Chelsea win Women's FA Cup
AFP | London
Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley yesterday to complete an English domestic treble in French coach Sonia Bompastor's first season in charge.
Sandy Baltimore scored twice, either side of setting up Catarina Macario for the west London side's second.
France international Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time before Macario headed in her free-kick to put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute.
Baltimore then wrapped up the scoring against United, last season's FA Cup winners, in the first minute of added-on time when she turned Lisa Naalsund before lashing the ball home from close range.
'Invincibles' Chelsea had already been crowned English champions, becoming the first team to remain unbeaten in a 22-game Women's Super League season as they won their sixth successive domestic league title after previously lifting the League Cup.
'It tops off a brilliant season,' Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert, the player of the match, told the BBC. 'I'm so proud of the group. A lot of hard work's gone into this. To win in the fashion we did, we were holding on a bit at 1-0 but the second goal puts the game to bed.'
Reflecting on how the side had adapted to Bompastor's methods, she added: 'There's a lot of change but you just have to embrace it.
'She's a manager, she's a winner, as management and as a player, so you've got to respect that. She's done a brilliant job since she's come in. And a treble, what a way to start it!'
Bompastor took over at Chelsea after long-serving and successful manager Emma Hayes left to become the United States' national women's team manager.
But their hopes of a quadruple were scuppered when they lost 8-2 on aggregate to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League -- a tournament they've yet to win for all their domestic triumphs.
At Wembley, in a crowd of over 74,000 featuring new Chelsea women's team investor Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian -- as well his tennis champion wife Serena Williams -- the Blues dominated the first half but were kept waiting for an opening goal.
It looked as if United would go into the break with the game still goalless but poor defending from Celin Bizet saw her step into Cuthbert and bring the Scotland midfielder down, with referee Stacey Fullicks wasting no time in awarding a penalty.
Baltimore, despite the massed ranks of United fans behind the goal trying to distract her and some mind games from Phallon Tullis-Joyce, coolly sent the United goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.
An improved United had their chances to equalise early in the second half and even the introduction of England star Ella Toone off the bench could not bring the Cup holders a goal.
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