Ramona Bachmann at the double as Chelsea seal FA Cup triumph over Arsenal

A Ramona Bachmann double and goal from in-form Fran Kirby gave Chelsea their first silverware of the season and exorcised the ghosts of two years ago. This was a rematch of the 2016 final, which the Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said the Blues “didn’t turn up for”, when a curling Danielle Carter strike won Arsenal the trophy.

This time Chelsea did show up and a goal from Vivianne Miedema to reduce the deficit to 2-1 wasn’t enough to turn the game for Arsenal.

The opening chances fell to Arsenal. Three minutes in Beth Mead was able to break free on the left, her teasing ball into the box was poked clear before it could reach a red shirt. Seconds later, Jordan Nobbs played an almost identical ball in, this time from the right, but Maren Mjelde got herself in front of a waiting Miedema.

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However the opportunities started to even out, both sides were nursing hangovers but neither seemed to be letting that get to them. Arsenal had suffered their first defeat in 14 games when they crumbled at Birmingham last Sunday – Ellen White’s hat-trick breaking a Gunners backline that had only conceded five goals since Joe Montemurro took charge in October. Meanwhile Chelsea, still unbeaten in the league but having slipped behind Manchester City on goal difference, missed out on a first Champions League final after a 5-1 aggregate loss to Wolfsburg.

The Blues’ first chances fell to the PFA and FWA player of the year, Fran Kirby. Twice in quick succession the England striker picked up the ball on the left and danced past three tight Arsenal players but her square passes was easily crowded out.

Shortly after that Ramona Bachmann and Ji So-yun played a one-two on the edge of the Arsenal box, the Swiss forward spinning beautifully but shooting wide of the far post. The chances didn’t stop for the Gunners and the best of the half came as a delightful ball over the top put Beth Mead through on goal with just Hedvig Lindahl to beat but a sprinting Mjelde chased her down before she could get a shot away.

As the clock ticked towards half time Chelsea began to ramp up the pressure a little. Kirby again got the better of Lisa Evans but her shot was tame and straight at Sari van Veenendaal, while Ji and Bachmann continued to combine well on the right. Ji’s free-kick from the edge of the penalty area went straight into the wall and her effort on the rebound was collected by Van Veenendaal. A minute later Bachmann slipped the ball to an onrushing Ji whose powerful shot just over the bar was the last action of the half.

Chelsea began the second period as they ended the first, and it did not take long for them to break the deadlock. Bachmann and Ji combined again, this time getting Kirby involved, who fed the ball back to Bachmann and the forward to blasted high into Van Veenendaal’s net. Undeterred by falling behind, Lindahl was forced to palm the ball away from Mead. Five minutes later the Gunners captain, Kim Little, who has won the cup three times with her club, played a pinpoint pass to Miedema, who perhaps should have shot first time but turned and gave the Blues time to rush back.

The Gunners’ wastefulness in front of goal was then punished by Bachmann again. Her shot from the right deflected off the 21-year-old defender Leah Williamson to loop over Van Veenendaal and take Chelsea into a 2-0 lead.

From then the game began to slow, Chelsea happy to sit back and Arsenal searching for a way to break through a defence that had not conceded in the competition. But the pressure eventually paid off, Mead’s cross into the box finding Miedema and this time the Euro 2017 winner did not wait, sweeping the ball past Lindahl to halve the deficit.

But just one minute after Arsenal had seemingly opened the game back up, Kirby picked up the ball on the edge of the Arsenal box, stepped past Louise Quinn and fired home to deal a hammer-blow to the Gunners. It was her sixth FA Cup goal this season and it and secured Chelsea the trophy.