Chelsea Women 1-0 Liverpool Women
INVINCIBLE! How good does that sound?
Unbeaten in an entire league season is a phenomenal achievement, but Chelsea Women, under first-season coach Sonia Bompastor, did it.
A 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool was followed by the trophy presentation to captain Millie Bright, fireworks and golden streamers in a joyous celebration - but the laser-focused manager kept the players' feet on the ground in the build-up to the weekend's FA Cup final at Wembley.
The fact that no WSL team had ever gone unbeaten through a season with 22 matches demonstrates how unusual the feat was, even if one or two of the games relied on stoppage-time goals to keep the record going.
It's a rare accomplishment in any sport, but Aggie Beever-Jones's late winner (after what, in truth, was a mediocre football spectacle) set up quite a party at the Bridge as fans, waving blue flags printed for the occasion, absorbed the buzz.
There were bittersweet moments for stalwart Sophie Ingle, who is departing with 214 appearances to her name over two separate spells with the club, and for keeper Zecira Musovic, leaving to have her first child, and determined to return to her native Sweden for the birth. "She's been hugely important at Chelsea, and has been crucial to the success," said Paul Green, head of women's football.
Meanwhile Bompastor confirmed that going 22 games without defeat had become her target. "We wanted to make sure we stayed unbeaten in the season," she said. "It feels great, for sure. To win six titles in a row means we have been consistent as a club. We are part of history because we have this unbeaten season, and have broken records in terms of points."
So attention now switches to Wembley and Sunday 18 May, with Manchester United the opponents and the stadium split into a two-tone red-and-blue paint scheme.
There are still a handful of Chelsea's 20,000 ticket allocation on sale for the Wembley game, with prices for children starting at a fiver. Details here.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
