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Ashantha de Mel was appointed as team manager and selector-on-tour for the World Cup and had clashed earlier with the coach over selection choices

Madushka Balasuriya02-May-2019Sri Lanka Cricket believes that coach Chandika Hathurusingha and Ashantha de Mel will have no issues working together in the Sri Lankan dressing room, after the pair is said to have “thrashed things out” prior to the latter’s appointment as team manager and selector-on-tour for the World Cup starting at the end of this month. Since de Mel took the reins as chief selector ahead of Sri Lanka’s tour to New Zealand, the pair had clashed over several selection choices – most notably the exclusion of Dinesh Chandimal and Lasith Malinga’s captaincy.Other decisions taken by SLC’s executive committee

Chandima Mapatuna appointed as the logistic manager of the team for the World Cup. Mapatuna, who is also the head of international cricket of SLC, will travel with the team for the World Cup

In the wake of recent tragic incidents in the country, SLC will take additional measures to strengthen the security of the team at the World Cup. SLC is working on it in consultation with the Ministry of Sports and the ICC

Roy Dias appointed as coach of the ‘A’ team for the upcoming tour of India, in May, while Chaminda Mendis has been appointed as team manager. Mendis will also continue to function as a national selector

Avishka Gunawardena appointed coach of the emerging team for the tour of South Africa, in June. Hemantha Wickramaratne appointed team manager and will continue to function as a national selector

SLC has decided to donate Rs. 2 million to the Relief Effort Fund set up by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith The Arch Bishop of Colombo, to support the victims of the affected areas and parishes following multiple attacks on Easter Sunday

“Before the appointment we got the both of them together to talk things through,” SLC secretary Mohan de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “They eventually thrashed things out and now we’re very confident that they’ll work quite well together.”De Mel’s appointment, which was rubber-stamped by SLC at an executive committee meeting on April 30, had been mooted for some time, but speculation had been rife over whether he and Hathurusingha would be able to get along over the course of the six-week tournament.It was a spat with the new selection committee that culminated in Hathurusingha being removed from the role of selector-on-tour in February. And since then Hathurusingha’s job security has only become more tenuous.In March, he was given “a break” during Sri Lanka’s T20I series against South Africa after rumours surfaced of him having fallen out with certain players and staff. The situation was so dire that SLC CEO Ashley de Silva flew over personally to hold crisis talks, following which Hathurusingha returned to the island for further mediation. During this period, there were also reports of SLC seeking legal advice over possible options with regard to prematurely terminating Hathurusingha’s contract which will only run out in 2020.However, following clear-the-air talks with the board, Hathurusingha is understood to have agreed to rein in his methods as a “total dictator”, much of which de Silva believes had manifested during the course of the nine-month SLC power vacuum, when the governing body was run by a sports ministry-appointed competent authority.”We were in two minds whether to discontinue him or not,” de Silva said. “We needed to know if he was amenable to our way of thinking and whether he would change his attitude. Because to be quite honest, he had become a total dictator after we left, and that’s also one of the reasons that the selectors were gunning for him.”But he has now promised to toe the line with the administrators and the selectors, because to be honest his thinking in terms of the national team has been good, although the results haven’t followed unfortunately.”Sri Lanka will begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Cardiff on June 1.

Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said that Dhoni took the field only to get clarity since there was confusion about the no-ball decision

