Chelsea boss Emma Hayes praised striker Sam Kerr as she dedicated her side’s third consecutive FA Cup victory to Blues fans in a year in which she feels the wider club has “suffered”.
Kerr struck the winner past England goalkeeper Mary Earps to fire Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in front of a crowd of 77,390 at Wembley, a new world record for a women’s domestic club fixture.
It was the fifth time in nine years Chelsea have triumphed in the showpiece and another game-changing moment from Australia international Kerr, who latched on to substitute Pernille Harder’s pinpoint pass to steer home the winner in the 68th minute.
“I’ve never coached a player like her,” said Hayes. “For a player to have such convictions, such confidence, such courage, the way she attacks everything.
“What I love about Sam is she is willing to take responsibility for the team at the top end of the pitch, but I think it’s important to mention Pernille Harder, because without Pernille Harder she wouldn’t have got that goal.
“So congratulations to the team, the squad. It will bug me if I don’t say this – I’m a football fan and I’ve watched how much my club has suffered this year.
“We’ve had ownership changes, the men’s team hasn’t been brilliant, Chelsea fans this is for you. I hope we had a little bit of joy tonight. I hope we gave you something where you can smile about it this year. The whole club, owners included.”
It ultimately came down to fine margins for Marc Skinner’s United side, who had reached a major final for the first time since their promotion from the Championship in 2019.
They started brightly and largely controlled a first half in which they had a goal chalked off for offside and a penalty appeal by Nikita Parris turned down, officials ultimately determining she had been brought down by Niamh Charles outside the area.
Second-half substitutions saw Chelsea spring back to life after a first period that led Hayes to agree with assistant manager Paul Green, who branded it the “worst first half of FA Cup football we’ve ever had”.
Her mood had shifted by the time the final whistle blew and the Prince of Wales draped a medal around her neck.
She said: “I think our team has been in transition, with six different players in the starting line-up to last year’s final. My big thing is, ‘How can we still keep winning while transitioning?’
“So this year of trying to get as many players as many opportunities and keep developing their experiences in all areas of the pitch and to win knowing we’re in that stage, this is far and away my most memorable FA Cup final.”
Skinner’s side still lead the Women’s Super League, although second-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand, are just one point behind.
It has been a year of firsts for his team, who are tantalisingly close to clinching a first ever Champions League berth.
Skinner said: “I’m not going to stop and this team’s not going to stop. If anyone thinks we’re going away, we’re not going away.
“These are just moments you have to win and we haven’t done that today, but we’ve got a really good account of ourselves and we’ll be back, no doubt about that.
“We know how special our club is and how we need to be synonymous with success. Along the way you get a few bumps and today is one of them.”
Man Utd and Tottenham ready to make history in FA Cup final
Manchester United and Tottenham are both looking to win their first-ever Women's FA Cup title when they meet in the final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
For the first time in 11 years, the trophy will not be lifted by Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City, adding an extra level of excitement to an already historic final.
United beat Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-final, earning their first-ever victory over the Blues, while Spurs came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 in extra time thanks to Martha Thomas' 118th-minute goal.
It promises to be a tight contest, with very little to separate the sides in the WSL this season - United are fifth in the table, only seven points ahead of Spurs, who sit below them in sixth.
The two sides have met 10 times in the WSL since 2019-20 and the Red Devils have come out on top, having never lost to Spurs (W8 D2), although their most recent encounter ended 2-2 in April.
Second time lucky for United?
Manchester United are featuring in the FA Cup final for the second consecutive year, having not reached this stage before 2023, and they will certainly go into this tie as the favourites.
They lost 1-0 to Chelsea last season - the last side to lose their first two finals were Bristol City in 2011 and 2013, and the Red Devils will be looking to avoid matching that piece of history.
Whoever lifts the trophy will be the 18th different winner of the Women’s FA Cup. It will be the first time since Manchester City beat Birmingham City in 2017 that there has been a new winner in the competition.
Marc Skinner would love to bring the title to the red side of Manchester and told the reporters ahead of the game that his side are unfazed by the favourites tag.
