Chelsea women's player ratings vs Man Utd: It had to be Lauren James! Lionesses superstar haunts former club again to lead Blues to League Cup glory

Lauren James' brilliance took centre stage as Chelsea retained the Women's League Cup on Sunday, the England international once again coming back to haunt Manchester United as her goal was backed up by Aggie Beever-Jones' opportunistic finish to give the Blues a 2-0 win and the first piece of silverware of the season. In a tight game of few chances, James' clinical touch looked set to prove decisive before Beever-Jones made sure of the win in the latter stages, rounding off a remarkable effort from a Chelsea side plagued by injuries.

United came into this game having won just once in their past 16 meetings with the Blues, with their most recent loss coming last time out in the FA Cup fifth round. Yet, the Red Devils were the better side early on and Elisabeth Terland, playing in a front two, thrived, regularly causing problems for the Chelsea midfield by picking up pockets of space and shooting on sight.

Sonia Bompastor's side, out to defend their title after beating Man City 2-1 in last year's final, rode that storm and took the lead after just 20 minutes when James pounced on an uncharacteristic error from Dominique Janssen, drove into the box and thumped it beyond Phallon Tullis-Joyce. It was her sixth goal in her last seven games against United, whom she left to return to childhood club Chelsea.

Alyssa Thompson had a huge chance to double that lead before half-time, as Sjoeke Nusken brilliantly threaded her through on goal, only for Maya Le Tissier to make a brilliant recovery tackle. From there, it was back to United looking the more likely, with Terland striking the bar and Ellen Wangerheim somehow missing from close range.

Given the defensive absentees Chelsea had, they'd done well to keep the Red Devils at bay. Captain Millie Bright was out, Naomi Girma sustained a knock the day before the final and Kadeisha Buchanan could only play an hour, on her first start since November 2024. When Nathalie Bjorn, Buchanan's replacement, limped off in tears just minutes after being introduced, forcing a serious reshuffle, United must have felt like they could take advantage.

But while Chelsea have not been at their best this year, with their six-year reign as champions of the Women's Super League coming to an underwhelming end while injuries continue to pile up at a debilitating rate, one thing Bompastor's Blues still have is character - and lots of it. So despite United being the side that could pile on attacking options from the bench, turning to a serial goal-scorer in Lea Schuller and a two-time Champions League winner in Fridolina Rolfo, it was Chelsea who got the second goal to kill the game off, as Beever-Jones came out on top in her grappling duel with Hanna Lundkvist and prodded the ball beyond Tullis-Joyce.

When GOAL asked Erin Cuthbert, Chelsea's captain on the day, what it would mean for her side to win this final, given how this season has gone, she was bullish. "It would be a big statement," she replied. "It would say a lot about where the team's at, it would say a lot about how resilient we are and how much we're able to just find a way to win, which is what this Chelsea team has always done." That mentality of champions was on show here and, with two more trophies still to play for, it's likely to come to fore plenty more before this season is over.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Ashton Gate...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Wasn't tested from close range but kept everything out that United threw at her on a surface that was tricky at times.
Lucy Bronze (8/10):
An absolute rock at the back, both as a right-back and then as a centre-back.
Kadeisha Buchanan (7/10):
Making her first start since November 2024 after recovering from an ACL injury, she'd played a strong hour in which her experience was regularly on show with her positioning and ability to intervene in a timely manner.
Veerle Buurman (8/10):
Another incredibly impressive performance from this exceptionally talented young player.
Sandy Baltimore (7/10):
Stood up brilliantly in her defensive work to keep United out of dangerous areas, while also supporting the attack well.

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Midfield
Keira Walsh (7/10):
Struggled to deal with Terland picking up pockets in the first half but got to grips with her in the second and helped quieten the United attack.
Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Like Walsh, she didn't know how to deal with Terland initially, then improved after the break. Not her best display but battled hard to get Chelsea over the line.
Sjoeke Nusken (8/10):
A superb display from a player who has been out-of-favour this term, but has proved in recent matches what value she has. Should've had an assist after a sublime pass to Thompson and settled faultlessly at right-back after Bjorn limped off.
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Attack
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (7/10):
End product was inconsistent but she stuck at it and delivered a brilliant ball for Beever-Jones goal.
Lauren James (8/10):
Caused United a headache every time she picked up the ball because of her ability to hold onto it no matter what, confidence in taking players on and fantastic reading of play. Worked hard out of possession, too.
Alyssa Thompson (6/10):
Didn't see a lot of the ball but made use of it when she did, creating a couple of openings before having a huge chance one-on-one, only for Le Tissier to catch up to her and thwart her. Off at half-time.

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Subs & Manager
Aggie Beever-Jones (7/10):
Replaced Thompson at half-time and gave United something different to think about. Showed great tenacity in her goal.
Nathalie Bjorn (N/A):
Made her return from injury when she replaced Buchanan just past the hour, then had to limp off mere minutes later after sustaining an innocuous calf injury.
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Added energy to the midfield off the ball and also provided a threat in attack.
Lexi Potter (N/A):
A late sub in the final moments.
Sonia Bompastor (7/10):
Had so many curveballs thrown at her by injuries but did the best she could to manage the situation. Half-time sub raised eyebrows but paid off with Beever-Jones netting the second.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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Subs & Manager