- Chelsea were defeated by Barcelona in the semi-final of the Women’s Champions League
- Hayes struggled to see beyond the referee’s decisions in the second leg
- Tottenham are looking to torpedo Arsenal’s title chances… but which Spurs side will feature in this huge derby? Listen to the It all starts! podcast
Emma Hayes’ hopes for a fairytale end to her Chelsea career may be over, but the chance to end the season on a high is not.
Barcelona may have had the Champions League snatched from their grasp in controversial circumstances, but there is still a Women’s Super League title to play for.
Hayes, who described the landmark decision to send off Kadeisha Buchanan in the second leg as the ‘worst in the history of the Women’s Champions League’, must find a way to get herself and her players back on their feet.
Immediately after the match, with emotions still high, Hayes struggled to see beyond the refereeing decisions that had cost them a chance at European glory.
Asked if she could take anything positive from the way her team competed with Barcelona over two legs, Hayes replied: “How would you feel if you were us right now?”
Emma Hayes needs to lift herself and her players up after Chelsea’s Champions League exit
Hayes branded the decision to send off Kadeisha Buchanan in the defeat to Barcelona as the ‘worst in the history of the Women’s Champions League’
Chelsea cannot afford to dwell on defeat with the Women’s Super League title on the line
‘Then how can you accept anything? You just hope you end up in these positions. We lose, we lose, I can take it, I really can. It’s just really hard to take this one.”
Chelsea midfielder Melanie Leupolz said Hayes didn’t have many words in the post-match conversation. “She said she’s still proud of us,” Leupolz said. “We are only focusing on the league because we want to have at least one trophy this season.”
As difficult as it is, Chelsea cannot afford to dwell on this disappointment.
It just needs to be read: A tough trip to Liverpool awaits on Wednesday, and the Blues could be as much as six points behind Manchester City by then – should they beat Bristol City tonight.
Chelesa, who have two games in hand, may have to win every game and will hope that Khadija Shaw’s season-ending injury prevents City from getting maximum points in the remaining matches.
In the space of four weeks, Chelsea have gone from a four-way battle to being able to end the season without a trophy for the first time since the 2018/2019 campaign.
There are still three weeks and four games to go before Chelsea and Hayes can end on a high.