore’s two goals on either side of a thumping 84th-minute header from USWNT forward Catarina Macario confirmed victory in the club’s 30th league and cup game of the campaign.
The Blues were dominant throughout but came up against a resilient United side, who were looking to retain their trophy and stun the WSL champions in the competition for a second season in a row.
They found the breakthrough right on the stroke of half-time, but with some help from United. Celine Bizet, who had starred in the semi-final win over Manchester City, made a rash challenge on Erin Cuthbert, and gave the referee no choice but to point to the spot.
Despite the best efforts of Phallon Tullis-Joyce and the fans behind the goal, Sandy Baltimore made no mistake, sending the United goalkeeper the wrong way with a very cool penalty.
The second half was much of the same, with United doggedly staying in the game until six minutes from time when Catarina Macario headed in from Baltimore's corner.
Baltimore then rounded off a dream day for her with a second, and Chelsea's third in added time, turning Lisa Naalsund before firing home.
It put the seal on a brilliant first season for the French international, and her compatriot, Blues boss Sonia Bompastor, who has equalled Emma Hayes' best campaign on her first go.
As Chelsea hoisted the Women's Super League (WSL) trophy into the air for a sixth consecutive time on Saturday afternoon, the celebrations for their historic win were emphatic.
The Blues were already champions -- having sealed the title with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on April 30 -- but a 1-0 win over Liverpool in their final game cemented their place in the history books as the only women's team in history to go unbeaten across a 22-game season. In dropping points from only three draws, they also set a new record points tally (60) in the WSL, beating their own mark of 58 from 2022-23.
As has been their habit, Chelsea left it late to seal the win as Aggie Beever-Jones -- Chelsea's top scorer and standout player all season -- netted in the 91st minute. But the result encapsulated why Chelsea are champions. This is a team with an insatiable appetite for winning; it is engrained in their DNA. They fight to the end and, this season, their grit and sheer relentlessness has proven too much for their WSL rivals to match.
Some may have expected the squad to take time to adjust to new coach Sonia Bompastor in her debut campaign, following the exit of the legendary Emma Hayes last summer. But their relentless desire to win has not slowed down; if anything, it has grown further with a self-proclaimed "sore loser" now leading the team.
It is incredible that Bompastor has already returned three trophies -- the WSL, League Cup and FA Cup -- in her first season in charge.
