- Injured Sam Kerr joins Chelsea celebrations
- Chelsea won the title for the fifth consecutive year
- Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy were finalists.
The injured Sam Kerr has joined Chelsea’s celebrations, delighted to see her team-mates become English Women’s Super League champions for the fifth consecutive year with a resounding 6-0 win over Manchester United.
Australia captain Kerr, who has played a major role in all five wins despite missing half of this season with a torn ACL, received her winner’s medal on the Old Trafford pitch after the magnificent Chelsea’s victory will seal the title on goal difference and provide the perfect goal. “Farewell to outgoing headteacher Emma Hayes”.
But it was a day full of disappointment for two of Kerr’s Matildas teammates, Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy, whose Manchester City had to settle for second place despite winning 2-1 at Aston Villa.
Fowler scored their first goal, but it was not enough to propel them to a big enough victory, as City needed to win and improve Chelsea’s margin of victory by three goals.
The injured Sam Kerr (pictured) joined the celebrations as Chelsea became English Women’s Super League champions for the fifth year in a row.
Mary Fowler’s Manchester City had to settle for second place
That was never going to happen once Mayra Ramírez scored the first of her double in just 89 seconds, prelude to a dazzling individual performance by the Colombian forward, with two assists in addition to her double, that even Kerr would have been proud of. .
Chelsea destroyed United in front of a screaming Kerr and a VIP audience, including Sir Alex Ferguson, who would have been in hairdryer mode if either of his teams had played that badly.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Sjoeke Nusken, Melanie Leupolz and, emotionally, Fran Kirby, Kerr’s former teammate in a lethal Blues goal combination, scored to help coach Hayes win his seventh league title, the ideal way to leave the club before taking over the US women’s national team role.
Afterwards, Kerr joined the celebrations in typically effusive fashion and even offered his own version of ‘Siuuu!’ by Cristiano Ronaldo. During the celebrations on the field, Hayes hugged the Australian who has contributed so much to her winning 14 trophies as Chelsea manager.
Without their next season, Chelsea will have to go in a different direction and it is still unclear what role Kerr will play in their future.
Kerr has played a huge role in Chelsea’s five wins despite missing half of this season with a torn ACL.
However, the sight of Ramirez rampaging through Old Trafford gave a tantalizing image of the fearsome double act they could prove to be once Kerr fully recovers from his injury.
“We’ve had some big injuries this year,” Hayes said, referring in particular to Kerr and Millie Bright.
“That’s why, for me, this is the best title, because we are not stupid, we know that we were not at our best. But for us to win a title… wow! I’m sorry, I don’t think they realize how difficult which is winning and winning and winning and winning. I almost can’t believe we won the title.”
Arsenal, with their three Matildas Kyra Cooney-Cross, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, finished the season with a 5-0 win over Brighton, consolidating their third place finish.
