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▲ 23 r/soccer

The 2026/27 "Mark My Words" Thread - Premier League

#The 2026/27 "Mark My Words" Thread - Premier League

As promised, following last week's Non-Premier League Mark My Words thread it is now time to switch focus back to the biggest^TM bestest^TM and competitivest^TM league in the world - the English Premier League (available via all good PIFs everywhere).

So get your hot takes in before they're as outdated as Jose Mourinho's tactics - and fire away.

We are departing from tradition a bit this year, however, as I have decided to split the predictions into two thread - this thread, which is for all football except the English Premier League and its teams - including how they'll fare in European competitions. Next week, I will post the Premier League version.

This is an attempt to try and have a space not completely overtaken by one league - which tends to dominate discourse on /r/soccer.

I will also post a Predictions Survey as I have done in previous years, to quantify the vibes - though this is going to be briefer than in previous years, as believe it or not I have a life outside of being bribed by David Ornstein to ban Romano moderating this place.

#Remember...

  • This thread is for all predictions relating to the English Premier League and its teams
  • Including EPL teams in Europe, e.g. "Arsenal will lose the Champions League final due to a last minute Harry Kane goal" IS allowed
  • You can check out the Non-Premier League Mark My Words for all other hot takes
  • I will also post the Predictions Survey in due course

Throwbacks:

For anyone who needs a reminder of last year's predictions, be sure to check out:

Fire away! And remember, we are definitely holding you to this...

reddit.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 8 days ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 16.6k r/avfc+7 crossposts

Announcement: Fabrizio Romano content to be banned on /r/soccer

Fabrizio Romano is now a banned source on r/soccer.

The ban will come into effect in the coming days - see below for full explanation.

Prior to the World Cup, we consulted the community in a meta thread about numerous issues - and one was the growing movement amongst many football fans (including r/soccer users) calling for a ban on content from the journalist Fabrizio Romano.

This would follow in the footsteps of several club subreddits, who had already banned Romano.

The feedback then was mixed - we listened to both sides, and ultimately settled on a "compromise" where we sought to limit Romano content to just exclusives. We felt this would mean limiting his exposure and platforming in r/soccer, whilst also still enabling genuinely valuable content to be posted.

Part of that decision was recognising that many people in r/soccer use this platform for transfer news, and care little about the criticisms of Romano. This subreddit has always been a mixture of a "core community" of long-standing users with a more vested interest in the values and vision of r/soccer - and the at-times quieter majority, who use r/soccer as a means to access the most relevant football content and discourse. We tried to cater to both.

However, since the opening of the transfer window this summer, there has been a further shift in our view as moderators - and hence we have now made the decision for a complete ban on Romano.

(We would also like to make clear that views were mixed amongst the moderators, with opinions on both sides - but ultimately the majority were for a ban).

This is a response to the ever-growing disquiet from the community, as evidenced by comments in Romano threads and elsewhere, towards his content. Other factors in our decision is that Romano himself appears to be falling deeper into questionable practices - meaning the prior criticisms ring louder. Furthermore, as football media becomes more diverse and broader, the particular value that Romano holds is diluted - there is little news that are true "Romano exclusives" these days, and that is not soon quickly picked up by other outlets.

As such, our conclusion?

Fabrizio Romano content represents little overall benefit to this community, and that he does offer does not sufficiently address the downside of platforming him.

Further context

To outline the argument further, for those unfamiliar with the discourse...

The argument for a ban:

  1. The moral aspect - Romano is recognised to platform the rapist Mason Greenwood, and plunged to monetising the deaths of Andre Silva and Diogo Jota
  2. The ethics of journalism aspect - Romano has increasingly been accused (with validity) of siphoning off other journalists' content and passing off as his own
  3. The quality and excessive spam aspect - Romano's content increasingly moves away from important exclusives, and towards the drip-feeding of non-updates on transfer sagas that offer little original value, and instead amount to spam and the drowning out of other transfer stories that are less click-baity
  4. The shill aspect - Romano has close associations with many clubs and agents, meaning his content is manipulated with a vested interest on posting more about those who he has a monetary relationship with

Edit: ⁠The misinformation aspect - most notably, him spreading the information (unverified) that Christian Atsu was alive and in hospital after going missing following the devastating earthquake in 2023 in Turkey. This led to his family believing he was alive - his body was then found 6 days later under the rubble. now redacted: see below for clarity as this has been reliably refuted

The argument against a ban:

  1. r/soccer would lose out on valuable content - as addressed above, there is not really such thing as an exclusive in football media these days. Breaking stories are quickly reported on elsewhere, and the delay between a Romano exclusive and an alternative source is likely to have a significant impact. As said, Romano these days has less exclusives too - his "Here We Go" posts are not what they once were
  2. Romano posts stories about leagues and clubs less covered by other journalists - this is true to a degree, but we do not think is enough of a caveat to overhaul the reasons to ban him
  3. It's a slippery slope... - it isn't. We've banned other outlets before on moral arguments, such as The Sun, and it's not led to us tumbling down this slippery slope. What's more, we are actually in control of this - we are not beholden to ban other journalists based on precedent, and as always maintained, if individual cases are made to ban other sources or journalists, we will gladly hear them in the future to deal with on a case-by-case basis
  4. You are just morally grandstanding, get over yourself - yup, we are a bit. We do be like that as r/soccer mods and that's how we shape our community. We accept this as a criticism and you are free to think this of us.

And for a final few key takeaways...

