Published on May 15, 2025
Manchester United winger Leah Galton insists her team has the belief and quality to be the first to beat Chelsea in a domestic competition this season.
The two sides meet in the FA Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday, with United hoping to end Chelsea's chances of not only winning the treble, but also going undefeated in the process.
"It's hard", Galton told Sky Sports News. "We think we can beat them and we know we can beat them, but then you look at the stats and their season.
"They're unbeaten, we've lost twice to them 1-0, so it's close. I can't say too much but we know who we're playing against and we know how to beat them, it's just putting it into practice on the day.
"That's what'll make it feel even better when we do win, and I'll speak positively, so when we win it'll be a great feeling."
United finished the WSL season in third, securing a place in the Champions League qualifiers, and Galton hopes adding a second consecutive FA Cup trophy to the cabinet will put an extra bit of shine on a sparkling season.
"I'm very excited," she said. "This week's gone so slowly. Obviously, we lost against Arsenal and we just want to put things right, but this game has been so far away. That's good for the prep, but I want it to be today.
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"It's a hard week. Everyone's a little nervous, we've got to practise things for the game, penalties are coming into training. It's a big week and a lot to take on and a lot to take in, but I get the vibe everyone's ready to go and repeat the success we had last year."
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Galton would be forgiven for thinking she was cursed in FA Cup finals at Wembley, despite last year's success.
She was part of the United team that lost to Chelsea in 2023 and somehow managed to play 45 minutes on a broken leg during last season's success against Tottenham Hotspur.
"I fractured my tib and I damaged my ligaments in my ankle only three minutes into the game," she said.
"Obviously, adrenaline is going, everyone's around you yelling 'come on, get up, run it off' and I was like 'run it off?! I can't feel my leg but okay!'"
"I played on the wing next to Rach [Williams] and she was telling me 'you've got this,' but I was just thinking, 'I hope I get through this'. I got to half-time, took my boot off and it was massive. I tried to play on, but couldn't.
"It's weird, I don't know how I did it. When someone bumps me in training, I'm like 'ahhh!' but I think it was just the adrenaline and the game. I wanted to be on the pitch, be part of the game, so I was fighting coming off, but at 50 minutes I said I can't continue anymore."
Galton took part in the trophy lift on crutches and admits the post-match celebrations were bittersweet, despite it being one of the biggest moments of her career.
"That's why it was so tough. Part of me was up here, but part of me was down here. We've just won something major for the first time at the club, so for me that's emotional. Then on the other side I'm like 'ow, I can't put any weight on my leg', and I didn't know how bad it was until two days later after the scan.
"So it was tough, one minute I was happy and the next I'm crying. It must have looked so weird, I couldn't regulate in-between. I did try to celebrate with the girls, but I couldn't, I ended up having an early night. Now I know why, I just had to go home."
It's fair to say Galton is hoping the pain of last season isn't replicated, but the pleasure is.
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"Finals are weird, they can be cagey," she said. "Will it be boring as no one wants to mess up, will it be end to end? You just don't know.
"I can't predict it, but I know me and my team will give everything we can and try to prove to everyone we are here to stay and not just float around in mid-table. This year finishing third and getting to a final, it shows we mean business."
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