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-20191:46

Dhoni was fired up by the way the no-ball decision was handled – Fleming

Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler believes Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni’s decision to step onto the field to protest an umpiring call was “probably not” the right thing to do in the last over of their match on Thursday night. The incident took place with Super Kings needing eight runs off three balls. Ben Stokes bowled a waist-high full toss to Mitchell Santner, and even though umpire Ulhas Gandhe had signalled a no-ball immediately, square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford later shook his head to overturn the original decision.That led to lengthy discussions mainly between Santner’s partner Ravindra Jadeja and the umpires before Dhoni, who had been dismissed off the previous ball, walked out to join them. Dhoni was later fined 50% of his match fees for a Code of Conduct breach.”I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to do or not,” Buttler said at the post-match press conference of Dhoni’s decision to walk out on the field. “Obviously the tensions are running high in the IPL and every run counts. Yeah, it was a big moment in the game, but whether stepping onto the pitch is quite right? No, probably not.”Obviously, it’s a bit controversial. The umpires came to a decision but I was at the boundary so I wasn’t quite sure what was going on.”Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming later said that Dhoni took the field only to get clarity since there was confusion about the no-ball decision. He did not say if it was the right thing to do or not.”What wasn’t right was the confusion around the decision. It’s above my paygrade to really get further than that,” Fleming said.”My understanding and discussing it with the captain was we saw a no-ball called, and then there was confusion. Our understanding was that the umpire at the bowler’s end had called the no-ball and then there was confusion around whether it was a no-ball or not. MS was after some clarity and it didn’t seem to be coming. So, he took the opportunity to go out and discuss it with the umpires. That’s how I saw it and that’s how I discussed it with him afterwards.”He only just wanted clarity. The rights and wrongs will be discussed by everybody, including Mahi, I’m sure. But, I think, it’ll be a discussion for the umpires afterwards and I am a watcher as you guys are, for now. But he was certainly fired up about the way the decision was handled and why it was overturned or if it was overturned. So, there was a lack of clarity, obviously, for him and he wanted to get it clarified at a key moment. It’s unusual but he’s usually pretty calculated. It’ll be something he will be questioned about for sure, for a long time.”MS Dhoni is irate at a contentious no-ball call•BCCIRoyals had put on 151 for 7 and had Super Kings in trouble on 24 for 4 in the sixth over before Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu salvaged the chase with a 95-run stand. Both batsmen scored half-centuries and struck two fours and three sixes each to snatch the momentum from Royals.”It is a tough one to take, getting into a winning position and not able to get over the line, the boys will be very disappointed,” Buttler said. “But, I think that’s been the story of our season so far. We have had some games that we should have won and closed out but for a few reasons, we have not been able to do it. We need to get it right, fast.”Royals are now only above winless Royal Challengers Bangalore on the points table with one win from six games.How do they get out of it?”The way out is simple, we have to play better and longer,” Buttler said. “We are just not putting those performances together. We have played well in stages but against quality oppositions and some of the best players in the world, if you can’t do it for the whole 40 overs then it’s tough to win the game.”Fleming, too, admitted the weaknesses in his side, even though they sit on top of the table with six wins from seven games. The two main areas he identified that needed their attention were their fielding and death bowling.”There’s a lot of areas of concern,” Fleming said. “Our top order has been playing on a tough wicket in Chennai so we’ve got to make sure our confidence is high. Being 20-odd for 4, you’re not going to win many games. And [another concern is] just finishing off an innings with our death bowling. It’s hard and most teams are struggling. But if there are two areas we want to get better at, we’re working hard on, is that and we have to work hard on our fielding. We’ve got a number of holes but we know where they are and we’ll try and cover them up as much as we can.”

Pundit and ex-pro Chris Sutton has predicted that Premier League games will be played in the United States in the future, as NBC pushes for a deal.

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NBC pushing for EPL games in U.S.Sutton predicts it will happenSays the potential move 'stinks'Getty Images WHAT HAPPENED?

The American broadcasting giants are reportedly keen for the opening matches of the Premier League season to be played in the U.S., where EPL broadcasting is more lucrative than in any other overseas nation. Former Chelsea and Blackburn star Sutton is one of many pundits that are highly suspicious of the move, but on the latest edition of the It's All Kicking Off podcast, he predicted that it's inevitable "because money dictates everything".

AdvertisementWHAT SUTTON SAID

Sutton said: 'I do I think it will happen eventually, probably because money dictates everything. But just think back to the start of the season. Do you think the U.S. audience would have enjoyed an opening game of Sheffield United against Burnley? It's about just looking after the big boys, isn't it, commercially? Looking after the elite. And that's why it stinks a bit. It will not stink if it's the same across the board. If everybody is involved and every team in the Premier League gets a shot at it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Premier League recently confirmed that it has no plans to stage matches in the U.S. right now, but NBC Sports are continuing to push for games to be played across the pond. An increasing number of friendly matches between English teams are taking place in the U.S., encapsulated by the Premier League Summer Series, but the vast majority of fans in the UK believe that playing EPL matches abroad is a step too far.

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

While debates about matches in America rumble along in the background, the Premier League is still hurtling towards its end-of-season climax. Most teams only have two matches yet and the league title is still up for grabs, with Arsenal hoping to topple Manchester City in the closest title race for years.

Emma Hayes isn't optimistic about Chelsea's WSL title chances in their battle with current leaders Manchester City.

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Hayes rates WSL title chancesChelsea battling with Man CityGoal difference could be decisiveWHAT HAPPENED?

Hayes suggested there is now only a "small chance" that the Blues will finish 2023-24 as WSL champions, having gone into the campaign chasing a fifth successive league crown.

