.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
Saturday was always going to be emotional for Emma Hayes. After all, Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona was her final game at Stamford Bridge as manager of the Blues, ahead of her becoming the new head coach of the United States women’s national team. That it was the first time the women’s team had sold out the iconic ground was fitting, an achievement representative of the growth under Hayes. But the tears that flowed at full-time were of sadness, not joy, after a result that confirmed that Chelsea and Hayes’ story together will not end with a European title.
During her 12 years in charge, Hayes has helped the club win the lot in the domestic game and they’ve done it multiple times over. Six Women’s Super League titles, five FA Cup triumphs and two Continental Cup victories are bolstered by a league title during the WSL’s ‘Spring Series’ and a Community Shield win. The missing piece is the Champions League and a place for it in Chelsea’s trophy cabinet will remain there to fill for whoever has the unenviable task of following Hayes.
The 2-0 defeat at the Bridge to Barca was a huge disappointment, especially after all the great work Chelsea had done to secure an historic 1-0 win in Catalunya only a week earlier, and it capped a really difficult four-week period for Hayes and her team. Less than a month prior, there was talk of a quadruple, however, via a Conti Cup final loss to Arsenal, defeat in the FA Cup semi-finals at the hands of Manchester United and Barcelona’s turnaround in Europe, there is now just one trophy left on the table - the WSL.
Yet, the latest disappointment in what has been an underwhelming end to Hayes’ illustrious tenure should not taint her legacy, as what she has done for this club is much bigger.