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After Sonia Bompastor leads some Chelsea celebrations in a team huddle, she heads up to collect her winner’s medal with her children. It is Mother’s Day in the UK, after all.
The players follow her up. It’s party time.
Maya Le Tissier leads her Manchester United teammates up to collect their runners-up medals. This was their best chance of winning a trophy this season – they’ll turn their attention back to the WSL with a trip to West Ham on Wednesday. A Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich awaits too.
“Hopefully we can grab more trophies,” says Sonia Bompastor. “We want to give our all. I think we have a lot of quality and I hope we can perform at our best level in the coming months. We want to go as far as we can in each competition … Trophies never get old.”
Chelsea were without a number of key players this afternoon – Millie Bright, Naomi Girma are injured; Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter are at the Asian Cup. “At the business end of the season, it’s crucial to have your big players,” says Bompastor.
One who stepped in was Veerle Buurman and Bompastor singles her out for praise: “Veerle is doing extraordinarily well. She’s really performing at the highest level. She’s young but she has a lot of talent.”
“Amazing afternoon,” says Lauren James. “It’s so nice to get a trophy to start off the rest of the season.
“It’s in our DNA, we just find a way to win, whether we play well or not.
“We need to use it as momentum and use this game as another step forward and try to achieve our dreams.”
She’s handed the player of the match award and is asked where it will go at home. “Along with all the others,” is the smiley response.
“We were pretty dominant over the course of the game,” Chelsea captain Erin Cuthbert tells the BBC. “It’s got to give us momentum, got to give us belief. We’re a good team, we can beat anybody on our day.”
Meanwhile Millie Bright, out injured today, singles out Veerle Buurman for a special ovation in front of the Chelsea fans. The stand-in centre-back was excellent today.
Chelsea win the League Cup!
Full-time: Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United
Goals from Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones secure Sonia Bompastor’s side the first trophy of the domestic season. They defend their title.
90+8 min: Schüller gets in behind for United but toepokes a shot that would have gone out for a throw had Lundkvist not picked it up on the touchline. Too little, too late.
90+6 min: United win another corner through Awujo. Tullis-Joyce comes up again but Le Tissier heads wide.
90+5 min: Terland clips a ball over the top for Schüller to chase. United recycle the ball and Malard’s shot is blocked by Hampton. The ball flies up into the air and comes down on the goal-line – Bronze puts her head where it hurts (against the post) to clear it off Malard for a goal-kick. The offside flag was up anyway and Bronze might just have a bruise.
90+3 min: Bronze gets a foot in just in time to stop Terland connecting with Schüller’s cross. Superb defending.
90+2 min: That substantial amount of added time has given United a lift. Awujo has a shot blocked on the edge of the box.
Bompastor looks to stifle their momentum with a change. Lexi Potter comes on for James, who’s applauded off.
90 min: Baltimore punts the corner clear and Tullis-Joyce scampers back to retrive. Bronze heads away for Chelsea.
Eight minutes added!
89 min: Desperate stuff from Janssen as she shanks a clearance as the last defender back. James tries to gather but Janssen hooks it clear at the second attempt.
United win a corner and Tullis-Joyce is coming up …
87 min: Simi Awujo replaces Zigiotti for United. Chelsea are preparing a change too.
85 min: James tries to finish things off after she wins the ball back in the final third and powers a shot to the near post. Tullis-Joyce pushes it past for a corner – her palms will sting for a few minutes.
84 min: Chelsea are content just to see this out. Still time for United to make them sweat but that’s not looked likely this half.
82 min: Tullis-Joyce is, of course, fine to continue.
81 min: United's keeper Tullis-Joyce is down on the edge of her own box. Skinner gathers his players on the touchline for a tactical briefing. Classic.
79 min: It’s pretty poor defending from United. Marc Skinner will wonder how Beever-Jones had time to take that cross down and get her shot off. Lundkvist seemed far more concerned with holding the Chelsea striker round the waist than actually contesting for the ball.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Man Utd (Beever-Jones 77)
Chelsea are on their way to the League Cup! Rytting Kaneryd floats a cross to the back post, where Beever-Jones is able to chest it down and prod the ball into the corner beyond Tullis-Joyce.
75 min: Chelsea know what they’re doing as they take time restarting the game. They’re in control of this.
