Chelsea will back up their FA Cup success with more glory in the Women's Super League.

That is the view of their former goalkeeper and three-time WSL winner Carly Telford, as the top-flight season reaches a thrilling conclusion.

Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in front of a world-record crowd for a domestic women's match of 77,390 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, winning the FA Cup for a third straight season.

A record-extending sixth WSL crown is also in their sights, with United also serving as their main rivals in that competition.

United lead the WSL table by one point, but Chelsea have three games left to play this term, as opposed to the Red Devils' two.

The Blues are away to West Ham on Wednesday, with potentially decisive matches against Arsenal and Reading to follow.

"Yeah, I think it will be Chelsea," Telford told Stats Perform when asked who would edge the dramatic title race.

"I just think it comes down to a huge weekend because you have got the United v City derby, and then you have got the Arsenal v Chelsea derby as well. 

"It could go either way at the minute, but I think the good thing is Chelsea have kind of kicked on and have shown that in the past couple of weeks. 

"They have really shone and a lot of teams have started struggling a little bit. 

"Again, it comes to this time of year and you can't write off Chelsea as they have done it so consistently. 

"I think United might drop points next week in the derby, if I'm honest, though they have just been one of those teams that seem to be grinding out results. You can't break them off. 

"But yeah, I'm going Chelsea."

Following their FA Cup win, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes dedicated her side's triumph to supporters after a year in which she felt the wider club has "suffered".

Former England keeper Telford retired in March, having left Chelsea for the second time in January 2022.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes praised striker Sam Kerr as she dedicated her side’s third consecutive FA Cup victory to Blues fans in a year in which she feels the wider club has “suffered”.

Kerr struck the winner past England goalkeeper Mary Earps to fire Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in front of a crowd of 77,390 at Wembley, a new world record for a women’s domestic club fixture.

It was the fifth time in nine years Chelsea have triumphed in the showpiece and another game-changing moment from Australia international Kerr, who latched on to substitute Pernille Harder’s pinpoint pass to steer home the winner in the 68th minute.

“I’ve never coached a player like her,” said Hayes. “For a player to have such convictions, such confidence, such courage, the way she attacks everything.

“What I love about Sam is she is willing to take responsibility for the team at the top end of the pitch, but I think it’s important to mention Pernille Harder, because without Pernille Harder she wouldn’t have got that goal.

“So congratulations to the team, the squad. It will bug me if I don’t say this – I’m a football fan and I’ve watched how much my club has suffered this year.

“We’ve had ownership changes, the men’s team hasn’t been brilliant, Chelsea fans this is for you. I hope we had a little bit of joy tonight. I hope we gave you something where you can smile about it this year. The whole club, owners included.”

It ultimately came down to fine margins for Marc Skinner’s United side, who had reached a major final for the first time since their promotion from the Championship in 2019.

They started brightly and largely controlled a first half in which they had a goal chalked off for offside and a penalty appeal by Nikita Parris turned down, officials ultimately determining she had been brought down by Niamh Charles outside the area.

Second-half substitutions saw Chelsea spring back to life after a first period that led Hayes to agree with assistant manager Paul Green, who branded it the “worst first half of FA Cup football we’ve ever had”.

Her mood had shifted by the time the final whistle blew and the Prince of Wales draped a medal around her neck.

She said: “I think our team has been in transition, with six different players in the starting line-up to last year’s final. My big thing is, ‘How can we still keep winning while transitioning?’

“So this year of trying to get as many players as many opportunities and keep developing their experiences in all areas of the pitch and to win knowing we’re in that stage, this is far and away my most memorable FA Cup final.”

Skinner’s side still lead the Women’s Super League, although second-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand, are just one point behind.

It has been a year of firsts for his team, who are tantalisingly close to clinching a first ever Champions League berth.

Skinner said: “I’m not going to stop and this team’s not going to stop. If anyone thinks we’re going away, we’re not going away.

“These are just moments you have to win and we haven’t done that today, but we’ve got a really good account of ourselves and we’ll be back, no doubt about that.

“We know how special our club is and how we need to be synonymous with success. Along the way you get a few bumps and today is one of them.”

Sam Kerr’s second-half strike was all it took to win the FA Cup for Chelsea as they beat Manchester United 1-0 in front of a world record crowd of 77,390 at Wembley.

The sold-out fixture smashed the previous best tally for a women’s domestic club match, 60,739, set when Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in 2019.

United, who started brightly, were hoping to win their first major silverware, but the Blues instead made it three consecutive victories in the 439-club competition.

Emma Hayes’ second-placed Women’s Super League side, who have a game in hand over league leaders United, are now well-placed to do the double when the campaign concludes this month.

Perhaps what was most noteworthy about the roar that erupted as the team banners were unfurled – under the watchful eye of Football Association president the Prince of Wales – was that it was beginning to feel like a regular occurrence – a packed-out Wembley for a women’s football match in England.

