Dominant Chelsea beat West Ham on Wednesday night to go within a point of Arsenal as the title race narrowed at the top.
“I love the group stage. Such a great idea. It was so needed, and it’s really helped. I think it will help every team and develop the pool of quality teams across Europe.”
As the Champions League returned for its final two match days in the Group stage, Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, made a ringing endorsement for the competition’s new format. Drama, high quality football, big stadia, increased visibility and much more – the Champions League Group Stage has had it all. As the final games of this new addition come to an end, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on what a brilliant adaptation it has been.
It’s the nature of football at this time of year that as soon as one game is done, the following one is no more than 72 hours round the corner.
And so it is for Chelsea this week. Sunday’s FA Cup winners move swiftly onto the next challenge with the arrival of Juventus and a chance to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League. It is a situation this team and their manager, Emma Hayes, are very much used to and at this point comfortable with: “We’ve been here so many times and because of that, we just know how to do it. It’s not unusual for us anymore to be in a Cup Final at Wembley and play three days later. This is normal for us, so I think it’s just business as usual.”
“Credit to the players. They decided they wanted to go up a level and my job’s just to put the challenge there to them. I thought we were outstanding”.
Back to their best, Chelsea entertained everyone, including their manager Emma Hayes, as they breezed past Servette in Geneva, inspired by the partnership of Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr.
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Amanda is an avid Chelsea FC Women’s supporter, a West Stand season ticket holder and part of the Chelsea Women’s Supporters Group (CWSG). Early morning departures and late night returns are all part of the away match experiences.
At 8pm tonight, Chelsea will step out at the Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg on the brink of something very special. Barcelona are their opponents in a Champions League final like no other to end the most unique of seasons.
It’s a job done and another real credit to the whole squad for getting another win for us.
Emma Hayes, Chelsea
Chelsea moved a step closer to sealing back-to-back Barclays FAWSL titles with a solid, if unremarkable, 2-0 victory over a resilient Tottenham.
A lot has been written about Emma Hayes and her Chelsea team over the last 48 hours. And yet, at the same time, it doesn’t feel like enough.
“I’ve faced that opponent so many times and felt humiliated and lost. And I always thought they were the benchmark for women’s football alongside Lyon. So, it’s a really, really proud day for English football.”
Emma Hayes was full of praise for her side following their emphatic performance in the second leg of their Champions League quarter final against Wolfsburg. The enormity of this win is not lost on us. Having travelled to see Chelsea play in each of their last meetings with the She Wolves in this competition, it seemed like it was never going to happen for them. They had become Chelsea’s bogey team, and it felt like a cruel joke that they were drawn against them again this year.
At 14:30 on Sunday, Bristol City will walk out at Vicarage Road for their first ever appearance in the Continental Cup final. It is a feat than even just a few weeks ago seemed slightly impossible.