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Chelsea trail Manchester City by six points but have two games in hand – against Liverpool this week and later Tottenham in the final week of the season – that could eradicate the gap. But City's superior goal difference, seven better than Chelsea's as it stands, still gives them the advantage. The Blues must also ensure there is no hangover from the disappointment of their Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona on Saturday.

WHAT HAYES SAID

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Wednesday's clash with Liverpool, Hayes said: "We are not in the driving seat, we don't have the goal difference, we have to catch up. We've always known we were going to be playing catch-up. It's not anything we haven't prepared for."

DID YOU KNOW?

Manchester City are hoping to win their first WSL title since 2016 and only their second overall since joining the league a decade ago. Gareth Taylor's team have bounced back in a big way since finishing fourth last season and have put themselves into position by winning 14 successive league games since November.

Mahmudullah admitted the batsman lacked a clarity of plan to counter Neil Wagner’s “bouncer theory”

Mohammad Isam in Wellington12-Mar-2019Neil Wagner’s sustained short-ball attack has dominated Bangladesh over the first two Tests of the series, with the tactic fetching the New Zealand quick 15 out of his 16 wickets so far. Batsman after batsman fell to Wagner’s short-ball persistence: Mahmudullah and Mohammad Mithun were dismissed by the bowler three times, while Liton Das, Mominul Haque and Mehidy Hasan each fell twice. Wagner’s short ball also claimed the wickets of Shadman Islam and Tamim Iqbal.Mahmudullah said that many of the Bangladesh batsmen, including himself, were caught in two minds against Wagner’s lines of attack. Often, their proclivity for attacking to counter Wagner landed them in more trouble. Tamim, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar played Wagner well but apart from Soumya, the other two failed in their attempts to pull off the short length on four occasions.Mahmudullah conceded that the batsmen need to carry much of the blame for the Wellington defeat, where they were effectively bowled out in 117 overs in a match that was already restricted to a maximum of 315 overs, after two days were lost to rain.”In the first innings, Tamim and Shadman gave us a good start and even after Wagner started with his bouncer theory, we were handling him well but then we gave it away,” Mahmudullah said. “We have to bat with more guts for longer periods. A number of our batsmen are playing half-hearted shots, or we are not committed. We are in two minds whether to play a shot or not. You need to back yourself. If you want to attack, you should know how you want to cope with their bouncer theory.”They will probably have a fast wicket in Christchurch, so our batsmen have to be more responsible, particularly with three new bowlers in the side. I think it is the batsmen who should take more of the blame. We were bowled out twice inside two-and-a-half days.”Mahmudullah said that Wagner had had to pitch the ball very short in Hamilton where Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar staged a fightback on the fourth day. But in Wellington where the pitch had more bounce on offer, he could pitch the bouncer slightly further up.”We knew about him from the last time we were here. Now we are talking a lot about the Wagner factor,” Mahmudullah said. “There was certainly help in the pitches for both sets of pace bowlers but we couldn’t utilise it as well as they did. I believe that our batsmen have the skill level to handle their short-ball tactics.”Wagner had to pitch it really short in Hamilton while here he got bounce from a length slightly further up. It was easier to play or leave in Hamilton. Here there was a bit more in the pitch. He made use of it. He was successful to his credit.”Mahmudullah also regretted the reprieves to Ross Taylow, after he Shadman put down chances off Abu Jayed’s bowling when the New Zealand batsman was on 20. Ross was on 20 at the time and he went on to score 200 in quick time to take the game away from Bangladesh.But Mahmudullah also urged the bowlers to find ways to control the flow of boundaries. This was the first time that Bangladesh conceded 400-plus runs in an innings at more than five an over.”If we had captured those chances, we could have given better momentum to the bowlers. It may have brought us few more wickets. They were playing with seven batters and with the kind of help that this pitch produced for the bowlers, it would have helped our guys.”Jayed, Mustafizur and Taijul bowled quite well but we ended up conceding five runs an over. We have to find ways to bowl better in the next match,” he said.

The Catalan coach has tortured Los Merengues and been left traumatised by them in a fascinating odyssey of matches spanning 16 years

“It’s Madrid, it’s special," remarked Pep Guardiola after Manchester City's pulsating 3-3 draw with Los Merengues last week. And he would know. The Catalan has faced Real Madrid 22 times as a coach, with City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and many more as a player. He knows what it's like to win against Madrid and to lose to them. His sides have produced scintillating displays against the most glamorous club in European football, and his teams have also been thrashed and humiliated by them.

