Chelsea secured an impressive treble with a comfortable 3-0 victory over defending champion Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday afternoon.
Two goals from Sandy Baltimore either side of one from Catarina Macário were enough to complete a domestic sweep for the Blues, who have already won the Women’s Super League and League Cup this season.
Baltimore’s first goal came in the 45th minute when Celin Bizet fouled Erin Cuthbert in the area, and the Frenchwoman held her nerve in front of the United fans to convert the penalty.
The Red Devils came out for the second half with renewed impetus and had decent chances to level the tie through Elisabeth Terland and Ella Toone.
But Chelsea was able to keep its opponent at arm’s length and sealed the victory in the 84th minute when Macário headed home Baltimore’s free kick.
The icing on the cake came seven minutes later when Wieke Kaptein seized on a loose pass by Leah Galton and crossed for Baltimore, who coolly flicked the ball around Lisa Naalsund and finished emphatically past goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, along with his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams, was in attendance at Wembley after he invested a reported £20 million ($26.6 million) in the club earlier this week.
“The sky is the limit,” he told broadcaster BBC Sport at halftime. “You heard our president say this club is unapologetically ambitious – I want to get that tattooed on me.
“That is what we’re trying to build here. Not just to be the best team, but the best team in the world and at the forefront of women’s sport.
“This will be a billion dollar franchise one day and I hope my dollars, my pounds, can go towards that in a big way and especially back home in America, this is going to be America’s team.”
Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has faced criticism for a perceived lack of commitment to the women’s team, was not present according to BBC Sport, having also missed last year’s final.
It is Chelsea’s sixth FA Cup title and its first since 2023 when it beat Manchester United 1-0 thanks to a goal from Sam Kerr. United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in last year’s final.
The win caps a remarkable first season for manager Sonia Bompastor, who replaced club legend Emma Hayes in the summer after the Englishwoman became head coach of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT).
Bompastor had imposed a curfew on the players over the past few weeks but now “the players really deserve (to celebrate),” she told BBC Sport after the game.
“We still have one week to practice but we need to enjoy this. To achieve a treble in England, it’s difficult to find the right words to describe that.”
It is the second time in the club’s history that it has won a domestic treble, with the first coming in the 2020-21 season. Only Arsenal has achieved the feat on more occasions, having done so five times.
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