Manchester United came into this match having won just once in their last 16 games against the Blues, with their most recent defeat coming in the fifth round of the FA Cup last season.

However, the Red Devils were superior in the opening stages, and Elisabeth Terland, playing up front, shone, constantly causing problems for Chelsea's midfield by exploiting gaps and shooting on goal whenever she had the chance.

Sonia Bompastor's team, seeking to retain the title after beating Man City 2-1 in last year's final, weathered the storm and took the lead in the 20th minute when James took advantage of an uncharacteristic error from Dominique Janssen, drove into the area, and beat Phallon Tullis-Joyce with a powerful shot. It was her sixth goal in her last seven games against United, the team she left to return to Chelsea, the club of her childhood.

Alyssa Thompson had a great chance to double the lead before halftime, following a brilliant through ball from Sjoeke Nusken, but Maya Le Tissier made a magnificent tackle to clear the danger. From there, United again looked the more likely team, with a shot from Terland hitting the crossbar and a missed close-range effort from Ellen Wangerheim.

Given the defensive absences Chelsea had, they had done well to keep the Red Devils at bay. Captain Millie Bright was sidelined, Naomi Girma suffered a knock the day before the final, and Kadeisha Buchanan could only play an hour in her first start since November 2024.

When Nathalie Bjorn, Buchanan's substitute, limped off in tears just minutes after coming onto the field, forcing a major reorganization, United must have felt they could take advantage of the situation.

But although Chelsea have not been at their best level this year, with their six-year reign as Women's Super League champions coming to a disappointing end, and injuries continuing to mount at a devastating rate, there is something Bompastor's Blues still possess: character, and plenty of it.

So, even though United were the team that could bolster their attacking options from the bench, turning to a prolific goalscorer like Lea Schuller and a two-time Champions League winner like Fridolina Rolfo, it was Chelsea who scored the second goal to seal the match, when Beever-Jones prevailed in her physical duel with Hanna Lundkvist and pushed the ball past Tullis-Joyce.

When asked, Erin Cuthbert, Chelsea's captain that day, what it would mean for her team to win this final, given how the season had gone, she was optimistic. "It would be quite a statement," she replied.

"It would say a lot about where the team is, it would say a lot about how resilient we are and how capable we are of finding a way to win, which is what this Chelsea team has always done." That championship mentality was evident here and, with two more trophies still to play for, it is likely to come to the fore many more times before the season ends.

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