Chelsea completed a stunning English domestic treble on Sunday with a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley, capping off a remarkable first season for new manager Sonia Bompastor.
French international Sandy Baltimore starred on the big stage, scoring twice and assisting the other goal for the West London club, who had already secured the Women’s Super League and League Cup titles.
Her performance ensured that Chelsea lifted the FA Cup in front of more than 74,000 fans, underlining their dominance in English women’s football.
Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot just before halftime after Celin Bizet fouled Erin Cuthbert inside the area.
Despite attempts from Manchester United fans and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce to put her off, Baltimore calmly dispatched the spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way.
In the second half, United pushed for an equaliser and briefly looked resurgent, especially following the introduction of England international Ella Toone.
However, Chelsea weathered the storm and sealed the result late on. Baltimore’s well-delivered free kick found Catarina Macario, who headed it in to make it 2-0 in the 84th minute.
Baltimore then put the game beyond all doubt in added time, turning Lisa Naalsund inside the box before rifling a shot home.
Cuthbert, named player of the match, praised her team’s spirit and adaptation under their new manager.
“It tops off a brilliant season,” she said. “We were holding on a bit at 1-0, but the second goal puts the game to bed. There’s a lot of change, but you just have to embrace it. She’s a manager, she’s a winner… And a treble, what a way to start it!”
The win crowns a record-breaking campaign for Chelsea, who went undefeated across all 22 matches in the Women’s Super League to win a sixth consecutive league title — an unprecedented feat in English women’s football.
Bompastor, who succeeded the long-serving Emma Hayes following her move to the United States national team, has made an instant impact.
However, Chelsea’s hopes of a historic quadruple were dashed earlier this month when they suffered an 8-2 aggregate defeat to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League — a competition that continues to elude them.
Among the crowd at Wembley were Reddit co-founder and new Chelsea investor Alexis Ohanian, alongside his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams, witnessing a clinical performance from a side that looks set to continue their domestic reign.