  • You have free will, and are free to visit other subreddits and social media platforms where you can access Romano content - him being banned on r/soccer does not stop you from seeing his posts
  • We are responsive to feedback - as evidenced here. If following the ban the community comes out strongly in opposition, we are willing to re-open the debate
  • We can make exceptions - if you genuinely have a post that is absolutely not covered by anyone else, and Romano is the source, you can petition on a case-by-case basis by contacting Modmail. This would only be in order to allow clubs with less media coverage to not be left by the wayside
  • We know not everyone will be happy - there's 10 million users here, it's an impossible task
reddit.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 21 days ago
▲ 2 r/Garmin

problem with map manager on epix pro gen 2

I am trying to download a map via Map Manager to my new Epix Pro Gen 2. Despite being plugged into a power source and connected to WiFi, it's forever stuck in a "queue" as it tells me that the download will continue when the device is plugged in...

But it is plugged in!

Tried turning watch off and on again, no success

Any help?

reddit.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 2 months ago
▲ 25 r/soccer

/r/soccer "This Is Your Life" (in World Cups)

(Inspired by a late night thought in the Daily Discussion Thread)

On the eve of the 2026 World Cup, let's gather around the virtual fire to reminisce about all of the tournaments before - and specifically how you remember them, based on both your place and life at that time, and the tournament itself.

By looking retrospectively, this is your chance to share the story of your personal and footballing life in four year cycles... and maybe thinking about the following:

  • How has your view of football changed, your relationship with your national team, and your broader life alongside it?
  • How many of these experiences are shared, and which of them are unique to you?
  • What do you think you've realised or learnt along the way?

So before we get swept up in the tribalism and politics of it all, let's just have a chat.

For an example, check out my timeline:

>2002 - aged 8. My first World Cup. Early summer mornings spent watching with my brother, falling in love with the sport. It's why I'll always have a soft spot for Brazil, who just seemed the best team ever

2006 - aged 12. Of the age where I really did believe England would win it. Spent with my friends. We painted our faces and before games lined the street outside my house singing "It's Coming Home" and "Vindaloo" at cars driving by. The era of optimism, of everyone having those little car flags. Proper child-like

2010 - aged 16. I had started wising up by this point. I didn't really like England much then, I cared mainly about Chelsea players playing for England - so was gutted x 2 when Lampard scored the ghost goal. I fell out of love with international football a bit then

2014, aged 20. Summer between first and second year of uni, but I spent a lot of it in my uni city. Post exams, so filled it with wall to wall football - probably the most "hardcore" I've been as a football fan, that phase of my life... but didn't really care much about England, they were a small part of my experience of the World Cup

2018, aged 24. Was backpacking throughout SEA so experienced that tournament through discovering just how much SEA loved football - and the Southgate era started from a distance. Watched the QF vs Sweden in a sports bar in Hoi An, packed full of fellow English travellers. We all sang Vindaloo walking home together. I was back into international football

2022 - aged 28. Graduated from uni, full blown working professional, so least I've ever watched a tournament. Not that I minded, I was seeing football differently now - and all of the excesses and corruption were writ large in that Qatar tournament. It wasn't just about football anymore. What a final, though - and I was very glad Messi got his WC

reddit.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 2 months ago
▲ 24 r/soccer

Meta Thread June 2026 - updates ahead of 2026 World Cup, including new mods, key rule changes, and new design and sidebar

##Hello everyone!

It is now just ONE WEEK until the 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico City.

Back in March we held a Meta Thread which covered a wide range of issues - from highlights posting, to transfer rumours, and our approach to moderating major tournaments.

We have been hard at work behind the scenes reviewing the feedback and implementing some changes that we hope will make this community a better place - read below for an overview… and fair warning, as the planned changes will go live as of tonight (4th/5th June, depending on your time zone).

Welcome to our new mod recruits

Firstly, we would like to introduce our “summer temps”, who are joining the most self-important janitors on the internet to help out with the extra mod work that comes with a major tournament, and who we hope bring added diversity and perspective to our team.

They’ve already been ‘on-boarded’ (i.e. have joined the mod Discord) - so thank you for their invaluable help so far, and please join us in welcoming:

u/NotASalamanderBoi

u/swannyhypno

u/Moug-10

u/Mulderre91

Note: if you applied to be a mod and were not selected this time, watch this space, as you will remain on our short list for next recruitment drives (if still interested).

New user flair process

We are also excited to announce that we have a new (and hopefully less buggy) process to set your user flair - although the “comment method” is still in use).

Please see the wiki page here for full detail - and check out the new “Flair Hub” here.

Thank you to u/jiraiya--an for their excellent work with this.

Key rule changes:

Following the meta thread, we have decided on a few key policy changes relating to some hot recent issues - which you can read about below.

“Brand Accounts”

Our full policy can be read here - which is now formalised as a specific rule.

Essentially, we define a "Brand Account" as ones representing media outlets, companies or brands. The policy is that they are allowed to post in r/soccer providing specific criteria are met.

This criteria includes:

  • Using a flair that denotes their account and content as brand affiliated
  • A limit on number of posts per month they can make
  • Contribution to the community in the form of AMAs or other exclusive content
  • Absolutely no “commercial” content
  • (See the link for the full criteria)

We believe this policy offers the “best of both worlds” - where r/soccer can benefit from Brand Accounts, but they are not given extra privileges beyond regular members of the community, and still adhere to the Reddit spam and self-promo guidelines.

Fabrizio Romano

This may be more controversial…

Following feedback from the meta thread, we have decided against an outright ban on Romano content - but instead plan to limit his content posted here, offering a compromise between ensuring news of value to the wider community is available, whilst minimising his platforming on r/soccer.