United thought they had gone ahead inside the first minute through Leah Galton, but it was chalked off for offside without turning to VAR – also available for the first time for a Women’s FA Cup final.

Marc Skinner’s side were in control throughput the opening 15 minutes and benefitted from a sloppy turnover in midfield that set up Nikita Parris for another chance but Ann-Katrin Berger was alert to her effort from Ella Toone’s backheel.

Both sides settled in but created few chances until United captain Katie Zelem sent a free-kick into Chelsea’s area. A scramble ensued, the ball eventually landing at the feet of Millie Turner, who twisted and forced a good diving save from Berger to keep out the deflected effort.

Galton skied an attempt before Chelsea looked to get something started, which they nearly did when Lauren James’ long-range header came within inches of turning into an opener but was instead tipped away by England goalkeeper Mary Earps, the ball catching the left post before it went out.

It remained level at half-time, despite a late free-kick awarded to Skinner’s side after Niamh Charles brought down Parris, who had appealed for a penalty.

Zelem’s resulting delivery was headed over the top by Turner.

Kerr, the competition’s leading scorer, called Earps into action at the start of the second half before United quickly replied on the counter as Alessia Russo shot straight at Berger.

The Blues then had one of their best chances to break the deadlock when Kerr drove down the left and squared to substitute Pernille Harder, in space inside the area, but the Denmark international rolled her effort straight to the waiting Earps, who denied her again moments later.

The momentum, which favoured United for so much of the opening period, began to shift the Blues’ way as Harder sent a pinpoint cross to Kerr, who fired in the 68th-minute opener.

Skinner’s side had their chances to level but were frustrated by a determined Chelsea back line.

United staged an onslaught in the final seconds of stoppage time, but Berger somehow managed to survive the scramble with two saves to seal victory.

Marc Skinner insists Manchester United’s “rebels” are closing the gap on Chelsea going into the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday.

Wembley is expecting a 90,000 sell-out crowd – a record for a women’s domestic club match – for the showdown between the top two teams in the Women’s Super League.

United hold a one-point lead over Chelsea but Emma Hayes’ side have a game in hand and, with three WSL matches to play, are favourites to win a fourth consecutive title.

Chelsea also have a firm hold on United with six successive victories against the Red Devils, including a potentially decisive 1-0 home win in March – the only time Skinner’s side have failed to score in 28 games this season.

Skinner said: “We are getting closer. We remember the Chelsea game last time and I’m absolutely convinced – and we have got VAR this time – we should have had two penalties and you might be talking about the title race differently.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that if you want to pick a favourite then Chelsea should be put on that mantle because they’ve done this before.

“But the reality is we have a team of rebels and that might not be the fact on Sunday.

“Single game, single focus, and we will try to accept all the psychological challenges and manage and adapt the best we can. We are there to try and win it.”

Chelsea have been in fine form since bowing out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage to Barcelona.

They have beaten Liverpool, Everton and Leicester to narrow the gap on United and scored 15 goals in the process.

“I’m sure the coaches of Leicester and Everton will be disappointed with the mistakes in those games that made it a little bit easier for Chelsea to score those (13) goals,” said Skinner, who has labelled Blues top scorer Sam Kerr a “machine”.

“But they did score them and they are deadly. We’ve got to make sure we keep that to a minimum.

“Chelsea create chances in every game they play, so we’ve got to hurt them at the other end.

“If we do that, and play to that mentality, then it’s going to be a really exciting game.

“We know we can beat Chelsea and that’s not saying we’re going to beat Chelsea because we know how difficult that is. We’ve got to trust our process of play.”

The United team were only formed in May 2018 and this is their first final.

But England Euro 2022 heroes Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Mary Earps, as well as Norwegian midfielder Vilde Boe Risa, have won every single final they have played in.

Toone also scored against Brazil in the 2023 Women’s Finalissima last month, which England won on penalties with Earps proving a shoot-out heroine.

Asked if United had practised penalties ahead of Sunday, Skinner said: “Absolutely. It would be remiss not to do that. We’ve been doing it over the last few weeks.

“Mary’s experience will be massive, but we can’t win this on individuals’ experience. We have to do it as a collective, because we’re going to have to suffer.”

Emma Hayes believes a Wembley sell-out for Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup final is “the new norm”.

Defending champions Chelsea will take on Manchester United in front of an expected 90,000-strong crowd – a record for a women’s domestic club match.

This season has seen many milestones hit in terms of attendances in the Women’s Super League, with teams capitalising on the interest created by England’s European Championship victory.

Hayes is delighted to see her hopes coming to fruition, saying at a pre-match press conference: “Having a sold-out Wembley is just fantastic for the game.

“As a women’s football fan, it means everything to me. I’ve sat here for over 10 years pushing, probing and championing for this because I knew that this day wasn’t too far away.

