Chelsea FC pair Fran Kirby and Emma Hayes win WSL Player and Manager of the Season awards

Chelsea star Fran Kirby has been named Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Season, with Emma Hayes recognised as Manager of the Season after the Blues’ stellar campaign.

Chelsea retained the title which they had won on points-per-game at the end of last year’s Covid-curtailed season, edging out Manchester City by two points in a thrilling title race as both sides lost just one game during the campaign.

Kirby began the season on the sidelines as she continued her recovery from a long-term illness but roared back into top form to end the campaign with 16 goals and 11 assists. She had already been named Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year as well as winning the WSL Player of the Year at the London Football Awards, and now adds another gong to her collection.

Hayes, meanwhile, has seen her Blues side because the dominant force in English football, with the WSL and League Cup sewn up and the prospect of a domestic treble still on the cards, having steered her team through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

She also led the club to their first Champions League final, where they were beaten 4-0 by Barcelona earlier this month.

The awards mean Chelsea have completed a sweep of the WSL’s four biggest individual prizes, with striker Sam Kerr having won the Golden Boot and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger the Golden Glove.

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