It was an encore in keeping with Emma Hayes' remarkable Chelsea tenure.
As theBlues boss stepped out for one final time onto the Kingsmeadow turf — the sound of Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best' blasting over the Tannoy system — it felt like this was what she had been planning all along. A consummate entertainer until the very last, Hayes gave a rousing address that was as much a warning as it was a rallying cry.
«Let me be clear. It is not f****** over,» she said, pausing for dramatic effect as the home support erupted. «There is no time for sentimentality. All work drinks are cancelled, there is a title to be won.»
After 12 intoxicating years at Chelsea, it should have surprised no one that Hayes had no intention of quietly exiting stage left. But, after the palpable despondency that had followed the Blues' shock defeat to Liverpool just four days prior, surely few would have predicted how abruptly the tide would turn.
It was there on Merseyside that Hayes had waved the white flag, declaring the title race over after a stoppage-time header from Reds defender Gemma Bonner had condemned the reigning champions to a third Women's Super League (WSL) defeat of the season. «I think the title is done,» the Chelsea boss had said after the game.
«Of course, mathematically it's not, but I think the title is done. Our job between now and the end of the season is to keep pushing until the end, but I think it will be very difficult.»
Fran Kirby to leave Chelsea at end of season after 'living out amazing dreams'
Arsenal and Chelsea success points to uncomfortable truth after WSL relegation confirmed
Certainly, the Chelsea players had seemed to share that sentiment, with many of them in tears after the final whistle at Prenton Park. They
Read on football.london