Five-star Hayes! Coach wins title ahead of US switch

Chelsea reign ends in scenes of wild celebration

Thursday, 23rd May 2024 — By Steve Barnett

Barclays Women Super League Manchester United v Chelsea at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester 18th May 2024

Emma Hayes with Millie Bright after Chelsea sealed the WSL title by beating Man United [Jayde Chamberlain/SPP]

MULTI-award-winning Camden-born coach Emma Hayes signed off her Chelsea reign the only way she knows how on Saturday – by leading the club to a fifth successive Women’s Super League title.

The Blues thrashed Manchester United 6-0 at Old Trafford to finish above Manchester City on goal difference and ensure Hayes’ final game in charge ended in scenes of wild celebration.

Hayes, who grew up on the Curnock Street Estate in Camden Town, will now become manager of the United States women’s team and is already busy preparing for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

But in a final farewell, the 47-year-old revealed she will still be cheering for Chelsea every step of the way.

“I want this team to keep winning. This is my club and that won’t ever change,” she told the club’s official website.

Admitting that representing a club at the highest level can take its toll, Hayes added: “It is not easy to wear this shirt – there is a lot of pressure that comes with it. There is a lot of expectation. The demands placed on you as a Chelsea player are not for the faint-hearted, that is for sure, but look at the rewards.

“I have never said it is easy. It can be relentless. It takes an awful lot and it can be quite unforgiving, but I want everybody to look back when they sit with their kids and their grandkids and say, ‘That is what I did, this is what I achieved’, and all those difficult moments will have been worth it.”

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