Niamh Charles has revealed Chelsea put their Women’s Super League title celebrations on hold ahead of the Women’s FA Cup final.
The Blues are targeting a sensational treble when they take on defending champions Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday, having already tasted league and Women’s League Cup glory.
Chelsea won 19 of their 22 league games as they went unbeaten in their title-winning WSL seasonGettyIt has been a record-breaking season for the west Londoners, who lifted the WSL trophy last Sunday after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on the final day of the season.
The win meant Chelsea ended the campaign without a defeat in any of their 22 league matches, and made history in the process.
No other side has managed go an entire term unbeaten since the women’s top-flight extended to its current 12-team format in the 2019/20 season.
This was the Blues’ sixth consecutive league title, and a record-extending eighth overall – more than any other club in WSL history.
Their league success complemented another domestic trophy, with Sonia Bompastor’s side also winning the Subway Women’s League Cup in March after a 2-0 victory over Manchester City.
And while you might expect to hear of wild celebrations after rounding off such a remarkable feat, Chelsea star Charles revealed this wasn’t the case, with her side already having one eye on a perfect season finale against Man United.
The England international spoke exclusively to talkSPORT.com at the ECB’s Class of 25 event to preview a huge summer of women’s sport, which includes England Cricket’s joint series against India, the UEFA Women’s Euros and the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Reflecting on her fifth league title since joining the club in 2020, Charles said: “It was really nice [winning the WSL], obviously.
“But we also have a massive game this weekend, so it was quite muted in the sense that we want to win everything.
“And yeah, we did [win] the WSL, which is really important, but we don’t want to take away from it [the FA Cup final]. We have a massive game, and it’s all to play for on that one 90 minutes.”
GettyChelsea lifted the Women’s League Cup trophy at Pride Park in March[/caption] GettyNiamh Charles has now won 10 major trophies with the Blues after her latest WSL title[/caption] GettyThe Lionesses star was speaking at the ECB’s Class of 25 event at the Kia Oval, alongside England cricketer Sarah Glenn, and England rugby star Ellie Kildunne[/caption]The 25-year-old added: “So we enjoyed the night, but not too much, because we were definitely looking ahead to this weekend.
“And hopefully after that, we can celebrate the season as a whole with the players and staff who’ve put in a lot of hard work since the first day of pre-season.”
Despite finishing third in the WSL this term, Chelsea will be well aware of the threat posed by the Red Devils, who stormed to a first-ever FA Cup win last year with a thumping 4-0 win over Tottenham.
This year’s final promises to be a much closer affair, with the Blues edging both league encounters this season by a 1-0 scoreline.
And Charles admitted her side are under no illusions over just how tough this weekend’s encounter will be.
She said: “I think we know what we can do and how good we are as a squad. But we also know United and we know what to expect, they’re never going to roll over.
GettyMan United are bidding to lift a second consecutive Women’s FA Cup title[/caption] GettyLionesses star Ella Toone opened the scoring for the Red Devils in last year’s final[/caption]“It’s a massive game. It’s one game of 90 minutes, so the form of the season kind of goes out the window. It’s whoever turns up on the day and is the best.
“And I know it’s going to be a really, really intense, physical game. And we’ll have to be ready for that.
United’s team is filled with familiar faces to Charles, including fellow Lionesses stars Grace Clinton and Ella Toone, the latter of whom she rose through the England youth ranks alongside.
On coming up against this crop of talent, the left-back said: “I think when you play against teams domestically, you play them so often, and obviously I’ve grown up with Tooney – you do know their super strengths as players.
“Obviously if you’re in the moment, you want to nullify them as much as possible.
“But, we’ll definitely look at United, and I think they are a team that is together, and it’s very much no matter who plays, they have a similar identity and a similar representation of United, in that they’re very physical, and they’re going to be very hard to beat.”
Sonia Bompastor has won two trophies in just her first season in chargeGettySunday represents the perfect opportunity for Chelsea to perfectly round off a flawless season, with new manager Sonia Bompastor seamlessly stepping in to fill Emma Hayes‘ formidable shoes.
And Charles was full of praise for just how well the Frenchwoman has done to ensure continuity in a dominant Blues side.
She said: “I think she’s done really well managing that transition.
“And also I think the players that have been here have done really well to sort of keep it consistent, keep our values and what we stand for as Chelsea.
“We said from last year – we had no intention of it being a transition year.
“And to have the double so far and being in a place to win the treble, I think it’s a credit to the players and staff and sort of the attitude they’ve had the whole season.
“But you’ve still got to go and win that trophy on Sunday.”
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