‘Every trophy means equal weight’, says Cuthbert ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Man United in the Women’s FA Cup final
ERIN CUTHBERT will never tire of wanting to prove herself at Chelsea and was “raging” after their Conti Cup final loss to Arsenal in March.
The midfielder bids to win the FA Cup for a fourth time today since joining the Blues in 2017.
Chelsea will face Manchester United at a sold-out Wembley having beaten Arsenal and then Manchester City in the last two showpiece finals.
And victory in front of an anticipated 90,000-crowd would see the four-time winners take a step closer to a WSL and FA Cup Double.
Reflecting on the Blues’ 3-1 league cup final defeat to the Gunners in the spring, Cuthbert, 24, admitted: “I was raging when we lost.
“Every game, every trophy means an equal weight to me.
“It was a trophy in front of us that we wanted to win.
“But I think the FA Cup occasion is bigger, having 90,000 fans, that’s insane compared to 27,000 or so at the Conti Cup final.
“And the experience of playing at Wembley is certainly a day to remember, it’s a real spectacle.
“It’s a big occasion and my family always comes down for it. They’ve never missed an FA Cup game and, for me, that’s really special.
“My mum described it one time as one of the best days of her life, so if I can give her that each and every year I’ll be absolutely delighted.
“That’s also my motivation to get there and give my family a day to remember after how much they’ve given me.
“And it’s a great occasion for women’s football and a trophy we want to win.”
Today’s clash comes just over five years after Scotland star Cuthbert played in her first FA Cup final for Chelsea when they beat the Gunners 3-1 at Wembley.
That game came 17 months after Cuthbert’s Blues move when she arrived as a “raw” talent signed from Glasgow City in December 2016.
Former Blues forward and now pundit Eni Aluko has said Cuthbert arrived with “a bit of banter” in training as well as an incredible left foot.
Of her early Chelsea days, Cuthbert said: “I was a bit raw and being a girl from a small town in Scotland was not relatively aware of the challenge ahead.
“There were such high calibre players signing at the time that I kind of fell under the radar when I first arrived.
“Maybe in hindsight, that was probably the best thing for me and I just got my head down, worked hard, and waited for more opportunities.
“Emma Hayes made it clear to me that there might be opportunities to play with the development team when I first joined the club.
“That never happened as I wanted to be in the first team and I wanted to prove myself and to show what I was capable of.
“I think I’ve done that but I certainly don’t get tired of it. Every year I’ve still got something to prove I know I can be better.”
A triumph for Hayes’ side would see them lift the FA Cup for the third year in a row.
But they face a serious challenge with title rivals and league leaders United looking to win their first major domestic honour.
Cuthbert added: “Of course, winning the FA Cup would give us a great deal of momentum going into the league campaign.
“But we have not let the Champions League campaign or the Conti Cup final defeat derail our season.
“We lost the last two years in the Conti Cup final and everyone thought, ‘That’s it, Chelsea are out. That’s it, they’re falling apart.’
“I think everybody wants to see us fail.
“But I know that the greatest thing about this team is that we bounce back up and show ourselves in the big moments.”