'moments To Remember' - Bompastor Savours 'special' Season

"I'm only astir titles but Sonia [Bompastor] said she's aft nan records - truthful now truthful americium I," said Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert.

The Scotland midfielder, 26, is utilized to chasing trophies but erstwhile you person already won them, you request caller targets.

Her broadside delivered nan equipment connected Saturday, grabbing a stoppage-time victor against Liverpool to guarantee they ended nan play unbeaten, creating "history" successful nan process.

They are nan first Women's Super League nine to stay 'invincible' successful a 22-game run and nan champions collapsed their grounds points tally to do it.

It capped a superb debut play for French head Bompastor and Chelsea tin still execute a home treble, having besides lifted nan Women's League Cup, and look Manchester United successful nan FA Cup last connected Sunday, 18 May.

The segment was group astatine Stamford Bridge to observe successful beforehand of their fans successful nan last crippled of nan play and it was fitting that academy postgraduate Aggie Beever-Jones claimed nan victor aft 91 minutes successful their 1-0 victory.

It led to joyous scenes afterwards arsenic skipper Millie Bright was drenched pinch champagne arsenic she lifted nan trophy, earlier her team-mates grabbed nan stadium announcer's microphone and started singing, draped successful golden confetti.

Smoke from nan fireworks down nan trophy shape drifted crossed nan transportation arsenic players danced successful beforehand of nan stands - Bompastor watching connected pinch her 4 children by her side.

"It was wonderful," she said, erstwhile asked really typical it was to person her family alongside her. "I had goosebumps conscionable because sometimes down nan scenes [my children] outcry because you are travelling and not home.

"It tin beryllium difficult, but they understand your occupation and it's moreover amended erstwhile they tin stock these moments pinch you. They cognize what it intends for us.

"I deliberation they realised really fortunate they are. When they are sometimes sad, I person these moments to retrieve why we are doing it arsenic a family. It is nan champion point you tin springiness to your kids."

Winning a sixth successive WSL title is 1 thing, but going unbeaten is another.

It is only nan 4th clip an English women's squad has gone a afloat run without suffering defeat, excluding nan curtailed Covid run successful 2020.

Chelsea did it themselves successful 2017-18 aft 18 games, while rivals Manchester City (2016) and Arsenal (2012) had achieved nan feat antecedently successful 16 and 14-game seasons - but nary successful 22 matches until nan Blues.

Bompastor's broadside besides eclipsed Chelsea's ain points grounds group successful 2022-23 (58) pinch their occurrence against Liverpool taking their tally to 60.

It is nan champion points-per-game ratio successful a azygous WSL run (2.73) arsenic good - a grounds antecedently held by Arsenal successful 2018-19 (2.70).

The records, for illustration nan trophies, proceed to rotation in.

"To beryllium capable to execute that, for me, is much than nan title," said Bompastor, arsenic she reflected connected nan magnitude of their unbeaten campaign.

She revealed it was not thing she had thought astir until Chelsea had nan WSL title wrapped up pinch triumph complete Manchester United, pinch 2 games to spare.

But defender Lucy Bronze had her eyes connected nan grounds for months, stating their extremity to beryllium 'invincible' backmost successful January following a 1-0 triumph complete Arsenal.

They did not awkward distant from their ambitions successful nan extremity pinch nan connection "unrivalled" printed connected nan beforehand of Saturday's lucifer programme, surrounded by flowers base nan dates of their 8 convention titles.

Having travel retired connected apical against their rivals yet again, are they nan top WSL squad successful history?

"It's difficult to opportunity that. For nan nine to beryllium capable to triumph six titles successful a statement intends we person been accordant and each twelvemonth we person managed to triumph trophies," added Bompastor.

"Maybe nan truth this twelvemonth we were unbeaten makes it moreover much typical because it ne'er happened before.

"When you bespeak connected that, from now, we will beryllium portion of history. We had this unbeaten play and we collapsed records successful position of points truthful it will enactment successful history."

"Consistency" was nan connection many times utilized by Bompastor to sum up Chelsea's run but it has not been easy.

With nan erstwhile Lyon leader stepping into nan large shoes near by Emma Hayes, nan squad went done what they described arsenic a "transitional season", bedding successful caller players and adapting to nan caller manager's style and coaching methods.

Hayes herself was 1 of nan first to congratulate Chelsea, posting connected Instagram that their achievements were "so, truthful deserved".

The results were immaculate but not nan performances - they won by one-goal margins connected 10 occasions and trailed 4 times during nan season.

Of their 56 goals, 17 came successful nan past 15 minutes of matches (30.4% of their total), and 8 were scored successful stoppage time.

Between 26 January and 2 March, they dropped 2 points and won 4 successive matches by a one-goal separator successful a play wherever they had to grind retired results.

"It is sometimes difficult to picture my feelings and emotions. We had nan correct mentality from nan opening of nan play until nan end," said Bompastor.

"We person been accordant moreover erstwhile sometimes performances were not nan champion - we ever recovered a measurement to triumph and get nan 3 points.

"I deliberation possibly nan crippled we had against Arsenal [in January] was astir apt erstwhile we started to realise we were successful a really bully position to triumph nan league.

"The 2nd portion of nan play was much difficult because we were not arsenic ascendant arsenic we would person liked to person been.

"For me, it is simply a awesome accomplishment because we were capable to beryllium consistent, unbeaten, and successful this convention it intends a batch because it is really competitive."

All-in-all, Chelsea's title was ne'er successful uncertainty arsenic they vanished 12 points clear pinch 19 wins and 3 draws.

They won six of their six matches against nan different top-four sides - Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

The only times they dropped points were successful 3 draws against Leicester (1-1), Brighton (2-2) and West Ham (2-2).

They remain, arsenic they person done for nan past six years, nan champion squad successful England.