Above: Chelsea Captain Millie Bright (centre) lifting the trophy with her teammates Photo: Lauren Kelly for Impetus
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City
By Ava-Marianne Elliott at Pride Park for Impetus (15/03/25)
Chelsea emerged victorious in the Subway League Cup Final after defeating Manchester City at Derby County’s Pride Park, winning their first trophy under Sonia Bompastor.
Since replacing Emma Hayes last year, Bompastor has done exceedingly well in her post. Chelsea have won 26 of their 28 games under her leadership. City have been in an unusual spot after long-term Manager Gareth Taylor was sacked from his position on Monday, with Nick Cushings taking over as interim.
Following their flying form, it didn’t take long before Chelsea opened the scoring, with Lauren James’ clever pass putting Mayra Ramirez through on goal. Ayaka Yamashita was just able to keep the ball out of the net, but the rebound struck Laia Aleixandri and fell back to Ramirez for an early opener.
After Chelsea’s goal the energy amongst the City side seemed to surge. Shots from Leila Ouhabi and Aoba Fujino both came close, forcing Hannah Hampton to ground to make some strong saves.
Chelsea’s centre back pairing of Captain Millie Bright and Natalie Bjorn worked flawlessly to keep the ball out of the net. The duo made countless saves and well-timed blocks, ensuring that their side kept the lead heading into the second half.
Sjoeke Nüsken and Erin Cuthbert also deserve their flowers for their defensive effort. Nüsken did a stellar job of keeping the City attack at bay, and Cuthbert’s support provided crucial reinforcement to the backline.
City came back out from the break with vengeance, finding the well deserved equaliser in the 64th minute. Fujino was allowed a dangerous amount of space, and sent a powerful shot soaring past Hampton, catching Chelsea off guard.
With the score level and 25 minutes left on the clock, there was everything left to play for.
Above: Natalie Bjorn (right) takes on Khadija Shaw (left) Photo: Lauren Kelly for Impetus
The Chelsea defence did an incredible job of working tirelessly to nullify the looming threat of Khadija Shaw, ensuring the prolific goalscorer was unable to find the net. Shaw will be frustrated she was unable to make the scoresheet, with several chances going begging.
Agonisingly for City, they would be left to reflect on earlier missed chances when Chelsea sourced a second with just 13 minutes left on the clock. Hasegawa’s foot connected with the end of Ramirez’s cross into the box, mistakenly sending the ball flying past Yamashita for an own goal.
Three minutes of extra time were announced, and the Chelsea supporters in the stands turned up the volume to rally around their team. The full-time whistle marked the end of a relentless battle between the two sides, and Chelsea were officially declared League Cup Champions.
Chelsea now remain on the hunt for more silverware, and they’re still on track to potentially achieve a historic quadruple this season. They are still contenders in the FA Cup, Champions League and lead the Women’s Super League title race with a comfortable eight point gap over second-place Arsenal.
LINEUPS:
CHELSEA: Hampton, Bronze, Bright (captain), Bjorn, Baltimore, Nusken, Cuthbert, Kaneryd, Macario, James, Ramirez SUBS: Spencer, Lawrence, Charles (87’), Jean-Francois, Brown, Kaptein (78’), Hamano (75’), Beever-Jones (75’), Fishel
CITY: Yamashita, Casparij, Prior, Aleixandri (captain), Ouhabi, Hasegawa, Fujino, Roord, Miedema, Fowler, Shaw SUBS: Keating, Lazell, Coombs, Wienroither, Kerolin (81’), Park (81’), Blindkilde Brown, Obama, Murphy
REFEREE: Emily Heaslip
ATTENDANCE: 14,187
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