Chelsea claim FA Cup hat-trick after Kerr’s goal against Manchester United

There can never be any doubting of Sam Kerr. Ever. Most players would hesitate before brazenly stating that they had “never been [to Wembley] and not won a trophy” on the eve of a FA Cup final, no matter how true. Those are words that could come back to bite and haunt, but for Kerr, the queen of visualisation, there was never any doubt that she would be lifting aloft a third successive FA Cup in front of a record crowd of 77,390 fans, or that she would be the one to step up, once again, and deliver in a season where she has been so heavily relied upon.

This is Chelsea’s stage. The Blues have appeared in six FA Cup finals including five of the eight played at Wembley. Emma Hayes’s side have played at the national stadium more than they have at Stamford Bridge. Their undefeated record against United, since the Manchester side was reformed in 2018, with only one point dropped, painted a picture of likely dominance.

Injuries have sucked some of the life from Hayes’s side this season, with Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby’s absences keenly felt, but once again Chelsea are delivering come May, and United were next in line for the sword.

A United win, in that context, would have been unexpected. Except it also wouldn’t have been because Marc Skinner’s side have been impressive in their swagger and consistency this season. A season which targeted Champions League football but has put them in the hunt for a league and FA Cup Double.

The expected unexpected was almost delivered within 20 seconds when Leah Galton latched on to the ball that Chelsea defender Ève Périsset had attempted to knock out of her path from Ella Toone’s cross and turned in. The United fans roared but the flag was up, for Toone being offside in the buildup. It