Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United, Women’s Super League: Post-match reaction

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 16: Sam Kerr of Chelsea celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on May 16, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Leila Coker - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images) | WSL Football via Getty Images For a team so used to excellence, a season where Chelsea Women finish third in the Women’s Super League and lift only the Women’s League Cup feels underwhelming. The signs of fracture were already showing up in a still incredible (domestic) unbeaten season, where we won everything we could in England in manager Sonia Bompastor’s debut season.

But no one could imagine that those cracks would be made wide open in a few months’ time. Yes, the league and their teams are getting more difficult to beat. And there were plenty of questionable decisions from Bompastor in matches that have clearly cost us some games.

But when you also fail to deal with chronic issues such as a midfield that can’t match the intensity of most top teams in Europe and nowadays even our main domestic rivals, a defence held together by a giant of the game that is now retired, and so many other problems stemming from our squad-building over the years, you can’t really fault a single person for where we got to. Some change is bound to come, although totally forced upon us. With Millie Bright’s retirement and Sam Kerr’s exit, as well as several other staples of years past also leaving the club, the new head honchos — supported by the thinking heads that already conduct whatever the men’s team is in these days — will need to make new signings.

And what will be our path forward from here? Continuing to put our trust on Sonia to draw the best out of the squad means buying players that suit her needs. But does she see the need to shore up midfield, instead of simply replacing the massive missing pieces in attack and defence?