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Chelsea Women have already enjoyed remarkable success in the 2020-21 campaign and have the opportunity to cement their status as one of the greatest teams of all time in the coming weeks. Under the leadership of Emma Hayes, the Blues sealed the Barclays Women’s Super League title earlier this month with a resounding 5-0 victory against Reading, while they also got their hands on the FA Women’s Continental League Cup to complete the league and cup double.
Led by the impressive duo of Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr, Chelsea have scored goals for fun and broken several records in the past few months. Having started the season with an impressive 2-0 victory against Manchester City in the FA Women’s Community Shield, Chelsea set off on a run of 12 games unbeaten -- 23 including last season -- before eventually being beaten 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion in February.
That was Chelsea’s only loss in the WSL, as they finished the season with 57 points, two points behind second-placed Manchester City. Emma Hayes and co also broke the record for goals scored and most points in a season, capping off a historic league campaign.
Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr have undoubtedly been in stunning form this season, with the former cementing her status as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever seasons since her comeback against Manchester City. However, several other Blues stars have enhanced their reputations this season with a string of magnificent displays, indicating that Hayes has built a side that has matchwinners across the pitch.
Magdalena Eriksson has marshaled the defense immaculately since the start of the season, while her leadership qualities have also been on show several times. Ann-Katrin Berger is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and the German international has proved her worth with commanding performances between the sticks.
As for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Chelsea have brushed teams in the knockout stages and have looked like a force to be reckoned with. Portuguese side Benfica were hammered 8-0 on aggregate in the Round of 32, while Chelsea recorded a 3-1 victory against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.
Wolfsburg were dispatched comfortably by an aggregate scoreline of 5-1 in the quarterfinals, while German giants Bayern Munich were also beaten home and away, with the aggregate scoreline reading 6-2 in favor of the Blues over two legs.
Much like Chelsea, Barcelona, too, have won the league title as well as the League Cup. Neither side has won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, so an exciting game could be on the cards at the Gamla Ullevi Stadium in Sweden later today. The game is set to kick off on 17th May, 00:30 hours IST and can be streamed on the 5th Stand app and the official Chelsea website.
