Following that fateful defeat at the hands of Liverpool at the start of this month, there was little, if any, hope that Chelsea would still have a fighting chance at the Women’s Super League come the end of the season.
But football can be wonderfully surprising sometimes, and so, thanks to Arsenal’s last-minute comeback and win against Manchester City, we arrive to the last round of the competition with the trophy still well within our reach for a fifth consecutive time
Unfortunately, we don’t fully control our destiny. We not only need to beat Manchester United — and avenge our FA Cup semifinal loss to them — we need to maintain our goal-differential advantage over City. They have +45. We have +47. They play Aston Villa away, the fourth worst defense in the league. We play the fourth best. It’s a small league, but there’s a significant difference in their quality.
What got us here is what will get us over the line. Time to be heroes.
Date / Time: Saturday, May 18, 2024, 15.00 BST; 10am EDT; 7:30pm IST
Venue: Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, UK
Referee: Rebecca Welch
Forecast: Light cloud and light winds
On TV: Sky Sports (UK); none (USA); elsewhere
Streaming: Sky GO (UK); Paramount+ (USA)
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Photo by Charlotte Tattersall – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United team news: The team that beat Chelsea to a FA Cup final spot ended up winning it all with a 4-0 win against Tottenham last weekend. They can now inflict more pain on us, while also securing a fourth place finish ahead of Liverpool in the table.
Defender Gabby George and midfielder Emma Watson are out of contention due to long-term fitness issues. United could also be without attacker Leah Galton, who left the pitch right after half-time during the FA Cup final due to injury.
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Photo by Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea team news: It’s remarkable that every season in which Chelsea lifted the Women’s Super League trophy, the title was only decided in the final round of the tournament. And somehow the title race has never been tighter than this season’s, with only two goals in goal difference separating the defending champions and the contenders.
We’re still without defender Aniek Nouwen and attackers Mia Fishel and Sam Kerr, all out of contention due to knee problems. Midfielder Jelena Cankovic and attacker Mayra Ramírez might also be unavailable.
Previously: Lauren James leading the charge with a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge to give us a 3-1 win.