LONDON — Even Sonia Bompastor did not assume this is able to occur. The Chelsea head coach, a serial winner as each a participant and a supervisor with Lyon, didn’t foresee such a shocking debut marketing campaign in west London.
“If I’m sincere, once I first got here to Chelsea, I used to be not anticipating as a lot success as we have had,” Bompastor instructed membership media forward of Sunday’s Ladies’s FA Cup last, which noticed Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 at Wembley Stadium. (Stream the replay on ESPN+, U.S. solely)
“Though I’m very bold, the membership is bold, and we’re a very good match. This summer season’s transition was big. Emma [Hayes] was the coach for 12 years, and I had large footwear to fill.”
Certainly, following on from Hayes, who left the membership final summer season to take cost of america nationwide crew after a trophy-laden spell at Kingsmeadow, appeared an ominous activity. The departure of a storied supervisor can usually immediate a interval of transition and turmoil, notably at golf equipment like Chelsea, the place success will not be a selection however a situation of tenure.
Nonetheless, Bompastor has taken the problem in her stride, guiding the Blues to a home treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and the Ladies’s Tremendous League (WSL) title. It’s a feat even Hayes managed solely as soon as, in 2020-21, and so for Bompastor to perform a home clear sweep on the first time of asking is vastly spectacular.
After all, cynics will level to Chelsea’s monetary may as a way of devaluing their ruthless monopoly on English soccer’s greatest prizes. The membership spent over £1.5 million through the January switch window, signing defender Naomi Girma — the primary $1m participant within the girls’s sport — and England worldwide Keira Walsh.
This got here a 12 months after they broke the then-world report charge to signal Colombia striker Mayra Ramírez. However the travails of the Chelsea males’s crew lately have proven that cash doesn’t all the time equal trophies, and it takes a mix of exhausting work, expertise and tactical nous to show victory within the boardroom into triumph on the pitch.
All three of these qualities underpinned Chelsea’s emphatic win over United — who have been the holders, having overwhelmed Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in final 12 months’s last. Bompastor’s aspect had 61% of the possession and 13 pictures in comparison with their opponents’ seven and, from the outset at Wembley, it was Chelsea who bent the sport to their will.
Their dominance was finally rewarded when Sandy Baltimore slotted dwelling a penalty, awarded for a foul by Celin Bizet on Erin Cuthbert shortly earlier than half-time. United, bidding to avenge their 2023 FA Cup last defeat to Chelsea, launched midfielder Ella Toone after the break, however whereas the England worldwide compelled Hannah Hampton into an honest save early within the second half, her high quality and expertise was not sufficient to encourage a turnaround.
As a substitute, it was fellow substitute Catarina Macario who made the distinction, nodding dwelling Chelsea’s second from an inch-perfect Baltimore cross six minutes from time.
Baltimore then added additional gloss to the rating line with an outstanding end previous Phallon Tullis-Joyce in stoppage time. In addition to delighting the tens of hundreds of Chelsea followers who had made the journey to Wembley, the Blues’ scientific show was additionally celebrated within the administrators’ field, which performed host to American businessman Alexis Ohanian, who this week bought a ten% stake within the girls’s crew.
The Reddit co-founder, who can be the husband of tennis nice Serena Williams, is believed to have invested someplace within the area of £20m, citing a want to make Chelsea “the subsequent international girls’s sports activities model.”
His presence on Sunday was a strong reminder, if one have been wanted, that Chelsea’s will to win reveals no indicators of waning. After all, the Champions League remains to be the holy grail for the Blues, and this season’s bruising semifinal exit by the hands of Barcelona serves as a reminder that this crew remains to be not the completed article.
“It feels actually nice to be dominant in England, however when you concentrate on it, we did not win the Champions league and I believe our aim and our ambition is to verify we compete in opposition to the very best crew in Europe,” Bompastor mentioned. “Barcelona for positive, but additionally groups like Lyon.
“So when you concentrate on it, everyone seems to be saying perhaps Chelsea will run away from the pack within the league in England, however our aim for us is to compete in opposition to the very best groups in Europe. It is good to have this home treble, however once more, we wish to be certain sooner or later and hopefully subsequent season we’re in a position to compete in opposition to the very best.”
That Bompastor will not be content material resting on her laurels is reflective of her relentless nature. However it was the Chelsea boss’ selection of postmatch apparel that maybe provided the very best perception into the mentality that has underpinned her crew’s memorable season.
Bompastor arrived within the media suite at Wembley draped in a flag adorned with the phrase: “Unrivalled.” Definitely, after the season Chelsea have had, it’s exhausting to argue with that.
