Chelsea defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to claim their third consecutive FA Cup title in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. Australia striker Sam Kerr’s goal again made the difference.
Kerr, who also scored the winning goal in last season’s final, converted a fine 68th-minute cross from substitute Pernille Harder to decide a tight game in front of a crowd of 77,390 – a world record for attendance at a women’s national game.
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“We didn’t have a great game today, but it’s a sign of a great team that we pushed,” Kerr said.
United dominated possession and created numerous chances in the first half, but were unable to break through as Chelsea struggled to keep up with the Women’s Super League (WSL) leaders.
A goal by Leah Galton was ruled out for offside in the first minute, while both goalies, Ann-Katrin Berger and Mary Earps, made excellent saves as the teams went into the break.
United quickly regretted their missed chances after the restart when Chelsea came on and Kerr broke the stalemate. The goal took the wind out of United’s sails and Chelsea held them in check to lift the trophy for a fifth time.
The teams will now take their rivalry back to the WSL, where defending champions Chelsea are second overall on 49 points from 19 games, a point behind United, who played a game more.