Chelsea's 'sliding doors' moment: How a fourth successive Women's Super League title was won
Chelsea are the undisputed dominant force in women's football and continue to see off any challenger who gets in their way - so how has a fourth straight title been achieved?
Saturday 3 June 2023 12:09, UK
Sometimes they are difficult to pinpoint. But often there is a moment in a season that tends to dictate or shape the outcome. A shock result, a catastrophic injury, a stroke of good fortune.
Chelsea's came late on, but the occasion was crystal clear and perfectly timed. Similar to the way a rainbow breaks through the cloud, banishing the rain, before revealing a pot of gold at the end.
Eighty seven minutes had elapsed in Chelsea's meeting with Liverpool in early May. Emma Hayes' side had gone toe-to-toe with Barcelona in front of a crowd of 72,000 just six days prior.
The comedown was evident. Each pass more strained, each run more laboured.
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"The shift in mindset was not quite right," Hayes revealed in an exclusive chat with Sky Sports after the event, as the Blues attempted to navigate a return to WSL action still battle scarred from disappointment at the Nou Camp.
The result was nevertheless crucial, anything other than a win against Liverpool handed the advantage to competitors. Surrendered pole position.
Here comes the 'sliding doors' moment. With the game locked at 1-1, and Chelsea seemingly bereft of soul and energy, the hosts stretched every sinew to launch one final counter-offensive. The ball was worked wide to Guro Reiten, who found Jessie Fleming well-placed centrally and, without hesitation, she let rip.
A moment of divine intervention was what it was going to take to win this game. Alas. The strike cannoned agonisingly off the post. Kingsmeadow could scarcely believe it - the shrieks were audible. Not quite as loud as the noise reverberating around the Nou Camp the week before but enough to convey discernible angst.
But Chelsea are the WSL's torchbearers. They carry the weight of expectation better than any other side, and, through a combination of unrivalled will and might, manage to get the job done even if the odds are stacked against. Fleming's shot landed at the feet of Sam Kerr in the next phase of play, bouncing awkwardly, before the striker controlled the ball with her midriff and bundled it into the far corner.
Priceless. Good intentions are one thing, reality quite another. Liverpool deserved something for their efforts but were ground down by Chelsea's defiance and stubbornness. The WSL is their territory. And just like Barcelona had done in the days leading up to the meeting at Kingsmeadow, Chelsea were going to take what they believed was rightfully theirs.
The game ended 2-1 in favour of Hayes' side. Perhaps a predictable outcome before a ball was kicked but far from painless on the balance of play. This was Chelsea's stroke of good fortune. The inspiration they needed to tip the scales irreversibly in their favour.
"The advantage is handed to the teams outside of Europe," Hayes maintains. That is to say that Chelsea, who compete in continental competition year-in-year-out, are burdened by their commitments outside of domestic revelry. You would never tell.
Chelsea have won the Women's Super League for the sixth time, twice as many championships as any other side, having done so for the fourth consecutive season. They are the stuff of nightmares. Willing to go to the edge, compete until the last, to prove their worthiness.
Following that narrow escape against Liverpool, Chelsea put seven past Everton and six past Leicester. Their depleted batteries had been recharged, supercharged even, swatting aside each opponent as if the season was barely a few weeks old. Their swagger renewed.
The Women's FA Cup final came next - a return to the big occasion with a big crowd - but far from fazing the west Londoners, they looked comfortably at home. Accustomed with the parlances of competing at Wembley Stadium for silverware.
The 1-0 FA Cup win over Manchester United cemented the return of Chelsea to their untouchable best. There was a clarity yet subtlety to their work. They allowed United to shade the first half without landing any killers blows. Marc Skinner's side were busy tiring themselves out while Chelsea were biding time, plotting and scheming. That is how they operate - each plan meticulous but merciless.
The exhibition continued against West Ham three days after climbing Wembley's famous steps to claim their FA Cup winners' medals, triumphing 4-0, before closing in on the title against Arsenal - another 2-0 scalp.
Despite suffering all the usual setbacks of a long and enduring campaign - key players have been missing through injury for large chunks, including Millie Bright, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder - Chelsea's assuredness never waned. Their throne never truly under threat, despite having to tough it out at points.
"This team has a habit of peaking when it matters," Hayes told reporters after beating Arsenal to ensure a fourth successive WSL crown was all but theirs. In truth, that so-called 'peak' never really abandons Hayes' champions. Their obsession with winning is incessant and suffocating. It is a formula that Hayes herself has managed to bottle and drip feed to each and every player, old and new, over an eight-year period of unrelenting dominance. The trophy cabinet now at bursting point.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall was asked about how to stop Chelsea this week - his answer came in the form of a gym-related analogy: "If you want to get in shape, and you go to the gym for 10 hours you will probably get injured. Instead we need a process. And we need to do that better than Chelsea which is not easy."
The target on Chelsea's back is growing ever larger but their ambition greater. Hayes has built a dynasty. They are the envy of the WSL - not because of riches and lavish wealth, but because of sound process, hard work and fidelity. Because of the ability not simply to plot the next move, but the move after that, and so on.
The 'champions' banner, unfurled after Chelsea beat Reading to retain their title on Saturday, was held aloft with as much pride and passion by staff and players as any other. And there have been many. Fireworks and confetti followed. "Winning will never get old," Hayes summarised.
Just as well, the Chelsea freight train is full steam ahead and shows no signs of slowing.
