“I hadn’t played in a stadium like Wembley before, but when it was announced, it was such a big thing that women’s football was finally able to be played there.”
It was 10 years ago that the FA first staged the women’s final at the home of English football and it has never left. The season prior to Blundell’s Chelsea narrowly beating Notts County under the famous arch, Arsenal had lifted the cup in front of 15,000 people in Milton Keynes. The year before that, there were under 5,000 present to watch the Gunners win it in Doncaster.
But having the final of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, as it has been called since a landmark naming rights deal in 2023, at Wembley is one of many factors that has caused the women’s game in England to boom, wheels set in motion long before the Lionesses magically delivered international silverware on the same pitch three summers ago.
There were just shy of 31,000 people inside Wembley for Chelsea’s 2015 triumph and Blundell credits the knowledge that her family was watching from the stands for getting her through it. In 2018, when she collected her second winners’ medal, following a 3-1 Chelsea win over Arsenal, there were more than 45,000 fans in attendance. Blundell’s third triumph in 2024, by which time she had joined Manchester United, was played in front of 76,000.
“It feels crazy that I’ve won it three times,” Blundell explains, sitting down with Fotmob in Manchester in the days before the 2025 final. “A trophy like the Adobe Women’s FA Cup is so iconic. It fills me such pride, especially winning it at Wembley as well, makes it even more special.
“If I can give advice to any of the girls going there for the first time, look at it as another game because you can get wrapped up in the emotions. It can take over and get you more nervous. As much as it’s obviously a special day for you, your family and the team, it is just another game and you still need to win it, and lift the trophy. Afterwards, you can get wrapped up in the atmosphere and what’s happened. But, beforehand, just do your normal routine. That’s how I get through.”
The full-back won’t make it four FA Cup wins this time, giving birth to a baby girl in March after sitting out the season while pregnant, but she is confident that her Manchester United teammates will retain the trophy they won last year, even with a formidable Chelsea standing in the way. Sonia Bompastor’s Blues are targeting a domestic treble after already landing the WSL title, going unbeaten in the process, on top of Women’s League Cup success.
United have only beaten Chelsea once in 15 meetings. But that once was last season’s FA Cup semi-final, a 2-1 victory over their tormentors at Leigh Sports Village.
“Cup games are always different because it’s a one-game shootout. I’ve got full faith in this team. I believe that the players we’ve got are more than good enough to beat Chelsea,” Blundell says, now looking ahead to Sunday’s latest showdown.
Both league meetings between them this season finished 1-0 Chelsea wins, one decided by a penalty, the other, less then three weeks ago, from a set-piece in a game that United were arguably the better team and created several good chances of their own.
“Obviously Chelsea have got serial winners in that team, they know how to win. But I just think with the characters we’ve got in our dressing room, and defensively we’ve been outstanding in the league,” Blundell offers. “Even the games we’ve played against Chelsea, we could have won by being a bit more clinical. But I think we would have learned from those league defeats and, going into this one, I’ve got more than enough belief that we can get a result and lift that trophy.”
This year’s final, a third consecutive appearance for United, is also a repeat of 2023, when a single Chelsea goal scored by Sam Kerr sealed victory and the first part of a domestic double – they also eventually bested United in a closely-run WSL title race two weeks later. The pain of losing that day is etched into the memories of those in red, with half of the squad still at the club.
“I never want to feel like that again,” Blundell reflects now, having been forced to watch Chelsea lift the cup, knowing how tight the game had been – a United goal after just 23 seconds was ruled out for a marginal offside, while other chances also went begging. “It’s a good reminder in a sense and gives you more motivation. You’re going to work harder because you want to be on that winning side,” she adds, looking for the lessons in defeat.
Ultimately, United’s sole victory over Chelsea to date, which sent them on their way to winning last season’s FA Cup, was the result of a fast start in which they scored inside the first minute and never looked back. That will likely be the key to success this time and making up for 2023’s disappointment. Squad depth is another factor, with Chelsea’s Wembley triumph underpinned by an ability to bring a former Ballon d’Or runner-up, Pernille Harder, off the bench to change the momentum.
United couldn’t respond to that, but things are a little different now, when the likes of Melvine Malard can provide game-changing quality. “We’ve seen this season, we’ve got players who can come on and impact the game and that’s probably something we didn’t have last time we played them in the final,” Blundell hopes, as an indication of United’s journey and growth.
After hopefully watching her teammates, who have also already successfully secured a place in next season’s Champions League, get the better of Chelsea to win the FA Cup, the goal for Blundell is to report for full training with the rest of the squad on the first day of pre-season. It’s been her long-term target since announcing her pregnancy last September.
“We’re on track with it,” she explains. So far, it’s been “very light stuff” and putting together a plan with the medical staff to make the comeback process as smooth as possible.
“I’ve learned a lot more about my body whilst being pregnant, so I think it’s been positive in that sense,” Blundell adds, while the pause in her career has made her all the more grateful for having one in the first place. “I’ve had this time away and it’s just made me more motivated and determined to get back to it. I didn’t take it for granted before, but it’s almost like now I’ve had that break, I’ve really missed it. So going back is something that I’m looking forward to. When I’m [training], doing the work I need to do, but when I’m home just being a mum and enjoying that side of life.”
(Images from IMAGO and with permission from Getty / the FA)
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