“With the success of the Lionesses, I knew that there would be no excuses now and I think this is the new norm.”

Chelsea and United are going head to head in league and cup, with the latter looking to win the first major trophy in their short history, while Hayes’ side are bidding to make it a hat-trick of FA Cup titles.

The Blues head to Wembley having closed the gap on United at the top of the WSL table to one point with a game in hand thanks to Wednesday’s 6-0 victory over Leicester, which followed a 7-0 success against Everton.

Chelsea won both of their league meetings against United this season, and Hayes is buoyed by a clean bill of health, including key striker Sam Kerr, who was an unused substitute in midweek after going off early last weekend.

“We’re in good shape and we’re looking healthy,” said the Chelsea boss.

“Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t just pick a team of 11 players, it’s about a squad and we like to mix things up in training throughout the week.

“We believe in developing players and developing those combinations, and it’s fair to say the entire squad is at their best level, they’re all prepared, and, for that reason, it’s going to be difficult to pick a team.”

Marc Skinner believes stripping the emotion out of a sold-out Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley can help Manchester United claim their first major trophy.

Sunday’s showdown between United and Chelsea is a 90,000 sell-out, setting a new attendance record for a women’s domestic club match outside the Women’s Champions League.

But United boss Skinner has promised to treat the occasion as a “business-like event”, saying he has learned lessons from Manchester City beating his Birmingham team 4-1 in the 2017 FA Cup showpiece at Wembley.

Skinner said: “What we got wrong at Birmingham is that we made it a massive event. We made it bigger than it should have been.

“Everyone knows it’s a big deal, but we put quotes on the wall from players and families. We made mistakes, and that was naivety.

“It became an emotional event rather than a clear business-like event.

“You can celebrate after if you win the cup and be as emotional as you want, but the reality is there’s going to be enough emotions in the game that we need to save them up.

“I’ve learned from that and we have to manage stages of the game better than we did at Birmingham. These are the factors we are looking to develop for this one.”

United’s women’s team have had a remarkable rise since their formation in May 2018.

They were promoted from the Championship in their inaugural season and currently top the Women’s Super League, holding a one-point lead over serial winners Chelsea who have a game in hand.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea are chasing a third successive league and cup double, but Skinner insists the Wembley clash will have no bearing on the title race.

He said: “I’m not thinking about that at all. I am solely focused on a one-off game.

“For the first time I’ve allowed our players to separate the games and we are looking at this before two difficult games in the league (against Manchester City and Liverpool).

“This has no effect in our league and we are going to treat it as such, play it as the one-off event that it is.”

Skinner is adamant there is no extra pressure on him on Sunday, even though women’s football will be under a fierce spotlight both in the stadium and around the country with a nationwide television audience.

“It’s not pressure I don’t have every day,” said Skinner. “I even think there’s more pressure on us than Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester City because we are Manchester United.

“I feel that because every Manchester United fan will want us to win and we are huge around the world.

“I’m sure there will be some nerves, but I’m fuelling my focus and attention to maximise this because, if we win, it will be massive.”

United captain Katie Zelem is available after suspension as Norway defender Maria Thorisdottir misses out with the foot injury that ended her season prematurely.

Emma Hayes felt Chelsea showed "the mentality of champions" to overcome fellow heavyweights Arsenal 2-0 in the Women's FA Cup on Sunday.

The crisis in the men's team has not proven contagious, with Hayes' women staying on course for a possible domestic treble by booking a quarter-final place.

Goals from Sophie Ingle in the 21st minute and Sam Kerr in the 56th minute, both measured finishes from inside the penalty area, meant the cup derby spoils went to the Blues at Kingsmeadow.

In the Women's Super League, Chelsea sit a point behind Manchester United but have a game in hand, while Hayes' side will face Arsenal again next week in the WSL Cup final.

Back on duty after the international break, Hayes was delighted her travel-weary players found enough to end the FA Cup hopes of the Gunners.

Hayes told BBC Two: "That's the mentality of champions. It's not pretty, it was sluggish, a lot of technical errors, but tactically they carried out everything I asked of them.

"There's two good teams. Both are going to create chances, and we were clinical."

Asked what pleased her the most about Chelsea's impressive display, Hayes said: "It's always mentality: when your legs are heavy, your brain's tired, the commitment to stay in the game and take your chances in the right moment.

"Look at the players out there . Across the team I thought it was a resilient performance and comfortable, even though we didn't have much of the ball in the second half. That was intentional."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's daughter Karna made her debut for Manchester United Women in Sunday's 2-0 win against Bridgwater.

The forward was brought on as a late substitute at Fairfax Park with United already two goals ahead in the Women's FA Cup fourth-round tie.

Karna's father Ole, who played for and managed United's men's side, and wife Silje were among the 2,500 spectators in attendance.

An own goal from Charlotte Buxton gave United a half-time lead and Ella Toone added a second eight minutes from time.