Chelsea edged past Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final to win their first trophy under Sonia Bompastor and keep their bid for a historic quadruple alive.
Bompastor has exceeded expectations since succeeding Emma Hayes as head coach last May, winning 26 of her 28 games.
Mayra Ramirez netted an early opener for Chelsea, bundling in a rebound that bounced off City skipper Laia Aleixandri at Derby County’s Pride Park.
Aoba Fujino levelled after the break with a stunning strike, but an own goal by Yui Hasegawa restored Chelsea’s lead and ended their three-year losing streak in League Cup finals.
City, who were playing their first game under interim boss Nick Cushing following Gareth Taylor’s sacking five days ago, dominated play after Chelsea’s opener.
But they were unable to find a way through during the first half as Chelsea’s solid centre-back paring of Millie Bright and Nathalie Bjorn stood firm, limiting City’s chances to ambitious efforts from the edge of the box.
Chelsea appeared to regain control after the interval, but Fujino’s powerful strike flew past Hannah Hampton and into the roof of the net before Hasegawa’s own goal handed momentum back to Bompastor’s side.
They remain in the hunt for the Champions League and FA Cup, while they have all but secured a sixth successive Women’s Super League (WSL) title, sitting eight points clear at the top of the table with six games remaining.
This final marked the start of an intense 12-day battle, with Chelsea and City playing each other four times in a row.
