Sandy Baltimore scored twice and assisted another as Chelsea Women clinched the treble with a 3-0 Women’s FA Cup final win against Man Utd Women, ending the domestic season unbeaten.
Sonia Bompastor’s side lifted their latest WSL title last weekend at Stamford Bridge, and became the first side to not lose in a 22-game league campaign.
They rounded that incredible feat off on Sunday, beating last year’s FA Cup winners and adding another trophy to the cabinet alongside the WSL and Women’s League Cup.
It was always going to be a tight game given the two sides had the best defences in the WSL this season, and Chelsea took the lead just before the break.
Baltimore scored from the penalty spot at Wembley
It was a clumsy challenge from Celin Bizet on Erin Cuthbert, catching the Scot in the midriff with a high leg. After a brief delay – and a few mind games from Man Utd goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce – Baltimore fired her spot kick in.
The Blues saw the better of the play in the second half, and hit a tired Man Utd late on with two fine goals to seal their sixth FA Cup. Baltimore was involved again as she swept in a free-kick, which Catarina Macario rose to nod home.
France international Baltimore made it three goal involvements from three when she netted Chelsea’s final goal in added time. She took the ball away from Anna Sandberg before rifling home from close range.
It is the first time Chelsea have completed the treble since the curtailed 2019/20 season – Bompastor doing so in her first season as Blues boss too – and offers a reminder of why they are England’s most successful women’s team.
Baltimore the star as Chelsea power to victory
While the win will belong to Chelsea as a whole, Sandy Baltimore used the big stage to prove how and why she has been so important for the Blues this season.
She was unfazed by the mind games surrounding the penalty. It was her free kick Macario turned home, and her second goal was one of real quality.
Baltimore topped the match ranks for shots and chances created, as well as attempting the most crosses.
But overall, her play was tenacious, aggressive when needed and something Man Utd failed to deal with time and again.
The fact she was replaced in a group that included the introductions of Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd shows the depth the Blues have, and had a hand in Sunday’s success.
Baltimore was not the starriest of summer arrivals, but arguably one of Chelsea’s most important – and now she has three winners’ medals in her first season in England.
‘The ideal way to end season’
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor:
“The feelings are great. Sometimes it is difficult to describe them with words, but yes, it feels really great. Again, this season has been tough.
“When you are able to achieve a treble and domestically to be as much dominant as we have been, I think you really need to enjoy that. Again, all the credit to my players, because again today they performed really well. We had a strong performance, we showed our mentality and our values in this game.
“To be able to end the season in almost a perfect scenario, we won, we were playing in Wembley, the stadium was almost sold out, and we had a strong performance, a strong result, I think against a strong opponent.
“That’s almost the ideal way to end the season.
The first ten minutes we struggled a little bit, I think probably also because when you play these types of games, a final, sold-out stadium and the atmosphere. Even though I have a lot of experience in my squad, sometimes you stress a little bit.
“It is okay to have the pressure, but sometimes when it’s too high, you don’t start the way we wanted to start. But after that we were confident enough to turn things around, and I think after the first ten minutes we were a better team. We were stronger, we deserved to win, and we were in control of the game for almost the rest of the game.”
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