If it hadn't been for Guardiola, Madrid would have at least three more La Liga titles to their name. and potentially two extra Champion Leagues. And if it hadn't been for Madrid, the Catalan would be the undisputed best coach in the competition's history.

Guardiola grew up despising Madrid as an ardent Barcelona fan and then player, but there is also a deep sense of mutual respect between the coach and the 14-time European champions. "The king of the competition" is how Guardiola referred to Madrid when he learned City would be playing them for the third consecutive season after being drawn together in the quarter-finals. But is his side who currently wear the crown.

Madrid will be looking to dethrone City in Wednesday's second leg at the Etihad Stadium, which will be the latest chapter in an enthralling saga which has thrown up agonising eliminations, era-defining performances, breath-taking goals and someone getting poked in the eye. GOAL relives Guardiola's best ever matches against Real Madrid…

Getty Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona, May 2009

This was the game when everyone stood up and took notice of Guardiola's powers as a coach. His Barca were already stunning onlookers in his debut season in charge and he had won his first Clasico at the Camp Nou. But Madrid were beginning to reel his side in under Juande Ramos, and a victory for Los Blancos at the Bernabeu would have put them right back in the title race.

Gonzalo Higuain gave Madrid the lead, but Barca came flying back at them, producing an utterly formidable performance. And it was all down to Guardiola's secret plan for Lionel Messi, who he fielded as a 'false nine' for the first time, with devastating consequences.

AdvertisementGetty Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid, November 2010

Jose Mourinho was seen as the one man who could re-establish Madrid as the dominant force in Spain, especially after his Inter had knocked Barca out of the Champions League the previous season. But in his first Clasico as Blancos boss, the Portuguese's side were annihilated.

Xavi and Pedro got the ball rolling with early goals before David Villa struck twice and Jeffren completed the rout, leading to a gleeful Gerard Pique holding up his five fingers in celebration, one for every goal.

Getty Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona, April 2011

It was one of the great press conference displays of all-time, followed by one of the greatest goals of all-time. Guardiola had been mocked by Mourinho earlier in the day in the aftermath of a bitter Copa del Rey final defeat just four days previously, and he marched into the press room at Santiago Bernabeu meaning business. He called Mourinho "the f*cking chief, the f*cking boss" when it came to dealing with the media, but said his side would do their talking on the pitch in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

They did exactly that. Mourinho devised an ultra-defensive tactical scheme with Pepe in midfield, which backfired when the Portuguese was sent off. Barca exploited the extra space and Messi broke the deadlock before scoring an extraordinary second, slaloming his way through the Madrid defence from the halfway line before scoring.

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Getty Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid, August 2011

Even considering the long-running history of rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, tensions between the two clubs were at an all-time high when they met in the Spanish Super Cup just three months after their unforgettable series of four matches within a two-week period.

The first leg at the Bernabeu had ended 2-2, and the return match at Camp Nou was another epic. Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Andres Iniesta's opener and then Karim Benzema levelled after Messi had restored Barca's lead. But Messi, typically, had the final say, at least on the pitch.

The Argentine genius scored in the 88th minute to clinch the trophy for Barca, but the game is remembered far more for Mourinho poking Guardiola's assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye in a furious clash between the two benches.

The controversial slogan associated with white supremacist groups was briefly unfurled on one of the stands

Tristan Lavalette25-Jan-2019Three men who unfurled an ‘It’s ok to be white’ banner during last night’s Big Bash match at Perth Stadium will receive a “first and final warning” from Cricket Australia.The banner was displayed for about five minutes over the railing on the top tier near the Justin Langer Stand during Perth Scorchers’ innings against Sydney Thunder. The men took down the banner shortly after reportedly being spotted by security and were issued move-on notices by police.Perth Stadium’s conditions of entry prohibits oversized banners and flags deemed to cause public nuisance.The slogan is affiliated with white supremacist groups and gained prominence in Australia last October when controversial senator Pauline Hanson put forward a motion declaring ‘it’s OK to be white’.

