It is the battle of the blues in the Women’s FA Cup Final – Chelsea v Manchester City Preview

Chelsea take on Manchester City in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium today in what will be the clash of the Blues and Sky Blues for FA cup glory.

After a thrilling end to the WSL season last Sunday, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea side will be looking to win two domestic trophies this season as well as retain their FA Cup crown they won after beating Arsenal in last year’s final. However, standing in Chelsea’s way are Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City side who secured a Champions League place on the final day of the season and have not lost a game since February.

In front of a record crowd of over 55,000 at Wembley, both sides will be desperate to win as they are both looking for their fourth ever FA Cup triumph. City endured a poor start to the season by their standards, but have performed excellently in the cup to get into the final. Chelsea, on the other hand, have had an outstanding season and will see no better way to cap it off than winning the most prestigious domestic cup competition in football.

Despite Chelsea and Manchester City winning the FA Cup in each of the last five seasons, it will be the first time the two giants will face off in the final.

Managers Comments:

Taylor said: “We’re going into it in good form, but Chelsea are too

“It’s a one-off game and it is about who manages the game well enough on the day, who plays the game and not the occasion.

“It will be great for the fans of both teams and hopefully for the neutral it will be an exciting game as well. Hopefully we see some good football – and worthy winners at the end.”

Hayes said: “The women’s game wins again on Sunday, hopefully with a record crowd and two amazing teams full of talent.

“It’s going to be tight. We would agree that there’s not a lot between the sides.

“For us, last time we played City, we were depleted. This week, we’ve got a full-strength squad, including Fran Kirby. I think we’re going into the game in a much better place than we did the Continental Cup final.

“When it comes to the crunch games we have coped well over the years. The team are unbelievable at finding sustained success.

“I admire the players so much for their motivation to keep improving.”

Team News:

Chelsea – 

Emma Hayes has a full strength squad to choose from ahead of today’s final. A key player she announced would be returning to the side is England forward Fran Kirby.

Kirby recently announced she would be taking a break from football to put her health first, but she has returned to training with the side this week and is in contention. This should be a massive boost for Emma Hayes and her fellow teammates.

Hayes said: “Fran Kirby is a generational talent, maybe I’m biased because I work with her, but rarely have I seen a football player able to do what she does.

“She has eyes in the back of her head. She is a winner every day. She is grumpy when it’s not going well because she wants to win so badly. She has really grown up at Chelsea, with a lot of adversity, and I have admired the way she handles that.

“I care about her. I always think about what I would want if it was my child. We have made decisions together to get things right. I just want her to be well and happy. She’s in a great place today.”

Manchester City – 

Despite not having club captain Steph Houghton available for the game today, Gareth Taylor has confirmed both Demi Stokes and Jess Park are back in contention to play. That being said, he does already have a talented pool of players to pick from, a key player for them will be winger Lauren Hemp. She has had an outstanding season for the sky blues and could be integral in helping her side beat Chelsea today.

Karen Bardsley and Esme Morgan remain sidelined with Houghton as well.

Head to Head:

The two finalists have already played one another three times this season.

In the Women’s League Cup final in March, Gareth Taylor’s side produced an outstanding second-half comeback to beat Chelsea 3-1, in order to claim their first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.

However, in the two league meetings, Chelsea were victorious on both occasions. However, since Taylor’s side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in February, they have won 13 successive fixtures in all competitions. This, therefore, makes the game a hard one to call.

Overview: 

There is a trophy to be won at the end of this game for either Chelsea or Man City and the former won the trophy last season with a 3-0 victory over Arsenal, so will be looking to retain their crown. Also, the West London side could cap off an excellent season by winning two domestic trophies, giving some of their outgoing players the perfect send-off.

Meanwhile, for City, this game poses the opportunity for them to end their season on a real high. After qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the season, to beating Chelsea in the League Cup in March, winning the FA Cup could cap off a season of success, something that would have been unthinkable at certain stages of the season.

Whatever happens, it is clear that both managers are proud of their players for everything they have already achieved this season, but Hayes and Taylor will be expecting professional performances from their sides at Wembley.

Key Players to look out for:

SAM KERR (Chelsea, striker) – 

After recently being named the FWA women’s footballer of the year, Sam Kerr is undoubtedly a key player to keep an eye on in this FA Cup final. This season in the WSL she has scored 20 goals in 20 games, as well as grabbing 4 assists. The Australian also scored two remarkable goals on the final day of the season last Sunday to help secure her side their third successive league title. Additionally, the 28-year-old scored two goals as her side beat Arsenal 3-0 to lift the trophy in last seasons final.

LAUREN HEMP (Manchester City, Winger/Forward) – 

The young English winger has really made a name for herself this season. Whilst the 21-year-old may not have scored 20 goals like Kerr, she has attained an impressive 16 goal contributions (10 goals, 6 assists) in her 20 WSL appearances. Hemp has proven to be such a key player in Taylor’s 13 successive wins in all competitions, and with her pace, power and determination, she could cause the Chelsea backline some real problems.

The game gets underway at 2:30 pm (14:30) and will be live on BBC One.

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