A goal for Fran Kirby in her last Blues game capped a super day out for the travelling fans as their side were crowned champions of England again
Ahead of Chelsea's title-deciding trip to Old Trafford, where a win over Manchester United was likely to clinch the Women's Super League title, it was all about Emma Hayes and her final game in charge of the Blues. But Mayra Ramirez's match-winning performance in a 6-0 thrashing was so good that it even overshadowed that narrative for large parts, the Colombia star returning from injury in time to put the Red Devils to the sword with two goals and two assists in an absolutely blistering individual display that helped Chelsea win a fifth successive league title.
There were only two minutes on the clock when Guro Reiten's inch-perfect cross was met by Ramirez to break the deadlock, and just six more minutes had passed when the forward turned provider with a through ball that Johanna Rytting Kaneryd finished well. United's biggest chance came from a corner, perhaps unsurprisingly given their influence on last weekend's FA Cup final triumph. But after Maya Le Tissier saw her header come back off the bar midway through the first half, Chelsea spent the next 20 minutes truly putting the game, and the title race, to bed.
The Blues' third and fourth goals were devastating from Ramirez. First, she burst past Millie Turner and even left the England defender on the floor before teeing up Sjoeke Nusken for a tap-in, then a similarly destructive run into the box ended with the striker finishing for herself, a thumping shot far too powerful for Mary Earps to stop. There was at least some brief respite for the Red Devils after the break, albeit only after Melanie Leupolz made it five straight after the restart – and there would be a sixth, as Fran Kirby came off the bench and bid farewell to the club with a goal on her final appearance.
Hayes said before the game that she wouldn't bother keeping an eye on the Manchester City score at Villa Park as she would be focused on securing a necessary win. In the end, she didn't need to anyway. As it played out, City would've needed to beat Aston Villa by nine goals to claim the title ahead of Chelsea, rather than by the 2-1 scoreline they managed. Instead, after some difficult weeks that saw a quadruple hunt fall apart, Hayes and her team got their hands on the title once more – sending their iconic manager off to the United States on a high.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Old Trafford…
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Zecira Musovic (6/10):
Hardly had anything to do.
Jess Carter (7/10):
Some solid interventions in a different role to usual.
Millie Bright (7/10):
Another encouraging display as she works her way back to her best after several months out.
Nathalie Bjorn (7/10):
Totally reliable at the back and played a superb ball to Reiten for the first goal.
Niamh Charles (7/10):
Dealt well with the lively Garcia, though was inevitably beaten from time to time. No one won possession more often.
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Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Her scrappy, tenacious self in the middle of the park. No one won more headers.
Melanie Leupolz (7/10):
Battled well in midfield and made a good run from deep to get on the scoresheet for 5-0. Off before the hour.
Catarina Macario (5/10):
Came off in the first half with an injury.
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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (8/10):
Electric pace caused Man Utd real problems. Great finish to make it 2-0.
Mayra Ramirez (10/10):
Two goals and two assists all before being taken off just before the hour. Simply unplayable.
Guro Reiten (8/10):
Sublime cross to allow Ramirez to break the deadlock and her perseverance was key in the fifth goal, too.
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Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):
Had not even been on the pitch five minutes when she got on the scoresheet.
Sophie Ingle (6/10):
Slipped into midfield for the final half an hour and didn't put a foot wrong. Nice pass in the build-up to Kirby's goal.
Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
Came on with just over half an hour to go but the game started to peter out from there so there were not too many bright attacking moments.
Fran Kirby (N/A):
Got a raucous applause from the away end as she came on for her final Chelsea display in the final stages – and marked it with a goal.
Ashley Lawrence (N/A):
On to help see the game out. Some nice touches.
Emma Hayes (8/10):
There were a couple of surprises in the line-up but they all paid off and helped produce a dominant, title-winning display. To have Ramirez back available was an incredibly timely boost.