“We have to go into this game and make it very business-related. But enjoy the moment, of course, enjoy. We've got to Wembley," said Skinner.
"We're playing against a team that will be buoyed by that. You get an energy when it's your first final, so you're going to get an energy for that. I think there are ways that you can counteract that, and we have to try and do that.
"But I'm not expecting this is an equal playing field going into it. And we cannot and we won't underestimate it. We know the job we've got to do."
Skinner has a strong record in the FA Cup with United, winning nine of their 11 matches, and scoring 30 goals (2.7 per game). Their only two defeats came against Man City in the fifth round in 2021-22 and in last season’s final against Chelsea.
However, Skinner believes defeat will only motivate his side to do better this time.
He added: "We have to use it as 'remember, remember', bring back those feelings and give more and give more and give more. There's nobody guaranteed to win this final. Let me be very clear on that.
"But what we have to do is give everything in order to make sure the performance is worthy of it. And if we do that and use those experiences, the feelings of it to drive us forward, then, you know, hopefully, that will give us a little edge, and that's what you need to win the game."
Spurs a Maiden adventure
Tottenham were promoted to the WSL just five years ago and, since then, have been building and growing.
Their best-ever league standing came in the 2021-22 season when they finished in fifth. Robert Vilahamn took over as manager in July 2023, with Spurs hoping he could bring the success that he had at BK Hacken to the North London side.
Vilahamn is no stranger to a Cup final and in his time at the Swedish club, he led them to back-to-back Cup finals. Andy Rogers, Spurs Women's managing director, praised the manager's ability when he brought him into the club, saying: "He has a track record of developing players to international level and competing for both domestic trophies and in the Champions League, demonstrating his ability to match our own ambitions and philosophy."
Spurs will feel vindicated in their choice of manager; the Swede has already improved on last season's league position of ninth - their lowest since promotion in 2019 - while also reaching the FA Cup final for the first time.
Speaking ahead of the game, Vilahamn praised his side's progress, saying: "We all, at a big club like Tottenham Hotspur, want to be winning trophies and competing in these kind of games.
"To get there, you have to be there and practice these things in life. Now we get a good chance in my first year to play in a final, instead of speaking about playing in a final in the future.
"Now we get that experience. The players will learn how to do it. I'm learning how to coach at Wembley. Our staff members, our social media team, everybody is learning by doing right now. I think that's a brilliant way to develop.
"For us to be here, it's not only luck. It's because we have made some really good choices this year, and last year when they started this renewal of the women's team. Everything is proof we are doing good stuff. We are already in a final, and hopefully, we're going to win a trophy already this year."
With a new team in line to win, he also spoke on the strength of women's football in England, adding: "And if you look at the final and your winner, Tottenham or Man United, I think it's a good thing for this country to get more teams in the league to compete for the trophies because you want to have a competitive league, especially in women's football.
"There are not so many leagues out there that have so many teams that can win a league or a trophy, and that's why most of the players in Europe want to play in England and not other countries. That's why the coaches want to come here instead of other countries, so it's a big thing."
Ones to Watch
Both teams will have dangerous players in this tie and none more so than the Tottenham captain Bethany England, who is Spurs' top scorer in the FA Cup this season with three goals.
The striker has netted seven goals in her last nine appearances in the competition, including her spell at Chelsea. She featured in three previous finals for the Blues, ending on the losing side in 2016 but winning in 2021 and 2022.
Rachel Williams has scored four goals in four FA Cup appearances this season for United and is averaging a goal every 33 minutes.
She won the FA Cup with Birmingham back in 2012, scoring a 90th-minute equaliser to take the game to extra-time and, despite missing her spot-kick during the shootout, they won on penalties to lift the trophy after a 2-2 draw.
The history books
Sunday's showpiece in the capital will be the 54th Women’s FA Cup final, with none of the previous 53 ending goalless.
Only two have been drawn and decided on penalties - in 1996 when Charlton Athletic won the shoot-out after a 1-1 draw with Liverpool, while in 2012, Chelsea were unable to overcome a very strong Birmingham team, drawing 2-2.
