KINGSTON, England — In a dress rehearsal for the League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United on March 15, Sam Kerr proved the difference as the Blues knocked their rivals out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win to progress to the quarterfinals. But they won’t be able to call on their go-to problem solver when the trophy is on the line in Bristol after the international break as the Australia international will be away at the Asian Cup.
Having played for 72 minutes without a striker — with USWNT winger Alyssa Thompson playing in the center — Kerr’s arrival off the bench changed the game for Chelsea. Within six minutes, she scored the opener, marking her 150th game with a goal that got a little bit of help from the inside of the post.
It seemed inevitable, though. Kerr has scored nine goals in 10 games against United and, having struggled to regain the form she reached before her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in January 2024, which ruled her out for 22 months, she actually looked like her old self for moments on Sunday.
Though her strike was almost immediately cancelled out by Simi Awujo, after Chelsea failed to clear the ball, the pressure Kerr applied to the United defense for the rest of the game allowed the Blues to rally and sneak the winner via Naomi Girma in extra time.
But Chelsea face a dilemma: They will lose Kerr and vital right back Ellie Carpenter for around four weeks if Australia make it to latter stages of the Asian Cup. That means the duo will be unavailable for the League Cup final on March 15, the Women’s Super League clash with London City on March 21, and potentially the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Arsenal on March 24, depending on their travel schedule and fitness after returning from Down Under.
Right now, Kerr is the only relatively in-form striker at Chelsea’s disposal, with injuries having ruled out Catarina Macario and Mayra Ramírez, and forward Aggie Beever-Jones missing periods of time following an ankle injury. But she has seen her role reduced as she finds her way back to full form, and has only managed one start in 14 WSL games.
Even a half-fit Kerr is the obvious choice when you need a goal to win a game — with 30 of her goals for Chelsea being match-winning strikes and 10 coming in finals — but Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor will have to hope another player can step up in the meantime.
Against United on Sunday, it was enough. But it was tough for the visitors to inflict much damage when the players looked exhausted after just 30 minutes. And it shouldn’t be a surprise why.
In their debut campaign, United will face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) quarterfinals after beating Atletico Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs. But it is the first time the side have had to manage the strenuous competitiveness and travel of the UWCL alongside a demanding domestic schedule, and it proved too much for their squad to cope with this time.
They were competitive and did well to match Chelsea, but in relinquishing possession and allowing the Blues to have more of the ball, they reduced their option to hit them hard on the break. The tactic has been effective previously — United beat Chelsea in the 2024 FA Cup semifinal — but they didn’t have the legs to see it out this time and, with an extra 30 minutes to play, their only hope was a late call for handball that went unanswered.
Regardless of their FA Cup exit, United’s run to the UWCL quarterfinals and League Cup final will surely mark this season out as a success, regardless of their final standing in the WSL. Though finishing outside of the top three in the league would be a disappointment, and a failure to some fans, the chance to face either Real Madrid or Barcelona — likely the latter — in Europe’s semifinals will come at a cost.
With Champions-elect City still eight points clear of United, and nine points clear of Chelsea, both are almost out of the running for the WSL title. Barring a miracle and something catastrophic going wrong for City, the duo will now turn their attention to the top-three race and meeting in the League Cup final.
Both sides can take learnings from this game to Bristol. But with Chelsea needing to compensate for the absences of Kerr and Carpenter, and United keeping one eye on Bayern, the complexion of the next meeting will change a lot.