Idiots put this sign up at Perth Stadium #BBL08 pic.twitter.com/CD58PODN5T

— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) January 24, 2019

Government senators originally supported the motion, before backing down and voted against it the second time around.A Western Australia police spokesperson said the incident was “currently under investigation by police”, with the trio involved aged 50, 38 and 24. Perth has a history of racial and religiously motivated banners appearing in public places. In 2016 a banner declaring “Go WCE, Stop the Mosques” was briefly unfurled at Subiaco Oval during an AFL fixture between West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, following a similar banner displayed during another AFL match in Melbourne.Stadium management indicated at the time that the four spectators responsible for the banner would be banned from the stadium for life.Earlier this summer, numerous spectators were ejected from the MCG’s famous Bay 13 during the Boxing Day Test for repeatedly chanting “show us your visa” to Indian members of the crowd. Footage of the chant, obtained by ESPNcricinfo, was passed on to Cricket Australia, who in turn passed the video on to Victoria Police and stadium management.”Three people in question was immediately removed from the venue and they will be issued a first and final warning from Cricket Australia,” a CA spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo in relation to Friday’s incident. “Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour at any of our matches, which includes racial vilification.”Our message to any fan attending a match is that if you display anti-social behaviour you will be removed and risk being banned from any cricket match across Australia, along with police action.”We encourage anybody who may witness this at one of our matches to report the matter to security or a member of staff immediately.”

Luis Luis Enrique hits out at his critics after guiding Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League semi-finals.

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Luis Enrique out at criticsPSG can win four titles this seasonWill face Lyon on Sunday in Ligue 1WHAT HAPPENED?

Luis Enrique's PSG overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg to beat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals in midweek. As the French giants now gear up to take on rivals Lyon in a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday, the Spanish coach has hit out at his critics for attacking him on multiple ocassions in the past.

AdvertisementWHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID

Ahead of facing Lyon, Luis Enrique addressed the media in a pre-match press conference where he said, "It’s not that I read little (the press), it’s zero. I've been a coach for over 10 years, I've been attacked, vilified, ignored or criticized. It's not a problem, I like it."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Les Parisiens have already won the French Super Cup title beating Toulouse in the final. They are currently leading the Ligue 1 title race by 10 points with only six games to go in the season. Luis Enrique's side have also reached the final of the Coupe de France where they will take on Lyon on May 25. In the Champions League last-four stage, the club will face Borussia Dortmund.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

If the reigning champions manage to beat Lyon on Sunday, they will need one more victory against Lorient on April 24 to seal yet another league title.

She as been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury

Liam Brickhill31-Jan-2019Allrounder Chloe Tryon has been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury. It is hoped that Tryon, who is the vice-captain, will recover in time to return for the ODI series starting on 11 February in Potchefstroom.Tryon’s absence has given Suné Luus a lifeline who has been recalled to the team after she was dropped from the original squad. She rejoins a squad that is playing the three-match series as a televised double-header alongside the men’s games against Pakistan starting this Friday at Newlands.Tryon, 25, has played 52 T20Is for South Africa, in which she has struck the ball at 137.86. Captain Dane van Niekerk said that her team would miss Tryon’s big-hitting ability, but she hoped the youngsters being trialled in South Africa’s top order would step in to fill the gap.”It’s a massive blow,” van Niekerk said. “We know how explosive she’s been, and she can hit the ball as far as anyone in the world at the moment. It is a massive blow, but it’s also an opportunity for us, for people within the side to stick up their hands and put some pressure on Chloe as well – to say ‘hey, I can do this job’. We’ve got some powerful hitters – that’s one thing we pride ourselves on, that we’ve got some big hitters, some of the biggest in the world.”Faye Tunnicliffe, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk and Lara Goodall were drafted into the set-up for the three T20Is against Sri Lanka. Saarah Smith also makes a return after recovering from a fractured finger suffered during the World T20.”[Tryon’s absence] doesn’t change things a lot, because we have a lot of batting power within the side, and with the youngsters coming in I’m really excited to see what they do,” van Niekerk said.

The Red Devils will now have a chance to go one better at Wembley and lift a first major women's honour, having lost to the Blues in last year's final

Two weeks ago, a quadruple was still on the cards for Emma Hayes in her final season in charge of Chelsea. Now, only two trophies remain on the table, the Blues defeated in last month's Continental Cup final before being beaten 2-1 on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester United, who have a real chance of a first major honour as they prepare to face Tottenham at Wembley next month.

The Red Devils were the underdogs against the holders and reigning English champions, but they got off to a flying start when Lucia Garcia broke the deadlock inside the first minute. It was terrific work by Leah Galton down the left, who capitalised on Eve Perisset's error and put in a perfect cross for her team-mate to shock the Blues. Before Chelsea could create a real chance to equalise, it was two, Ella Toone getting the better of Melanie Leupolz before catching the opposition out with another fantastic delivery, this one converted by surprise starter Rachel Williams.

