The end of an era for Chelsea which helped redefine an entire sport

Eras rarely end neatly in football. Legendary players or managers tend not to all take their leave at the same time. In fact, as Millie Bright and Sam Kerr bade their farewells to Stamford Bridge after 472 appearances between them, this game, against Manchester United, was the closing of a curtain that had been pulled shut two years ago. It was the same opponents on that day, but at Old Trafford, when Emma Hayes waved goodbye to her time at Chelsea.

Bright and Kerr will stand as two of the defining players of Hayes’s time in charge. Bright was the rock that was the basis for everything she built. Signed from Doncaster Belles in 2014, Chelsea were yet to win a single major trophy and did not even have a fully professional squad. Fast forward 12 years and Bright has helped them lift eight league titles, six FA Cups and four League Cups. She even got the honour of scoring the only goal in the one-off Women’s Community Shield, which of course Chelsea won.

Bright defined what it meant to be a centre-back in the women’s game. For anyone who doubted the physical capacity of women to play the game, you only had to take one look at the broad-shouldered Bright bullying strikers to appreciate that any such qualms were based on a misunderstanding of female physicality. More than just a robust defensive wall, her long-range passing was a crucial part of Chelsea’s playing style. The gardens that abut Kingsmeadow in Norbiton ended up with a steady stream of footballs from when she would ruthlessly boot the ball out of the ground if required.

Beyond Chelsea, her quality as a player and a leader was demonstrated by Sarina Wiegman’s decision to make her captain for the 2023 World Cup. She became the second English footballer to lead a team out in the World Cup final after Bobby Moore. The year before she had been a mainstay of the Lionesses team which won the European Championships for the first time.

Bright retired from football last month, having been struggling with an injury, and after deciding she did not want to play anywhere other than Chelsea. As Bright did a final lap of the pitch, it was hard to shake the sense that she was supposed to play for Chelsea forever.

Hayes, the current United States Women’s National Team manager, was in attendance at the ground as her former side beat United 1-0. It has been a poor season by Chelsea’s high standards and the third-placed finish was their lowest since 2018-19, having won the title in every intervening season. Technically Chelsea could have finished second if Arsenal had lost but with the north London side 3-0 up by half-time, the match took on more of a testimonial energy.

In keeping with that, it was Sam Kerr who scored the only goal of the game, an outcome that could not be more predictable given her penchant for scoring goals against United. Sneaking out from a potentially offside position behind Maya Le Tissier’s blind spot, she hit Lauren James’s cross first time on the volley. It is a connection that Chelsea fans have seen less of than they would have liked over the past couple of seasons given the injury records of both players, although some of the best moments have come against United.

The goal put Kerr level with Fran Kirby as Chelsea’s all-time top scorer. When she joined the club, she was a genuine superstar signing, truly confirming the club’s ability to attract world-class players. The brilliance of some of the goals she scored as well as the simplicity with which she scored them marks her out as the greatest striker to ever play in the division. No one was more reliable for Chelsea when it came to cup finals and she scored winners in many of them. She walked off the pitch with a big grin, giving Mayra Ramírez, who was coming on for her first appearance of the season, a massive hug. It summed up what Kerr was about – a player who looked like she should have a massive ego but has always been a team player.

Chelsea aren’t the only club with a significant changing of the guard this summer. Arsenal announced on Monday that Beth Mead would be departing after nine years at the club before revealing on Thursday, after their final home game, that Katie McCabe would also be going after 10 and a half years. Both are expected to sign for City, having turned down contract offers from Arsenal to move on.

Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea will feel happy with how this season has gone. As they look to open new chapters, which for Chelsea includes moving to Stamford Bridge full-time, they will be doing it without players who have defined the past decade for them. It is a challenge which will make next season all the more intriguing.

Photograph by Leila Coker/Getty Images