The call for a ban is because Romano has become an increasingly controversial figure in the football media world, with concerns expressed by many about his alignment with Mason Greenwood, and monetisation of the tragic deaths of Diego Jota and Andre Silva.

This was strongly considered - as Romano’s actions contravene our subreddit ethos, as explained in the Community Guidelines. However, we recognise his value in news that is of note to the community, especially non-Anglosphere football.

As such, only Romano content which represents breaking and/or exclusive news not readily available via alternative sources will be allowed, and in the most part this will relate to concrete transfer and contract news only. This is is called the “Here We Go” exemption

We recognise that some users may use this precedent to argue for bans/restrictions of other morally questionable sources - and there is precedent for this, as The Sun has long been banned from this subreddit, due to their misreporting of the Hillsborough disaster. We will continue to review such requests on a case-by-case basis, and issue bespoke guidance following.

Updated Submission Guidelines and Community Rules

We have also undertaken a long-overdue review of the r/soccer Submission Guidelines and Community Rules. Many of these were outdated, and did not reflect policy changes over the years, or accurately represent how we practically moderate the subreddit.

By updating them, we have attempted to clarify but also streamline the rules - which had become something of a Frankenstein monster, and was a source of confusion to users, and at times inconsistent amongst the mod team.

The Submission Guidelines relate to rules around the content that is posted. The Community Rules relate more to how users conduct themselves in the subreddit.

We strongly encourage that people to check out the updated rules, which are also available in the sidebar of both the old and new Reddit version of r/soccer, and our wiki page. None of it should be a particular surprise to regular users, as they are essentially the rules we have been applying for a long time, but we would not want you to be caught out.

These will now also be available as report reasons for user reports, and also cited as ban reasons/removal reasons on both Old and New Reddit, in order to improve our consistency and clarity

##There are two key changes to the Submission Guidelines that we would like to highlight:

> Highlights posting

See here for full detail.

We have decided to adopt a stricter criteria for the match highlights posted on r/soccer, as there has been increased complaints about the “non events” posted from any and every match from the biggest teams and leagues - which dilutes out more valuable content from other teams and leagues.

We have also changed the recommended format for titles of highlights clips (see the link) - and have separated the post flairs required into “Match Clip” and “Goal Clip” in order to allow people to more specifically filter content.

> Post flairs

On a related note, we have reviewed the list of available “post flairs” that submissions should be tagged with - reviewing some that are not defunct, and adding a few of value.

Please see the full list and explanation of when to use here.

If you are a regular content submitter it is essential you avail yourself of this information - as the flairs are key to important AutoMod functions, and incorrect post flairs risk your content being removed, with repeat offenders being banned.

New Community Guidelines (Subreddit Ethos)

As well as the Submission Guidelines and Community Rules, we have also introduced what we are calling our “Community Guidelines” - which is less specific rules, and more an overview of the key principles we use to guide our moderation and shape the community.

/r/soccer has long prided itself on its progressive ideals, and of being a space that is actively anti-discrimination, and pro-tolerance - of people of every race, gender, sexuality and creed.

Rather than being "soft" however, we are hard line with this stance - and take a zero tolerance policy to discrimination of any variety.

Sport does not exist in a vacuum - football has to be considered in the social, political and cultural context around it. The world around us is increasingly defined by extremism, with the tone set by those who wish to make people not like them unwelcome.

We believe the only way to combat this is through active anti-discrimination - and this shapes our entire Subreddit Ethos, which can be seen in full as the Community Guidelines.

It is crucial to be aware of this - as people who violate this ethos, are not welcome in r/soccer.

The /r/soccer stance on gambling and betting

Yesterday, u/Moug-10 wrote this brilliant piece on the harms of betting in sports, which we urge everyone to check out as a crucial PSA - whether you gamble or not.

We have also updated the wiki with our official stance on gambling, please check it out here.

The key headlines are that although discussing your flutters is allowed, any content which promotes gambling is not.

We also recognise the harms of gambling in sport - and support the legislation against the advertising of gambling in football. The wiki page also contains links to support and resources for those who may need it.

World Cup briefing

Traffic and content from major tournaments requires some specific approaches and policy...

Preview Series

We will be posting our official World Cup Preview Series in the build-up to the tournament, over the coming days - this is a collaborative project between volunteers from the mod team and the community, and is being coordinated by u/jiraiya--an.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Hub

As for previous tournaments, each day of the World Cup we will sticky a "World Cup Hub” where you will find links to match threads, discussion threads, and other useful content. This is designed as your “first port of call” for all things World Cup.

Bandwagon flairs

Excited to announce the much loved “bandwagon” flairs are back, but new and improved. This means you can jump on the “bandwagon” of a national team that is not your own - whether that’s because your team is not participating, your team has been knocked out, of you just *really* want to support whoever it is that England are playing…

Once the tournament kicks off, the bandwagon flairs will be available via our new Flair Hub.

Restrictions

In 2022, we imposed extra account and content restrictions for the World Cup in Qatar. The goal of this was to attempt to filter out especially low-quality content, brigaders, and other bad faith actors, at a time of incredibly high traffic - which is generally correlated with a decrease in the quality of discourse. This includes AutoMod removal of low age and karma accounts, and Reddit’s in-built “Crowd Control” feature - as well as the use of “restricted mode” to control the stream of traffic immediately after full-time of headline fixtures.

The overall intent was an attempt to “protect” the (admittedly always falling) standards in the subreddit, in the interests of the users who most frequently participate in r/soccer - rather than the “influx of casuals and trolls” we typically see at major tournaments.

