Chelsea look to complete a domestic treble as Sonia Bompastor’s Blues meet Manchester United in the 2024-25 Women’s FA Cup Final.
Victory will see Chelsea claim a sixth title in this competition, whilst Man Utd seek to defend their crown and win the Women’s FA Cup for only the second time in their history.
Team News
Mayra Ramirez is set to return for Chelsea after she missed their last two matches with a knee injury.
Zecira Musovic (pregnancy), Brooke Aspin, Kadeisha Buchanan, Jorja Fox, Sophie Ingle, Sam Kerr (all ACL), Lauren James (hamstring), Femke Liefting (foot)
Man Utd will be without Jayde Riviere due to an ankle injury which saw her miss their 4-3 loss at Arsenal on the final day of the Women’s Super League season.
Rachel Williams has been absent for Utd’s last three matches with an unspecified injury, but could be available for selection if she passes a late fitness test.
When is Kick-Off?
Chelsea meet Man Utd at Wembley Stadium, London, on Sunday 18 May at 1:30pm BST, live on BBC1 in the UK.
Route to the Final
Chelsea
Ramirez, Aggie Beever-Jones and Niamh Charles’ goals plus Guro Reiten’s penalty started Chelsea’s Women’s FA Cup campaign with a 4-0 home win over Charlton in the Fourth Round.
Ramirez was again on the scoresheet in the Fifth Round alongside Catarina Macario, Maika Hamano and Sandy Baltimore as the Blues came from behind to defeat Everton, after Sara Holmgaard put the Toffees into a 17th-minute lead.
Lauren James netted a 64th-minute winner in the Blues’ Quarter-Final win over Crystal Palace, before Beever-Jones struck an injury-time winner in a comeback 2-1 home semi-final win over Liverpool after Erin Cuthbert cancelled out Olivia Smith’s effort.
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 4 | Charlton | Home | 4-0 |
| 5 | Everton | Home | 4-1 |
| Quarter-Final | Crystal Palace | Home | 1-0 |
| Semi-Final | Liverpool | Home | 2-1 |
Manchester United
Utd kicked off their title defence with a 7-0 mauling of West Brom in which Melvine Malard opened the scoring before Celin Bizet’s hat-trick and Rachel Williams’ double wrapped up victory, which was capped by Ella Toone’s injury-time goal.
Toone scored again in a Fifth Round away win at Wolves by a 6-0 result where Mared Griffiths scored twice, after Elisabeth Terland, Leah Galton and Aoife Mannion had struck for the Red Devils in the opening 52 minutes.
Galton and Toone netted either side of Maya Le Tissier’s goal as Utd recorded a 3-1 Quarter-Final win at home to Sunderland, despite Louise Griffiths’ rebound effort halving the Black Cats’ deficit briefly.
First-half goals from Bizet and Grace Clinton saw Utd cruise past local rivals, Man City in the Semi-Final.
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 4 | West Brom | Home | 7-0 |
| 5 | Wolves | Away | 0-6 |
| Quarter-Final | Sunderland | Home | 3-1 |
| Semi-Final | Manchester City | Away | 0-2 |
Stat Attack
- Chelsea beat Man Utd 1-0 in their only previous Women’s FA Cup Final meeting in 2023.
- Man Utd have won one of their two previous Women’s FA Cup ties against Chelsea (W1, L1), which came in the semi-final stage last season en-route to the Red Devils’ maiden title in this competition.
- Chelsea are looking to win this competition for the first time under a manager other than Emma Hayes, having won their five previous Women’s FA Cup titles under the now USA Women’s manager.
- Bompastor’s Blues have scored 11 goals and conceded just twice in this season’s edition.
- Man Utd have faced just five shots shots on target against them throughout this season’s competition.
Prediction
Despite having grinded out three consecutive 1-0 results in their last three matches, it is hard to look past Chelsea as they target a domestic treble in their first season under Bompastor, which is testatement to Hayes’ work that Bompastor had been able to come in and immediately dominate domestically with no defeats.
If there is one thing that could stop Chelsea then it has to be the mental pressure of going an entire season unbeaten in domestic competitions, which hasn’t happened in modern English football as not even Arsenal’s Male Invincibles of 2003-04 could manage that feat.
Man Utd meanwhile have to improve defensively after a sluggish start to the second half cost them at Arsenal in a game which otherwise was exciting from an attacking perspective, but they really can’t repeat their sloppiness at the back if want to defend their title.
Both league meetings between Chelsea and Utd were settled by 1-0 wins to the Blues and I don’t expect any less but Man Utd probably need to score first, otherwise I can see Bompastor’s Blues making some history even if need to grind it out.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd
Result: Chelsea 3-0 Man Utd
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