From there, Chelsea started to put United under real pressure. Erin Cuthbert saw a shot deflect just wide, Mary Earps made a flying save to thwart Lauren James and then the net rippled, James powerfully converting Niamh Charles' cut-back in first-half stoppage-time. That momentum continued after the break, James again bringing the best out of England team-mate Earps before Chelsea were left feeling aggrieved by a couple of penalty shouts that went ignored, first for a Katie Zelem handball and then a foul by Williams on Charles.

However, just as we looked poised for a grand finale, the chances seemed to dry up. Hayes threw on all of her attacking assets – Catarina Macario, Fran Kirby and Aggie Beever-Jones were among the five names introduced – yet it was almost too much, the XI on the pitch almost getting in each other's way in a gung-ho, going-for-it formation.

And so United, who could've even added a third, saw it out and will be returning to Wembley next month, a year on from their narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in last season's final. Hayes' Blues, meanwhile, need to pick themselves up and target glory in the Women's Super League and Champions League, after another trophy went begging.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Leigh Sports Village…

Getty ImagesLOSER: Emma Hayes

Hayes' time in charge of Chelsea has been truly remarkable. She's transformed this club from one that had never won a major trophy to the most dominant in English women's football, winning six WSL titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups. For her final season with the Blues to end without another flurry of trophies would be cruel, then. And yet, it could well end without any.

Sunday's defeat means only the WSL and the Champions League remain. Chelsea have never won the latter and will have to beat defending champions Barcelona to stand a chance of ending that wait – the Catalans arguably having the best team in women's football.

Even retaining the WSL looks extremely tricky. The Blues have been champions of England for four successive seasons, but are locked into a fierce battle with Manchester City to uphold that status, the Cityzens three points clear, having played a game more, with Chelsea having five matches remaining. It's going to be anything but easy to pick up one trophy then, never mind two, after United ensured their chances of a treble suffered the same fate as those quadruple hopes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Marc Skinner

In a week which has seen United fans express their frustration at reports of head coach Marc Skinner being offered a new deal, the 41-year-old ensured the Red Devils will return to Wembley for a second successive season and with a massive chance of lifting a trophy.

Eyebrows were raised when his team was revealed, with Williams offered a rare start in a massive game, but it paid off as United thrived in picking up the flick-ons she contributed, while her headed goal for United's second was classic, brilliant centre-forward play.

Sometimes it has felt like United have gone into these big games without playing to their strengths, instead trying to go toe-to-toe with the established 'big three' and coming up short. On Sunday, they accepted they wouldn't have a lot of the ball, made the most of it when they did, and were clinical in a fantastic first half.

They rode their luck, but Skinner's game plan produced a monumental result, a first win over Chelsea and an FA Cup final which brightens up a season that, to this point, had been very disappointing. And he deserves credit for that.

LOSER: Eve Perisset

Perisset has been one of Chelsea's most impressive performers this season. She has probably flown under the radar a little bit, but she shouldn't have. She's been a rock at full-back, offered a lot going forward and is a reliable performer on set pieces.

Football is a brutal sport though and it was the France star who was at fault for United's opening goal on Sunday, failing to get enough on her pass as Galton pounced and delivered a cross for Garcia to break the deadlock.

"Eve Perisset has been outstanding for us," Hayes noted afterwards, "and the game can turn quite quickly." It shouldn't be forgotten what an excellent player she has been this season, but Sunday was tough for her, up against a real nuisance in Galton.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: Rachel Williams

Williams might not have the star profile of some of United's players, but she was the match-winner on Sunday thanks to an excellent first-half header. Her aerial ability, tireless running and clever movement caused Chelsea plenty of problems in the opening stages, with her flick-on inside the first minute leading to the goal that broke the deadlock.

"If you were Chelsea and you were predicting our starting line-up, you wouldn't have put Rachel in from the start, right?" Skinner said. "We knew that would give us an edge from the off. Of course, it's an incredible moment to score so early and it settles the game, I get that. But what we wanted to do is give their back-four three real threats, and that's not just with the ball, it's without the ball. It's Rachel's flick, it's Leah being aggressive, and then Lucia crashing in the back zone."

Williams has been used very well as a super-sub during her time with the club, and here she was showing that she can play a role from the start in these huge matches too, the type of which she would rarely be in the XI for. She knows exactly what she is good at and she plays to maximise her abilities in an intelligent and effective way. It worked a treat in this game.