This does mean that newer users who may be joining just for the World Cup are not as able to participate - so to an extent is “gatekeeping” the subreddit. However, these users are still able to use r/football and r/WorldCup - and Reddit presents the latter as their landing spot for World Cup content, as such.

We think this is especially important ahead of the 2026 World Cup - which as well as being bigger than ever before, is also expected to attract numerous political and social controversies, which are at highest risk of being brigaded.

As such, we will re-impose the previous restrictions, and will also implement level 4 of Crowd Control for the tournament. This means that as well as our own account age and comment karma restrictions, comments from accounts not subscribed will also be filtered out. It will not be perfect, and there will be an inevitable lowering of the bar as there is at any major tournament, but it is probably the best we can do.

Other points of note:

Getting rid of the Non Premier League Daily Discussion Thread - for good

After many years of disuse, and half-hearted attempts at resurrections, we have finally accepted there just is not the interest or traffic for a dedicated “Non Premier League” stickied thread.

We have tried stickying it more often, less often, on different days, and with different titles - but the uptake just is not there. It will now be officially removed from our rotation of stickied threads.

RIP.

New design (for World Cup and beyond)

Thanks to u/jiraiya--an we are also launching a brand new subreddit design for the World Cup - which will become the platform for new themed designs in the future.

We know that traditionally the people of r/soccer like a minimalist approach - so this is designed with that in mind on both old and new Reddit. Remember too, if you *really* don’t like it, you can always turn off subreddit styles in your Reddit preferences.

Banner pictures

Our header banners for the World Cup will be based on the FIFA posters for each host city, as our theme.

/r/soccerbanners had been broken for a little while, but /u/jiraiya--an waved their magic wand, and now it's fixed! This means that once again, approved users can submit images from the world of football to /r/soccerbanners, and they will rotate as the "sidebar image" for all to see.

If you would like to become an approved submitter, simple visit /r/soccerbanners and message the mods via the link in the sidebar there.

Updated sidebar

Finally, as well as the subreddit having a different look, the sidebar also looks a bit different now.

The key new change is a list of upcoming/live matches - which we can only see as a positive. For ongoing games it will show live score and time, and is available in both Old and New Reddit.

We have also tidied up the sidebar, getting rid of some dead links, and introducing some new quick links that we think are of most value to the community.

Overall we think it looks tidier, and is more useful - we hope you think so too.

Wiki and FAQ update

(Finally finally) - this is an ongoing project, which we hope to have finished soon.

All of these policy changes and updates means the wiki page and FAQ also need to be brought in line - and so this work is going on in the background too, and will soon reflect all of the key information necessary to get the most out of r/soccer.

And that’s all folks! (It is a lot)

reddit.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 3 months ago
▲ 12 r/chelsealadiesfc

May round-up - farewell to two legends who will always be remembered… and goodbye to a season to forget

###The Chelsea FC Women May round-up - farewell to two legends who will always be remembered… and goodbye to a season to forget

Welcome to the final Chelsea FC Women monthly round-up of the 2025/26 season.

These reviews are posted on a monthly basis throughout the season, and each features a summary of all the action for Chelsea FC Women - and a preview of the month to come.

As this is the final round-up of 2025/26 there will of course be no preview - but watch out for the 2026/27 season preview, which will be posted over the summer!

(These posts are long read, so feel free to skip to the end for the summary!)

###Introduction

The Blues came into the final month of our most challenging season in years, in probably our best form since before Christmas. Our results in April - and Manchester United stumbling - had left us well positioned to finish in the top three and qualify for next season’s Champions League, and a win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup meant we progressed to the semi-finals, and kept alive our hopes of ending the season with more silverware.

The title was of course long gone - and Manchester City were set to be crowned champions, barring an all-timer collapse. We would face City in that FA Cup semi-final, in-between two WSL fixtures - Leicester City away, and then Manchester United at home on the final day of the season, although given results in April, it was likely that would no longer be decisive in the battle for Europe.

One last push was needed - and there was still a chance to end a difficult season well.

Off the pitch, however, there was some seismic news…

###Key headlines

The end of an era - Millie Bright retires as captain, leader and legend

Technically, this news came at the end of April - but it was felt throughout much of May.

Club captain Millie Bright had been sidelined since February with injury - and then rocked the footballing world by announcing her immediate retirement from the sport . Although this was a surprise, really it wasn’t - Bright has struggled with recurrent injuries in recent years, and been open with the toil on her physically and mentally. She retired from international football in 2025 ahead of the Euros, and with her seemingly having lost her starting role at the club this season, it did seem a matter of time.

By taking this decision, Millie ensures that she retires on her terms, and on top - and spoke movingly about her desire to focus on her family, health, and to spend time as a Chelsea fan, rather than player.

She will continue to work with the club as an ambassador, and leaves a legacy unmatched by most who have worn the famous Chelsea blue.

Our record-appearance holder, her 12-year career at Chelsea saw her win 20 trophies - and an incredible statistic is that we have not won a single trophy without her.

Millie is also now forever immortalised with her own tribute on the Shed Wall at Stamford Bridge - with her friend, and former manager, Emma Hayes, present for the unveiling.

Farewell to another legend - Sam Kerr leaves Chelsea

This was more news that was expected by many - but still difficult to take.

After six and a half glorious years at the club, Sam Kerr is to leave the club when her contract expires at the end of the season - and leaves it as our greatest ever striker.

At the age of 32, it is undeniable that Kerr’s powers are starting to wane - and her rehab back from her ACL injury was a difficult one. However, her form since returning from the Asian Cup shows what a force she remains - and she will be sorely missed. It is not yet confirmed where the Aussie forward will move, although the NWSL is heavily rumoured.

