It is not often this season that Chelsea players have left the pitch at the end of a match whoopin’ and hollerin’. Certainly not José Mourinho’s Premier League men.
But the Chelsea ladies of Emma Hayes danced in jubilation on Sunday night as they clinched their first FA Women’s Super League 1 title, which completed the domestic double for them, after a 4-0 win over Sunderland.
John Terry, the Chelsea men’s captain, was there to witness it, too. How he must wish his season will end in such scenes of joy, though the signs are not promising at the moment.
Chelsea won the title by two points from their nearest rivals, Manchester City, the irrelevant 2-1 victors over Notts County on Sunday night. A first-half goal from Ji So-yun, two in the second period from Fran Kirby, the England forward, and one from Gemma Davison near the end did the trick.
Hayes’s Chelsea had suffered heartbreak on the final day of last season, when they led the table only to lose 2-1 at Manchester City. That allowed Liverpool to sneak up from third place, with a 3-0 win over Bristol Academy, to pip Chelsea for the title on goal difference.
Hayes said: “It’s been a long year waiting for this day to come. We vowed that what happened to us last year would never happen again. That’s the motto we’ve lived with throughout the season. And tonight was a champions performance. We lost a couple of games in mid-season but we bounced back to win the FA Cup and since then we’ve gone to another level.”
City have the consolation of qualifying for the Champions League. “Playing Champions League football will be a special time for us,” City manager Nick Cushing said. “Next year, we will be stronger in the league.”
Chelsea had already tasted success this season when winning the Cup – their first major trophy – by beating Notts County 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium in August. With a record attendance of 2,710, Wheatsheaf Park – the home of Staines Town, the Ryman League Premier Division club – was close to capacity on a cool evening.
Chelsea began nervously but went ahead in the seventh minute. Eniola Aluko crossed from the left and Ji, the South Korea forward, guided home past Sunderland goalkeeper Hilde-Gunn Olsen via the far post.
Sunderland threatened only rarely. Rachel Furness tried her luck from 20 yards but Chelsea goalkeeper Hedvig Lindhal was hardly troubled. Ji and Davison should have done better at the other end but both sent in efforts high over the crossbar.
Nine minutes before half time, Kirby scurried through alone – after good work by Aluko – but, with only Olsen to beat, mishit a poor shot narrowly wide.
It was a huge let-off for Sunderland but Chelsea redoubled their efforts after the interval and had stretched their lead to 3-0 just past the hour mark.
They had to survive a scare first when Beth Mead had a chance to equalise. But, with only Lindahl to beat, she dragged her shot wide. Chelsea were swift to respond to the let-off.
Olsen punched away a thunderbolt from Aluko then, in the 56h minute, Davison cut in from the right and set up Kirby for a comfortable tap-in at the far post.
Six minutes later, Kirby did it all alone. Twisting and turning, she created space for herself on the edge of the area and sent a fierce left-footed shot past Olsen.
“It’s been a pretty incredible year for me,” Kirby, a British record £60,000 buy from Reading in July, said. “Coming to Chelsea halfway through the season, there was a lot of pressure on me – and also the whole team because we were top of the league. So to be able to win the league is amazing. I’m delighted with the two goals but that’s to the credit of the girls for creating those opportunities for me. I can only give back what they give to me. We absolutely dominated the game and it’s great to show people that we didn’t buckle under the pressure.”
Davison was under little pressure in the 87th minute when she calmly converted a pass from Kirby to complete the rout. Soon after, the whoopin’ and hollerin’ began.
Woman of the match Fran Kirby (Chelsea).
Chelsea Ladies 4-2-3-1 Lindahl (Hourihan, 82) – Blundell, Fahey, Flaherty, Rafferty – Chapman, Spence (Bright, 61) – Davison, Kirby, Aluko – Ji So-yun (Coombs, 76).
Substitutes not used Borges, Brett, Meiwald, Ayane.
Sunderland Ladies 4-2-3-1: Olsen; Holmes (Potts, 79), Bannon, Williams, Greenwell – McDougall, Furness – Ramshaw (Etherington, 87), Joice, Kelly (Roche, 69) – Mead.
Substitutes not used Harkness, Hill, Beer, Brown.
Referee: Adrian Quelch.
