When the ball came to Sam Kerr’s feet in the box at Wembley Stadium, there was only ever going to be one outcome.
She has proven her worth time and time again for Chelsea, always delivering in big moments and did so again, scoring the winner to win a third successive Women’s FA Cup for her club.
It was a day of many firsts. Manchester United were debuting in a major cup final, the video assistant referee was used for the first time in the showpiece and there was a world-record crowd for a domestic women’s game.
But while several things were new, there were two key things that remained the same – Chelsea won and Kerr scored the winner. She did so 12 months ago when she netted in extra time to give Chelsea victory over Manchester City, and in 2021 she scored twice in a 3-0 win over Arsenal.
Even Kerr herself had foreseen it, messaging a friend beforehand to say “back flip incoming today” and she celebrated as she had promised after firing home Pernille Harder’s cross in the second half.
At times it can be hard to appreciate the magnitude of Chelsea’s achievements as their dominance of English women’s football extends each year but a “tired” Emma Hayes was as emotional as ever afterwards.
This was their fifth FA Cup in total and they became the first team since Arsenal in 2008 to win three in a row.
“I felt tired on the touchline. For that reason it’s even more impressive. The team can dig and dig when we physically weren’t at our best,” said Hayes.
“It was hard. Manchester United made it so hard. They will continue to push, they are a wonderful football team. But this is a victory for grind.
“Hard work for me matters, and we can absolutely roll our sleeves up with the best of them and hang in there.
“What the team has become is the most flexible team. Our team has become hybrid monsters. We can float between things in ways that takes years to master. They are so adaptable.”