All legends must leave - and the solace we can take is that her return from injury has been a successful one, and her goals in the final few months of the season key to our aim of securing Champions League football for next season.

It was a privilege to have her.

#Now - to the action!

Leicester 1-3 Chelsea (WSL)

Results elsewhere fell nicely for Chelsea ahead of our first league game in May - Manchester United once again dropping points meant that a point against bottom side Leicester would be enough for the Blues to secure a top three finish, and Champions League football for next season.

This was the first objective of this month - and it was looking like we would soon achieve it, and be able to focus our attention elsewhere.

Perhaps with that in mind, Sonia Bompastor made five changes to her starting XI. This included a rare league start for Livia Peng, in place of Hannah Hampton in goal. Kadeisha Buchanan, Wieke Kaptein, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Lexi Potter were the other players in from the start.

There was also happy news in the form of the return of Aggie Beever-Jones to the match day squad following injury. The player who led the line however, was Sam Kerr - with history in her sights. If the Aussie could score against the Foxes then she would claim the club record for WSL goals outright, having moved level with Fran Kirby with her brace in the win against Everton in the previous game.

One player who would not be returning from injury was club captain Millie Bright, who after having been out since February with injury, shocked the footballing world by announcing her immediate retirement in the days leading up to this fixture. It was a surprise, but not really - when you consider the increasing injuries the centre back has had to contend with in recent years, the struggles she has spoken publicly (and bravely) about with her mental health, and the unavoidable advancing of years.

Bright would no doubt be given the most fond of send-offs - but meanwhile, her former team mates had a job to do.

It did not take Kerr long to get to work - and make history. As expected, the opening exchanges were all Chelsea - completely dominant over a side who are all but consigned to a bottom place finish.

Fittingly, the record-breaking goal was a trademark one - Kerr heading home after an excellent cross from Niamh Charles with just 13 minutes on the clock.

By the midway point of the first half, the scoreline did not quite reflect the dominance, with Kaptein having had the best chance to double the lead after some excellent work from Rytting Kaneryd - but somehow her header missed the target from point blank range.

It soon did not matter, as just minutes later Lauren James had made it 2-0 - and whilst the earlier was a trademark SK header, this was a trademark LJ curler, bending the ball past young Leicester goalkeeper Katie Keane from nearly 30 yards. It was only the 19-year-old’s second WSL start, but even a keeper with 200 appearances wouldn’t be saving that.

With a third of the game played, the Blues job was almost 90% done already.

… and a few minutes later it was almost 100%, without yet another world class strike from James.

This one was a set piece - and it could not have been more perfectly placed. Cuthbert was hacked down right on the edge of the box, and the subsequent free kick was almost exactly central. From that range, the Leicester goal was completely at James’ mercy, and so she took the spoils - her free kick going in off the underside of the bar, in yet another display of sheer casual brilliance.

Lucy Bronze was culpable for being far too casual in a much less positive way, however, her loose back pass perfectly setting up Leicester’s O’Brien to slide the ball past Peng.

It didn’t feel like it would matter too much, thankfully, and with Chelsea 3-1 up at half time we could afford for the second 45 to be a formality - which it proved to be.

Leicester were improved, but after a surge from the Foxes to start the second half their spirit soon faded, and there followed a procession of Chelsea players peppering Keane’s goal - with the teenager making one particularly impressive save to deny Nusken Chelsea’s fourth. We didn’t need the extra goals, however - as goal difference is no longer a relevant factor.

It stayed 3-1, therefore - confirming we would once again be playing European football next season.

As well as Kerr’s record moment, another highlight was the return of Beever-Jones to action, coming on in the second half to get some minutes in her legs. She may well be needed - as with our first objective for the month ticked, the next to come a week later is the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

Speaking of, City had made hard work of their own WSL fixture - an injury time header from Rebecca Knack gaining them a crucial three points to move them closer to a first WSL title in a decade.

Given City’s lead at the turn of the year it is remarkable the league is not yet secured - but with how many games Arsenal have in hand, and City’s patchy recent form, the race was still very much alive. The vast majority of Chelsea fans would much prefer us relinquish our title to City than our London rivals - and it was a good weekend all round on the Schadenfreuden front, as such, with Arsenal also getting knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon in the semi-finals.

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester City AET (FA Cup semi-final)

Despite their recent wobble, Manchester City came into the FA Cup semi-final as WSL champions - with their late winner against Liverpool at the weekend, and Arsenal dropping points against Brighton midweek, having mathematically secured the title.

This also meant that after a six-year stranglehold, Chelsea were finally forced to relinquish our crown - and now took on the team who had taken it from us, as we sought to keep possession of another of the trophies we had lifted last season, the FA Cup.

Sonia Bompastor made four changes to the team that had beaten Leicester City in our previous game, with Veerle Buurman, Alyssa Thompson, Keira Walsh and Hannah Hampton all in the starting XI.

With the pressure now off City, with the title secured, this made it more concerning that they would be able to play with the pressure off - but instead it was Chelsea who started the game looking most liberated, and very much on the front foot.

The early pressure soon became an early goal - Erin Cuthbert’s low shot taking a fortuitous deflection off of Jade Rose, but nonetheless giving Chelsea a lead that was deserved.

Chelsea also deserved to be 2-0 up not long after - Sam Kerr having a goal disallowed after the officials adjudged that the ball had gone out of play during the build-up, only for replays to show this was the incorrect decision. With no VAR, Chelsea had to ride out the injustice - though given what happened in the Champions League quarter-finals this season, we know that even if VAR was in place there’s no guarantee the right decision would be made.

