Sam Kerr scores sensational brace to help seal Chelsea’s hat-trick of English Women’s Super League titles

Matildas captain Sam Kerr continues to ‘deliver’ for English Women’s Super League champions Chelsea.

Matildas and Chelsea star Sam Kerr lifts the English Women's Super League trophy. Picture: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has lavished praise on Sam Kerr after the Matildas captain scored a stunning brace to help secure the Blues a third successive English Women’s Super League title.

Kerr netted two superb volleys in Chelsea’s 4-2 weekend defeat of Manchester United.

The win sealed Chelsea the title by a point from runners-up Arsenal, with Kerr’s double taking her WSL season tally to 20, which earnt her consecutive Golden Boots.

“I don’t set myself out to win the Golden Boot – I just do what I can for my team to win,” said Kerr, who was last week named the English Football Writers’ Association’s player of the year.

Hayes said the 28-year-old striker had made a welcome habit of delivering “when it really matters”.

What a goal. What a player. @samkerr1 is out of this 🌎#[e-mail]/6qYGcee4cn

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) May 8, 2022

“She’s the best for a reason and she stepped up once again for this football club,” Hayes said of Kerr.

“Never in my career have I been in a situation when a game is tight at 2-2 and a player has run over and said ‘today is our destiny’. I thought ‘we’re not winning yet’ but that’s confidence.

“Her second goal was world class. It was outrageous, audacious.

“We told her if she came to play for Chelsea she would win trophies and I can sit here confident that we both made the right decision and we’re both made for Chelsea. We both love days like today.”

Kerr said “there was no stopping” Chelsea in the second-half after United led 2-1 at half-time.

“Once we started playing in that second half I just kind of knew that we were going to come back ... because when we get going like that I don’t think many teams can go with us,” Kerr said.

However, Kerr’s joy was in contrast to the pain felt by her Matildas’ teammates and Arsenal trio Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Lydia Williams.

Catley scored in the Gunners’ 2-0 win over West Ham, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Kerr’s team.

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said: “You can see both Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley – they’ve been absolutely amazing since they came back from the Asian Cup (in January).”