Emma Hayes' perfect Chelsea ending is fitting tribute to one of English football's greatest

At the Theatre of Dreams, Emma Hayes’ last game as Chelsea boss might just have been her greatest show yet.

It was a finale in keeping with Hayes’ intoxicating 12-year tenure in South-West London - one packed full of drama, intrigue and, perhaps most pertinent of all, silverware, as the Blues won their fifth consecutive Women’s Super League (WSL) title with a 6-0 victory over Manchester United.

Last season, there was little to separate these two sides. United took the title race to the final day but ultimately lost out by the slimmest of margins to Hayes’ all-conquering Chelsea juggernaut.

At the close of play this term, though, the gap between them stands at 20 points and the gulf in quality was apparent as the two teams toiled away in the balmy Manchester sunshine. That said, just a fortnight ago, Chelsea’s coronation had seemed improbable, if not impossible, with even Hayes herself publicly relinquishing her team’s crown.

“I’d love to bring titles again to Chelsea but that’s not going to be this year I’m afraid," she had declared following the Blues’ shock collapse away to Liverpool. "We will never give up but the title is far from us, it’s not in our hands."

However, Manchester City’s late surrender to Arsenal a mere four days later offered the reigning champions a lifeline that they seized with both hands. “Let me be clear. It’s not f****** over," a reinvigorated Hayes said in her rousing full-time address to the Kingsmeadow crowd after Chelsea’s 8-0 rout of Bristol City.

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Chelsea’s subsequent 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur put them in the driving seat ahead of their trip to Old Trafford, though - with the Blues’ marginally superior goal difference the only thing giving them the upper hand over City - it was clear this was a title race that would go right down to the wire.

Still, a manager as revered as Hayes was never going to quietly exit stage left. Instead, her final act was an exhibition, her team romping to victory without barely even breaking a sweat.

Any Chelsea nerves were quickly settled by the effulgent Mayra Ramirez, who put the visitors 1-0 up inside the first two minutes with a bullet header from Guro Reiten's inch-perfect cross. Next to grab her moment in the spotlight was Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, whose excellent strike quickly gave the Blues some breathing space before substitute Sjoeke Nusken eliminated any remaining doubt about the final destination of the WSL title with her close-range finish in the 44th minute.

Goals from Ramirez and Melanie Leupolz either side of half-time added further gloss to the scoreline and, when the exultant Chelsea fans started up a fervent chorus of 'Emma, what's the score', Hayes was only to happy to play to the gallery, beaming as she triumphantly held aloft five fingers to the away end.

The loudest ovation of the afternoon, though, was reserved for 'super' Fran Kirby; a player who, for so long, was the driving force behind Chelsea's success. For nine years, the mercurial midfielder has wowed with her flair and ingenuity and so it was only fitting she should score the final goal of the Emma Hayes era, sweeping past Mary Earps with five minutes to go.

Indeed, it was an afternoon that encompassed Chelsea's past, present and future. While Kirby offered one final flash of her genius, Ramirez gave a tantalising glimpse of what fans should expect from her in the years to come.

In the Directors' Box, talisman Sam Kerr - currently sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury - was jubilant, launching to her feet in celebration every time the back of the United net rippled. That Chelsea have won the title despite having been without her talents for more than half of the campaign is one of the greatest endorsements of Hayes' brilliance.

"I almost can't believe we've won the title," the Blues boss said as she addressed the media for one final time after the game. "Can't believe it. Two games to go in the title we've got a 19-year-old on the right-hand wing in Maika Hamano and Aggie (Beever-Jones) is 20. No one talks about that enough"

And yet, for all of Hayes' elation, there was an overwhelming sense that the end of this perfect union has arrived at the perfect time. "I categorically cannot carry on," she said, her exhaustion evident even with her face part obscured by a commemorative 'Champions' baseball cap.

"So, I am absolutely leaving at the right time. I don't have another drop to give it, whatever it is there's so much of the job, not just this, dealing with people and when you deal with people, I have such high standards for myself that maintaining that has become impossible."

Now, for Chelsea, imagining a future without Hayes is the barely conceivable reality they must confront. Once the confetti has settled and the champagne has been drunk, players and supporters alike must reconcile with the idea that this brash, brilliant managerial force is no longer at the helm - though her presence will irrefutably remain ingrained in the club's every fibre.

For the WSL, the show must and will go on. But, as the curtain finally falls on Hayes' remarkable Chelsea career, it feels like the lights won't shine quite as brightly in the absence of English football's leading lady.