Yui Hasegawa’s unfortunate own goal helped Sonia Bompastor secure her first trophy as Chelsea’s manager, as they claimed a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final at Pride Park. Despite Ramirez missing an opportunity to double Chelsea’s lead after rounding goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, City, under interim manager Nick Cushing, were the dominant force in the opening stages.
Chelsea’s hopes of breaking their League Cup final curse seemed slim when City found an equalizer, courtesy of Aoba Fujino’s powerful strike in the 64th minute. This goal came after Chelsea had suffered three consecutive losses in the League Cup final since their last win in 2021. But as Bompastor looks to achieve a quadruple in her first season with Chelsea, her unbeaten side was quick to respond. The Blues struck early, with Mayra Ramirez scoring from close range following a swift counter-attack in the 8th minute.
Although City, led by Cushing just days after replacing the dismissed Gareth Taylor, continued to pressure Chelsea, a late counter-attack proved decisive. Ramirez provided the assist, pulling the ball back from the byline, and in a desperate attempt to clear, Hasegawa inadvertently sliced the ball past her own goalkeeper.
With the victory, Chelsea secured their third League Cup title, marking their 15th major honor. The win also gave Bompastor’s side a strong start to their challenging run of four games against City over the next 12 days.