Both teams will be looking to strike first and the team who have opened the scoring in this tie have historically gone on to lift the trophy in 23 of the last 25 FA Cup finals – the exceptions are Charlton vs Arsenal in 2007 (lost 4-1) and Chelsea vs Birmingham in 2012 (drew 2-2, lost on pens).
This tie has all the makings of a spectacular fixture for the fans, the teams and their managers, who will be relishing the chance to make history for their club.
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders: Neville calls on hosts to put foot down in derby
Phil Neville believes the Portland Timbers have not picked up the points their performances have warranted this season, but he knows the time has come for them to put their foot down ahead of Sunday's Cascadia Derby against the Seattle Sounders.
Portland sit 12th in the Western Conference standings, below the Sounders on goal difference, after going eight MLS matches without a victory.
Their 10 points through 11 games in 2024 represents their joint-worst return at this point of any MLS campaign (alongside 2014).
Neville, however, believes they have deserved more as they prepare for a run of three home games in their next four.
"I think the first thing to say is we are not making any excuses – the results have not been as good as we wanted," he said.
"We've not got our just rewards but now we look forward to a stretch where we've got to perform better and get better results, we've got to put our foot down on the gas."
The Sounders have also struggled this term, though they have taken four points from their last two MLS games against the Philadelphia Union (3-2) and LA Galaxy (0-0).
They then overcame Louisville City on penalties in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, and coach Brian Schmetzer hopes they can carry on their momentum from that game on Sunday.
"This club has had a long history in the U.S. Open Cup, I like the tournament. It was certainly a challenge against a good, well-coached Louisville team," Schmetzer said.
"We came out on top and hopefully this propels us a little bit in our league play."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – Maxime Crepeau
Portland have conceded at least once in a club-record 17 successive regular-season matches, allowing 37 goals in that time.
Goalkeeper Crepeau has faced 41 shots so far in MLS this term, preventing 1.13 goals according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, conceding 14 times from 15.8 xGoT faced.
Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz
Ruidiaz has 12 goals in 16 previous MLS matches against Portland (including playoffs), the most goals scored by any player against the Timbers in MLS play.
It's also the most goals scored by any MLS player against a single opponent since Ruidiaz made his debut in the competition in July 2018.
MATCH PREDICTION – PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN
The Timbers are unbeaten in six straight matches against the Sounders (four wins, two draws), the longest streak in all competitions by either team in the MLS era of their rivalry.
Portland have also won their last two home matches against Seattle after the Sounders won four of the previous five meetings at Providence Park.
Seattle's 10 points through 11 matches this season are tied for the second-worst start in club history, having only collected eight points at this stage in 2018. Though the Timbers have been in dismal form themselves lately, this fixture could come at a good time for them.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers – 41.5%
Seattle Sounders – 30%
Draw – 28.5%
Busby Jr. reappointed as Reggae Girlz head coach; eighteen members of historic World Cup squad return for Brazil friendlies
Hubert Busby Junior has been reappointed as Head Coach of the Jamaica Senior National Women’s Team, the Jamaica Football Federation announced in a statement on Friday.
This is Busby's second stint with the team, having held the position from 2020 to 2021.
He was removed from the position when the JFF requested FIFA to investigate unsavory media reports originating in Europe. FIFA subsequently cleared Busby.
“The Jamaica Football Federation is pleased to announce that after careful consideration and due process, our technical committee has recommended the immediate reappointment of Hubert Busby as head coach of the Senior Women's National Team,” the JFF said in Friday’s release.
“Based on his vast experience and knowledge of the squad, we think he is the perfect individual to take the team through the next stage of its development,” it continued.
Xavier Gilbert, who was acting in the role of Head Coach since October 2023, will revert to his previous role as assistant coach.
Busby's first task will be to take charge of the 23-member squad which will play two international friendlies against Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in Brazil.
Eighteen members of the group for the two games were members of Jamaica’s history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey makes a return to the team which is missing prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injuries.
The squad is set to depart for South America on May 26.
Squad: Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Denesha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Page Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zaten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, Lauren Reid
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