14 May 2023 , 21:17
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Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has dedicated their Women's FA Cup win to both the club's supporters and owners.
The Blues saw off Man Utd at Wembley in front of 77,390 fans - a world record for a domestic women's game - after star forward Sam Kerr broke the deadlock in the 68th minute. It means Hayes and her side will win the league and cup double for a third year on the spin, should they win their remaining WSL fixtures.
Impact substitute Pernille Harder combined with Guro Reiten to tee up Kerr from close range, a goal which settled a tight contest that United had edged in the first half. The win comes during another fine season for the women's side, but Chelsea's men's team are suffering their worst season in 25 years and look likely to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League.
And Hayes was quick to mention both fans and owners of the club following their third FA Cup final win on the bounce.
"I’m a football fan," Hayes explained. "And I’ve watched how much this club has suffered this year with the ownership changes, and the men’s team hasn’t been brilliant.
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"Chelsea fans this is for you. I hope we gave you something where you could smile, owners included. I hope we've brought some joy to your evening.
"Our team has been in transition. We have been developing new partnerships throughout the season. My big thing is how can we still keep winning while transitioning?"
Man Utd started the game on the front foot and Leah Galton had the ball in the net after 20 seconds only for it to be ruled out for offside. The holders did hit the bar through a Lauren James header, but in truth didn't really get going until after the break.
Hayes believes the sluggishness in their display was down to a congested fixture list at the end of a long season, putting the win down to grind. Chelsea still have three games to play in the league and will play seven games in total across 27 days in May.
"I said to the girls at half-time, listen, this is the grind," she added. "This is what it’s about. Only we know what this is like. We are the team that have done it year on year, grind and grind, compete on all fronts.
"After we messed up the kick-off and they scored in 30 seconds. I thought it was going to be a long day.
"Nobody plays more games than Chelsea year on year, that was our third game in seven days and trust me that is really difficult, to play high-octane football."
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