Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr settle delayed 2020/21 final at Wembley; Blues win FA Cup for first time since 2018 to belatedly secure 2020/21 domestic treble
Monday 6 December 2021 06:08, UK
Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr starred as Chelsea completed a belated domestic treble with a 3-0 win over Arsenal in a landmark FA Cup final at Wembley.
Kirby's third-minute goal belied the Blues' dominance by half-time but Kerr made up for a series of squandered chances with a second-half double (57, 77) - including a brilliant chip - as Emma Hayes' side claimed the trophy for the first time since 2018 in a 50th anniversary fixture delayed by the pandemic.
Hayes declared Kirby and Kerr, who both also hit the crossbar, "out of this world," and the damage would have been greater had Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger not pulled off a further string of saves.
The Gunners had claimed a statement victory against the defending WSL champions on the opening day of this season but were outclassed on the big stage, with their chief goal threat Vivianne Miedema a peripheral figure.
There was added poignancy to a showpiece game taking place in front of more than 40,000 a century to the day that the FA banned women from playing football, a sport stymied for so long but now booming once more.
Chelsea had suffered a 3-2 defeat to their determined title rivals back in September but they asserted themselves from the off and their high press paid dividends inside the opening minutes as Jessie Fleming and Kerr's endeavour sent Kirby clear, the finish cool into the corner.
The tone was set and Kerr should have doubled Chelsea's lead just five minutes later, Arsenal's defence breached too easily again but the Australian's shot straight at Zinsberger.
Kirby soon made the goalkeeper work again, Jen Beattie's clumsy challenge on Kerr moments earlier went unpunished, and the chances continued to come and go against a ragged backline, Guro Reiten and Magdalena Eriksson wasteful and Kerr then striking the crossbar after shrugging off Lotte Wubben-Moy.
Miedema was isolated at the other end and though a tactical tweak that saw Beth Mead and Katie McCabe switch flanks offered Arsenal promise - a Gunners penalty appeal dismissed when Mead's cross hit the arm of Erin Cuthbert - they failed to manage a first-half shot on target.
The break brought little change in momentum and after heading a Cuthbert ball straight at Zinsberger, Kerr's tireless work finally brought reward before the half-hour mark when she raced onto Kirby's channel ball, outmuscled Wubben-Moy again and drilled home hard and low.
Kirby hit the bar herself soon after as the unworked Ann-Katrin Berger tellingly went down with cramp at the other end but Chelsea stretched further ahead as Kerr turned on the style, collecting another slide-rule pass before dinking the ball over Zinsberger to gloss a dominant day's work.
Hayes paid tribute to an "amazing achievement" by her treble-winners - but dampened Kerr's party hopes ahead of a midweek Champions League fixture against Juventus.
A grinning Kerr said after her double: "I can't wait to party! It wouldn't go in in the first half - it could have been 4-0 or 5-0 but we knew that if we kept pushing at some point they would go in."
Hayes, speaking to the BBC, quipped back: "Zero chance of celebration! The bus is leaving, they're going home, they know the deal: we need to win on Wednesday!"
But the Chelsea boss reflected with content on her players' application.
"I thought we got it spot-on. We've painted Wembley blue, it's a Chelsea day. Our performance was superb. The front two were out of this world. I said to Fran [Kirby], I think it's the best I've seen her play for Chelsea and Sam's confidence is growing.
"But everyone played their part and we thoroughly deserved it.
"To think we're treble-winners is an amazing achievement. I'm extremely proud of the players, the staff, the club. We've built this team over a period of time and today I think we showed why we were champions."
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall admitted his side were way under par on the big occasion.
"It's a combination of Chelsea being a very good football team when they get time and space in the final third and us committing way too many mistakes as a team.
"We don't feel good right now. We can perform much better than we did. We need to learn from it. That's my job, to try and correct it. We need to look forward."
Arsenal must quickly turn their attention to the Champions League, with Barcelona in town on Thursday December 9, before Leicester are the visitors in front of the Sky Sports cameras three days later when the Women's Super League returns.
Chelsea face Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday December 8 and return to WSL action on Saturday December 11 away to Reading, live on Sky Sports.