Man City did grow into the game, which was becoming increasingly end-to-end - and Bunny Shaw the focal point for the away team. Of course there was another narrative to this game, with news having broken this week that Shaw is not renewing her contract at City, and Chelsea are the favourites to sign the striker considered by most the best in the WSL.

However, Shaw really should have scored to make it 1-1 with about 30 minutes played - but blazed over with the goal gaping.

Chelsea took encouragement from this, and our own potent attacking force of Kerr, James and Thompson were giving the City defence the run-around. They could not add anymore (allowed) goals however, and so Chelsea took just a one-goal lead into the break.

Shaw had limped off at the break, but was able to return to action in the second half - and that would prove to be decisive, later on in the game…

The momentum was still all Chelsea’s at the start of the second half, and we came agonisingly close to the second goal after a desperate scramble in the box, with Kerr’s effort just about cleared off the line and away.

After having worked hard to stay with Chelsea for almost an hour, City did then look to have gifted us a cushion - Khaira Keating mishandling a James cross, and then Kerr nodding into an empty net.

There was 30 minutes for Chelsea to see out - just 30 minutes between us, and yet another date at Wembley.

Our cushion was almost even greater, but for a fine margin - another Kerr goal disallowed, this time for offside, and this time correctly, at least.

The onus was on City now - but with Shaw spurning a few more chances, in truth Chelsea were looking quite comfortable.

Until, we weren’t.

WIth less than five minutes to play, substitute Mary Fowler pulled City back into the game with a curling effort to beat Hampton. It still felt like it would take something special for City to come back, however - and it did.

Having almost had her afternoon ended early by injury, and looking short of her best, the woman in the spotlight then made even more headlines for herself. It took her until injury time, but Shaw had finally discovered her shooting boots - and her smart turn and volley made it 2-2, and took the game into extra time, as Stamford Bridge sat stunned.

It was going to take a lot for Chelsea to respond now, having been four minutes from a cup final. The Blues did look to be the team with more attacking intent - and could have had a penalty when Keating cleared out Beever-Jones in the box. The keeper may have got a touch on the ball, but took a lot of the player to do so - and it was another officiating call that we could feel hard done by.

We felt even more hard done by, with what happened next. Keen to get the game restarted, Hampton played out the ball from the back - without her defenders being entirely switched on the plan. Hasegawa intercepted, and then played a simple cross to Shaw - who headed back across Hampton for her second, and City’s third, to complete the turnaround.

There was still another half of extra time to play - but Chelsea struggled to generate much momentum, and our best chance was thwarted by a world class save from Keating, who tipped a Nusken header onto the bar to atone for her earlier error.

The game had completely changed. In the 86th minute Chelsea were heading to Wembley, and would have been favourites to win another FA Cup final, with Brighton the team lying in wait.

Instead, the whistle blew for full time on the 126th minute, with Chelsea dejected at having thrown away a two goal lead, and Man City jubilant.

After a strong recent period of form, this means Chelsea’s season is now looking to be ending on a down note. It summed up our season, really - promise, and then disappointment.

It does all emphasise the more seismic and baffling it is that City may be willing to let the player who turned it around for them, Bunny Shaw, move to Chelsea, of course. Maybe that means things will be better next year.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (WSL)

It has been a mixed, and often difficult season for Chelsea FC Women - and one that ultimately, did not meet expectations. After the gutting loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, there is a bit of a sense that we just want this season over with.

Unlike the past six seasons, our final match of the WSL this year will not feature a trophy lift - but essentially a dead rubber, with Man City confirmed champions already, and European football secured for Chelsea and Arsenal. There was still something to play for, in that if we win and Arsenal lose away to Liverpool, we will finish second - and hence bypass the qualification play offs for the Champions League, but the chances of that seem slim.

Rather than jubilation, the occasion on Saturday lunch time at Stamford Bridge will instead be one of farewell - with two big departures set to take place.

We had known Millie Bright would be leaving the club for some weeks - having announced her retirement - and our former club captain and all-time appearance holder is set to be honoured at the game. Then, this week the long-expected news was confirmed that another legend - Sam Kerr - will also be leaving the club this summer, when her contract expires.

The expected nature of both departures will not make them easier - and the scene at the Bridge is set to be an emotional one. Kerr leaves as our leading WSL goal-scorer - and needs two goals to become our all-time top goal-scorer outright, which will be on everyone's minds.

She has a superb record against our opponents, Man United, at least - and with them having nothing to play for but pride, it could well happen. They have also been in some pretty shocking form recently - having not won in their last five games in all competitions, with their season unravelling at the last.

Of course there have been some memorable final days against United in the WSL - like the 6-0 win at Old Trafford in 2024, to win the title over Man City... or Kerr's stunning brace of volleys in the 4-2 win in 2022, where we came back from behind to win what was then our third consecutive title.

So it could be a special day on the pitch, too.

As expected, Kerr started - and unusually, Sonia Bompastor made no changes at all to the team who had lost to City last week. Excitingly, Mayra Ramirez was also named on the bench - her first time in a matchday squad all season, after a serious hamstring injury.

There was a low key energy to the start of the game, with Man United’s plans disrupted by an early injury to Jayde Riviere.

Chelsea had the better of the chances, with Phallon Tullis-Joyce tipping a Lauren James effort onto the bar, and Ellie Carpenter also hitting the post, all before the 30 minute mark.

By this time, the result of this game was already likely to be academic - as Arsenal had raced into an early 2-0 lead vs Liverpool, so looked set to finish second.

