BRISTOL, 15 MARCH — In a wet and windy Women’s Subway Cup League Final at Ashton Gate, Chelsea kept a clean sheet against Manchester United 2-0 to claim their first silverware of the 2025-26 season.
Subway Cup player of the match Lauren James made the difference in the 19th minute. The Lionesses forward capitalised on a monumental mistake from Dutch international Dominique Janssen who fired an underpowered backpass to her goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, allowing James to step in and rocket the ball straight into the back of the net.
“I think it’s just in our DNA,” James said. “We always find a way to win, whether we play well or not. We always make sure that no matter what we put up a fight, and we make it hard to beat.”
It seemed also to be in the DNA of defender Lucy Bronze today, who stood as a brick wall for the Blues in every moment that counted.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton slid out to block a last chance goal from Melvine Malard in the fourth minute of added time in the second half, only for the ball to skyrocket upwards and head straight back down for goal.
Bronze launched herself into the net in the nick of time and headed the ball just out of harm’s way, keeping the Red Devils at bay all 90 minutes long.
The win looked all but sealed after the 76th minute where Lionesses forward Aggie Beever-Jones snuck in the shot that made it 2-0.
The Kingston Upon Thames native found a cross from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd through the legs of both Maya Le Tessier and Hanna Lundkvist to snuff the ball past an unaware Tullis-Joyce.
“It was a battle, it’s always hard coming off the back of an international break,” Chelsea Captain Erin Cutherbert said. “It’s not really our form, you don’t really know how it’s gonna go, but we just had to find a way to win and we did that today. I think we were very dominant over the course of the game.”
Captain Cutherbert stated there wouldn’t be much celebration for the Blues tonight as they look to return to the Women’s Super League this Wednesday 18 March at Kingsmeadow against Brighton & Hove Albion.