73 min: United aren’t really creating anything. Park has a chance to find Schüller on the edge of the box but they get their wires crossed and Hampton strolls out to pick up the loose ball.
James cuts on to her left foot and curls a shot at goal that Tullis-Joyce pats down.
71 min: James floats a delightful inswinging cross into the box. Le Tissier gets up to meet it and Tullis-Joyce springs up to catch it.
Cuthbert gives Zigiotti a kick on the back of the calf in midfield but escapes a card.
69 min: Kaptein’s first involvement is to cop one in the face off Le Tissier. The United captain’s clearance made it just a couple of yards before it smacked into Kaptein. She’s OK.
67 min: Björn is in tears as she hobbles off, supported by the Chelsea medical staff. That’s rough. Wieke Kaptein is on in her place.
65 min: Oh, Nathalie Björn. Her return from injury has lasted just a couple of minutes. Something goes twang as she makes a pass in her own half. She’s distraught.
63 min: Nathalie Björn replaces Buchanen for Chelsea to make her return from injury after four months out. She’ll slot in a centre-back.
62 min: A bit of a reshuffle for United with Lundkvist switching to right-back and Rolfö coming in on the left. Schüller is leading the line.
James has to scamper to catch Bronze’s pass on a Chelsea break, only for United to crowd her out. Park tries to link up with Terland but the latter’s return ball goes out of play.
60 min: United struggle to clear a Baltimore corner and Beever-Jones has a shot blocked. James swings the ball back in and Buchanen heads it wide at the near post.
Riviere and Wangerheim make way for Rolfö and Schüller for United.
58 min: Walsh leaves Zigiotti on the deck in midfield and slides a pass in behind for Beever-Jones. The England striker had hoped for an earlier ball and is flagged offside.
Marc Skinner is about to dip into his United bench.
56 min: The attendance at Ashton Gate is announced as 21,619 – a record for a Women’s League Cup final.
James goes into the book for Chelsea after taking down Zigiotti from behind. Perhaps a bit harsh.
55 min: Rytting Kaneryd fronts up Lundkvist but again her cross is poor and it flies out for a goal-kick.
53 min: A good old-fashioned hoof from Bronze gets Chelsea up the park. James collects and sets off towards goal but Janssen shepherds her out of play.
51 min: Bronze finds Rytting Kaneryd down the Chelsea right. The winger’s cross is poor and drifts harmlessly into Tullis-Joyce’s hands. Beever-Jones was probably offside in the middle anyway.
49 min: Good save from Hampton. Buchanen gives away the ball with a square pass and Naalsund’s shot has plenty of power behind it but is batted away by Hampton.
Before that Malard had connected with a bicycle kick but not quite enough to direct it goalwards.
47 min: Riviere looks for Wangerheim down the line and Buurman chests the ball to safety. The Chelsea defender made a couple of crucial interceptions in the first half.
Restart
The second half is under way. Aggie Beever-Jones has replaced Alyssa Thompson up front for Chelsea. The rain has eased.
Half-time reading: Our roundup of today’s results in the WSL.
Chelsea haven’t had it all their own way. United have looked threatening in spells with Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland especially dangerous.
Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd
Lauren James’s goal separates the two sides at the break. She profited from Dominique Janssen’s slack play on the edge of her own box and fired past Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
45+1 min: Chance for United at the end of the half. Malard twists past Baltimore and Wangerheim can’t divert her cross in at the near post.
45 min: One minute added on.
44 min: The skies have darkened even more, the rain is heavier, the wind sending it sideways. I think everyone would be glad for half-time. Not Malard, though, who leads a United attack that ends in a bitty spell of play the ends in a Chelsea throw.
42 min: Vital defending from Le Tissier! Nusken plays a wonderfully weighted ball in behind for Thompson to chase. The American bears down on goal one-on-one, shapes to shoot and a retreating Le Tissier slides in just in time to stop her. A captain’s challenge.
40 min: Le Tissier finds Terland in the centre circle. The Norwegian turns into space and United enjoy some possession in the Chelsea half. Not many gaps are appearing though.
38 min: Cuthbert comes away with the ball after Chelsea clear another Riviere long throw. Rytting Kaneryd feeds a ball into the United area, it falls to Cuthbert but she skews her shot wide. It looked like it was heading in the top corner for a second.