That did not make what happened next any less special - as it was destined, Sam Kerr, getting her goal.

We will miss this. A perfectly shaped cross from James set up the chance, but Kerr showed why she is one of the best strikers to ever grace the WSL with her movement to find the space - and then execute a superb first-time volley. It meant she also moved level with Kirby, for the goals record.

Chelsea took the 1-0 lead into the half time, despite a slightly dodgy moment in first half injury time when Hampton dropped the ball after claiming a cross.

Man United manager made an attacking change at half time, by bringing on Jess Park for defender Anna Sandberg. Park was immediately in the thick of the action - at the heart of United’s best chance, which ended up with them hitting woodwork too.

The change seemed to lead to far greater impetus for United, and they had the better of proceedings for the start of the second half - but by the midway point, the game had settled onto a more even keel.

Kerr then came close to a second - another James cross, which the Aussie met at the far post, but Tullis-Joyce saved at point-blank range, and then the offside flag went up anyway.

This was almost the last we would see of James in action this season, whose form in recent months has been a real highlight - with Aggie Beever-Jones coming in her place for the final ten minutes.

There were six minutes of injury time added on, too - and that was to become over 12, in a bizarrely dramatic denouement to the game, given the result had no real significance.

First though, there was a hugely significant moment - Kerr leaving the Stamford Bridge pitch for the very last time. She left to a massive ovation from the crowd, and applause from both sets of players - and leaves a club legend, and our equal all-time top goalscorer, which given the legend she now shares that record with, felt just right.

Ramirez came on for Kerr in her first appearance of the season - although her future is also uncertain, as one player rumoured to leave - and as part of a triple change Livia Peng also came on for Hampton, who’d picked up an injury.

Then, the drama. With United pushing for an equaliser, the substitute keeper was called into action with a huge save - and with Tullis-Joyce joining the action for a couple of corners, there was a sense of carnage which included Tullis-Joyce being booked for fouling Peng, and Bompastor being booked for complaining about it.

Chelsea survived the extended injury time - and meant we could sign off this difficult season with a win, and a historic goal for a player who will forever be an indelible part of our history.

With Arsenal winning comfortably, third place was confirmed - so Chelsea will have to come through the qualification phase in order to compete in next season’s Champions League, which is what we expected.

###May results in brief

Fixture Result Competition Goal scorers
Leicester City (A) 3-1 W WCL Kerr, James x 2 (Charles, Cuthbert assists)
Manchester City (H) 3-2 L FA Cup Cuthbert, Kerr
Manchester United (H) 1-0 W WSL Kerr (James assists)

###Summary

This season has been one in which expectations were forced to be adjusted, after a period of bad results mid-season which saw us out of the title race - and then a controversial quarter-final defeat against Arsenal in the Champions League, which saw us exit Europe, too.

The league title and the elusive European Cup is what each Chelsea fan hopes for heading into the season - and so 2025/26 was unsuccessful by these metrics.

Our revised goals, therefore, included at the very least qualifying for next season’s Champions League - and we quickly achieved that, with a win against Leicester in the first game of the month.

The other goal was to add to the League Cup we won earlier this season with another FA Cup - but after being completely in control of our semi-final against Manchester City, 2-0 up with four minutes of normal time to go, we collapsed to a 3-2 extra time defeat, so would not be signing off 2025/26 at Wembley.

It summed up what has been a disappointing season.

There was more tough news then, off the pitch, with the departure of two legends. Club captain Millie Bright announcing her retirement - and Sam Kerr announcing that she is leaving the club in the summer.

At least, we able to say a proper goodbye - a Kerr goal against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in our final match of the campaign, which not only won the game, but also ensured she ends her time at Chelsea as our joint all-time top goalscorer, alongside a player just as important to our history, Fran Kirby.

There were emotional scenes at the Bridge as we said farewell to the two - but it is also fair to say that there will be no tears shed at the goodbye to this season, which has been the most challenging on and off the pitch in recent memory.

With a summer ahead of no international tournaments, there is the chance for the manager and squad to reset, and renew our energy for 2026/27. However, with more rumoured departures - and potentially some exciting new signings - it is likely the Chelsea that will start next season is very different to the one that has finished this one.

As always, we will go again.

#UTC

u/AnnieIWillKnow — 3 months ago
▲ 61 r/chelsealadiesfc

Hannah Hampton’s tribute to Millie Bright on Instagram

Found this heartwarming, and contradicts the previous suggestions from some fans that Hampton had felt Bright hadn’t stood up for her with the Earps fiasco.

instagram.com
u/AnnieIWillKnow — 3 months ago
▲ 18 r/chelsealadiesfc

[MATCH THREAD] Chelsea FC Women vs Manchester United Women - Saturday 16th May, 13:00 BST (WSL)

Welcome to the r/chelsealadiesfc match thread for the final match of the 2025/26 season, at home to Manchester United.

Date: 16th May 2026

KO: 13:00 BST

Competition: WSL (GW 22/22)

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Chelsea's Last Five Fixtures: WWWWL

Opponent's Last Five Fixtures: LLLDD

MATCH PREVIEW

It has been a mixed, and often difficult season for Chelsea FC Women - and one that ultimately, did not meet expectations. After the gutting loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, there is a bit of a sense that we just want this season over with.

Unlike the past six seasons, our final match of the WSL this year will not feature a trophy lift - but essentially a dead rubber, with Man City confirmed champions already, and European football secured for Chelsea and Arsenal. There is still something to play for, in that if we win and Arsenal lose away to Liverpool, we will finish second - and hence bypass the qualification play offs for the Champions League, but the chances of that seem slim.

