Emma Hayes was given the perfect send-off as Chelsea hammered Manchester United 6-0 to be emphatically crowned Women’s Super League champions.
A masterclass from Mayra Ramirez on the final day tore the
hosts apart, two goals and two assists to the striker’s name before half-time,
and it ensured Manchester City could do nothing against Aston Villa to spoil
the Chelsea party, with the Blues winning the title on goal difference.
A fifth league title In a row for Chelsea is the seventh of
Hayes’ tenure, coming just weeks after she had conceded defeat in the title
race following her side’s defeat to Liverpool. The Blues bounced back from that
setback by thrashing Bristol City 8-0, pouncing on City’s defeat to Arsenal to
move back into pole position.
It did not alwayss look likely that Hayes would get a 14th
major trophy of her reign, after her side were beaten in the League Cup final
by Arsenal and then knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League at the
semi-final stage by United and Barcelona, but the final chapter proved to be a
triumphant one.
With Hayes leading the Blues for one last time before she
takes charge of the United States national team, Chelsea made the trip to Old
Trafford knowing the title race was likely to come down to a goal-scoring
showdown, with City in second but level on points.
Chelsea’s goal-difference advantage was two heading into the
final day – that had been doubled inside eight minutes. Ramirez headed home
inside 90 seconds and then played Johanna Rytting Kaneryd clean through to beat
Mary Earps, any sense of jeopardy swiftly extinguished.
The visitors were 4-0 up by half-time, Sjoeke Nusken left
with a tap-in after Ramirez ran Millie Turner ragged, and the Colombian then
bulldozed her way through the terrified defenders in stoppage-time to turn
things really ugly for United, a week on from their FA Cup triumph at Wembley.
The rout did not take long to continue immediately after the
break, Melanie Leupolz piling on the United misery as she added a fifth,
seconds after Earps had made a superb save to deny Rytting Kaneryd.
Fran Kirby was introduced with 20 minutes to go for her
final appearance for the club, on a day of farewells, and it was the Chelsea
fans making all the noise at a stunned Old Trafford when she curled into the
far corner for a fairytale conclusion.
City beat Aston Villa on the final day but that 2-1 victory was never going to be enough. What could have been an afternoon of nerves at Manchester turned into an occasion for celebration, both of another title and of the remarkable Hayes era.