Emma Hayes’ Champions League dream came to an end as Chelsea were knocked out in the semi-final by Barcelona.
The Blues went into the clash with a 1-0 advantage, but ended up losing 2-0 in the second leg with Aitana Bonmati scoring in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea’s hopes were dealt a further blow when Kadeisha Buchanan was controversially sent off just before the hour mark, giving Barcelona the numerical advantage.
The Catalans then doubled their lead thanks to Fridolina Rolfo’s penalty, a goal sufficient to eliminate the West Londoners.
The match was played in front of a crowd of 39,398 – a record attendance for Chelsea Women at Stamford Bridge.
Hayes placed real importance on Champions League success as she neared the end of her 12-year tenure.
Chelsea announced that the 47-year-old would leave her position in November, citing “an opportunity outside of the WSL and club football” as the reason.
Just ten days later, Hayes was announced as the new head coach of the United States women’s national team – a role that would begin at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Chelsea were on course to clinch a historic quadruple this campaign.
However, Arsenal ended their hopes after winning 1-0 in the FA Women’s League Cup final last month.
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Manchester United then knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup semi-finals two weeks later.
And they are three points behind Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City in the table, although they have a game in hand.
Now eliminated from the Champions League, Hayes will be desperate to retain the WSL title to ensure her final season ends with silverware.