Rather than jubilation, the occasion on Saturday lunch time at Stamford Bridge will instead be one of farewell - with two big departures set to take place.

We had known Millie Bright would be leaving the club for some weeks - having announced her retirement - and our former club captain and all-time appearance holder is set to be honoured at the game.

Then, this week the long-expected news was confirmed that another legend - Sam Kerr - will also be leaving the club this summer, when her contract expires.

The expected nature of both departures will not make them easier - and the scene at the Bridge is set to be an emotional one. Kerr leaves as our leading WSL goal-scorer - and needs two goals to become our all-time top goal-scorer outright, which will be on everyone's minds.

She has a superb record against our opponents, Man United, at least - and with them having nothing to play for but pride, it could well happen. They have also been in some pretty shocking form recently - having not won in their last five games in all competitions, with their season unravelling at the last.

Of course there have been some memorable final days against United in the WSL - like the 6-0 win at Old Trafford in 2024, to win the title over Man City... or Kerr's stunning brace of volleys in the 4-2 win in 2022, where we came back from behind to win what was then our third consecutive title.

So it could be a special day on the pitch, too.

HOW TO WATCH:

In the UK, the game will be broadcast live Sky Sports. For those in other territories, the match will be streamed like on the official Barclays WSL YouTube channel.

As always, the CFCW social media accounts, website, and the 5th Stand App will also provide updates from the match.

LINE UPS:

Chelsea: Hampton, Carpenter, Buchanan, Buurman, Charles, Walsh, Cuthbert (c), Nusken, Thompson, James, Kerr. (Subs: Peng, Spencer, Baltimore, Sarwie, Kaptein, Potter, Kaneryd, Ramirez, Beever-Jones)

Man United: Tullis-Joyce, Sandberg, George, Le Tissier, Toone, Malard, Rolfo, Riviere, Zigiotti, Wangerheim, Miyazawa (Subs: Rendelll, Janssen, Lundkvist, Turner, Awujo, Park, Naalsund, Schuller, Terland.)

MATCH EVENTS:

KICK OFF! Under way on an emotional day for the club and fans

1' - Unusually, no changes from Bompastor, for the final game of the season. Meaning Kerr starts on her farewell… how much we’d all love a goal (or three)

7' - SUBSTITUTION: Early blow for United as Hanna Lundkvist replaces Jayde Riviere after the latter went down with a non contact injury

21' - So close!! A brilliant effort from James but Tullis-Joyce tips it onto the bar

25' - First yellow card of the game as George is booked for a foul on Thompson

28' - Chelsea hit the post again! This time Carpenter

34'- GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!!! OF COURSE!! IT IS KERR!! CHELSEA 1-0 MAN UNITED!

35' - Was too excited to even describe it. Brilliant goal. Perfectly shaped cross by James, and Kerr showed excellent movement to find the space to hook it on the volley past Tullis-Joyce. We will miss her so much. Hint off a marginal offside, but who cares. Brings her level with Kirby's record too

45' - Four minutes of added time

45+4' - Slightly dodgy moment from Hampton, who drops the ball when claiming a crossed free kick... but Chelsea clear

HALF TIME! Chelsea lead thanks to a Sam Kerr goal, on her final appearance.

SECOND HALF! No changes for Chelsea, but Sampson is going for it by bringing on Jess Park for defender Anna Sandberg

50' - Man United's best chance, and the sub Park is at the heart of it! It first looked like a defensive intervention had broken down the attack, but it falls to a United forward and they keep the move alive, then hit the post with Hampton beat

53' - Now Man United's first shot on target

54' - SUBSTITUTION: Chelsea's first change, Kaptein on for Nusken in a like for like change

56' - Thompson leads a counter attack, but after James is played in her shot goes over

57' - United definitely the better team this half. They want a pen after Hampton slides out to claim the ball, but Lundkvist clearly fouled the keeper and it's a Chelsea free kick

59' - Living dangerously here... Zigiotti nicks it off Walsh, and Chelsea are scrambling, but they can't get a proper shot away

70' - Game settled down somewhat now

71' - Hampton down with an injury, but looks more like a tactical sit-down

75' - Nearly a second for Kerr!! A stunning left-footed cross from James is met by Kerr at the far post... but Tullis-Joyce saves, and the offside flag is up anyway

80' - SUBSTITUTION: The last of James in action this season, with Aggie Beever-Jones on in her place UTC

83' - Free kick for Man United in a dangerous area... but Janssen puts it wide

90' - Six minutes of stoppage time

89 - Another effort from Kerr, but flies over... record still pending

90' - SIX minutes of added time

90+4' - SUBSTITUTIONS: And what a substitute. Sam Kerr departs for the final time as a Chelsea player to a huge ovation. And Ramirez makes her first appearance of the season in her place. Hampton had gone down injured, so Livia Peng comes on - and Baltimore is on for Thompson in the final change

90+8' - Late free kick for United, looked very soft. Tullis-Joyce up for it!

90+9' - HUGE diving save from Peng! Random late drama here

90+10' - Tullis-Joyce booked for shoving her opposition number at the corner. Now Bompastor is booked too! All kicking off a bit too much for a dead rubber...

90+11' - And the corner hits the roof of the net

90+13' - Offside flag up on the final attack for United... and the whistle finally goes!

FULL TIME! Chelsea 1-0 Man United. The Blues sign off for a win, and a goal for Kerr, which means she now joins Fran Kirby as Chelsea's all-time joint top scorer

u/AnnieIWillKnow — 3 months ago