Manchester United vs Chelsea LIVE: Result and reaction as Emma Hayes’ side win WSL title after thrashing

Manchester City beat Aston Villa but the Blues finished top of the Women’s Super League on goal difference

(REUTERS)

Chelsea travelled to Manchester United in the WSL finale, needing a win and to stay ahead of Manchester City on goal difference - and achieved it in style, thrashing Manchester United 6-0 at Old Trafford in Emma Hayes’ final game in charge.

Mayra Ramirez was the star of the show, scoring twice in an all-action display, but the Blues were best from start to finish and wrapped up the win, a new WSL scoring record and the title itself with a late goal from another departing icon in Fran Kirby.

After a testing couple of months, with defeat to rivals Arsenal in the League Cup final and a crushing loss to Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League semi-finals, Chelsea have shown their resilience and came back to secure a famous title triumph. Follow all the reaction below:

WSL: Man Utd v Chelsea and Aston Villa v Man City updates

• GOAL! 2’ - Ramirez powers in a close-range header with Chelsea’s first attack (0-1)
• GOAL! 7’ - Ryyting Kaneryd gets in behind the defence to finish brilliantly into the corner (0-2)
• GOAL! 44’ - Nusken taps home the third minutes after coming on (0-3)
• GOAL! 45+1’ - Ramirez immediately powers past two defenders to smash in another (0-4)
• GOAL! 47’ - Leupolz stretches to score fifth straight after restart (0-5)
• GOAL! 84’ - Kirby scores off the bench in her final Chelsea appearance (0-6)
• Chelsea win WSL title after thrashing Manchester United

[18 May 2024 14:48 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

Man United will be hoping for additional investment in the women’s team now that Ineos have completed their buy-in at Old Trafford, perhaps. They’ve won the FA Cup this term but they are way off the pace in the WSL and will almost certainly finish behind Liverpool back in fifth this term.

[18 May 2024 14:39 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

We are just over 20 minutes from kick-off and the crowd is beginning to build. Emma Hayes and her Chelsea side have been out on the pitch ahead of the match.

(The FA via Getty Images)

(Action Images via Reuters)

(Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

[18 May 2024 14:32 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

Not just Hayes who is off after today - Fran Kirby will be leaving Chelsea at the end of the current Women’s Super League season.

After almost a decade at the club, since joining from Reading in 2015, Kirby has established herself as the club’s top goalscorer in the modern era, under manager Emma Hayes, who will also be leaving at the end of the campaign for arguably the biggest job in women’s football as United States’ women’s team head coach.

She scored 115 goals in 205 appearances for Chelsea, winning six WSL titles, five FA Cups, two league cups and one community shield, as well as the WSL Spring Series.

[18 May 2024 14:25 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

“If you don’t improve I’m selling you.”

A young Jess Carter is sat in the middle of a white-walled room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, a tactics board behind her, a fleet of analysts and fitness staff, all armed with laptops, positioned on the outside, quietly looking in. Carter is chewing gum and looks bored, frustrated to have been hauled aside to hear the same old message. Facing her is Emma Hayes.

“I want you to show every f***ing day that you give a f*** about yourself,” Hayes says. “It’s up to you to decide your future.”

Four years later, it is clear what future Carter decided to choose.

Now 26, the Chelsea defender is an established England international, having just played a key role in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final last summer. When Carter first arrived at Chelsea, Hayes found a player who struggled to keep herself fit or follow a regimented diet. Chelsea’s fitness staff were exasperated and Carter’s confidence was on the floor: she did not think she was good enough to play for her country, but Hayes saw and believed in her potential and, crucially, how it could be brought out.

[18 May 2024 14:16 · Karl Matchett]

First Women’s Club World Cup set for 2026

The first Fifa Women’s Club World Cup could be introduced from 2026, and be held every four years.

It has been proposed that the first edition of the tournament would feature 16 teams, in contrast to the new men’s version, which will feature 32 from 2025.

The first tournament has been proposed for January to February 2026, in the middle of the European domestic season, but before the NWSL, which started in March this year.

[18 May 2024 14:12 · Karl Matchett]

Confirmed WSL final day lineups

And now United have finally given us theirs, here’s what Chelsea face:

Man United XI: Earps, Le Tissier, Blundell, Toone, Malard, Zelem, Riviere, Naalsund, L Garcia, Turner, Williams

[18 May 2024 14:08 · Karl Matchett]

Confirmed WSL final day lineups

Well, three of the four starting lineups - including the last for Emma Hayes with Chelsea.

Man United XI: tbc

Chelsea XI: Musovic, Carter, Bright, Bjorn, Charles, Cuthbert, Leupolz, Reiten, Kaneryd, Macario, Ramirez

AND...

Man City XI: Keating, Aleixandri, Greenwood, Coombs, Fowler, Kelly, Hemp, Park, Casparij, Hasegawa, Kennedy

Villa XI: Leat, Mayling, Patten, Lehmann, Nobbs, Daly, Dali, Turner, Hanson, Taylor, Maritz

[18 May 2024 13:55 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

Full team news is imminent! We’ll be focusing on the United - Chelsea match today but keeping you right up to date with events from Man City at Aston Villa, so the lineups from both matches are on the way.

(Action Images via Reuters)

[18 May 2024 13:49 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

In terms of what can happen around the rest of the league in today’s games, it’s fairly marginal. The title is obviously the big one, with Chelsea and Man City in the running, then Arsenal guaranteed to finish third.

Liverpool will take fourth place unless they lose at Leicester and Man United beat Chelsea, then it would be United who take fourth (and probably helping their local rivals win the title in the process!).

Spurs and Villa will end sixth and seventh respectively, then it’s Everton 20 points, Brighton 19, Leicester 18 ahead of the start of play - lots of changes could happen there. West Ham are 11th and will likely stay there as they’d need to absolutely thrash Spurs to move up one spot, along with a Leicester defeat at home to Liverpool.

Bristol City are already long-since relegated - they’ll be replaced by Crystal Palace in the WSL next term after they topped the second tier Championship.

[18 May 2024 13:42 · Karl Matchett]

WSL final day - LIVE

Here’s the full list of fixtures today as the WSL campaign draws to a close:

Arsenal vs Brighton

Aston Villa vs Man City

Bristol City vs Everton

Leicester vs Liverpool

Man United vs Chelsea

Spurs vs West Ham

All games kick off at 3pm BST.