The Blues took an early lead when Mayra Ramirez tapped in from close range but we had to weather plenty of City pressure to take a 1-0 advantage into the break.

A moment of brilliance from Aoba Fujino resulted in a City equaliser just after the hour mark but when Yui Hasegawa diverted Ramirez cross into her own net with 13 minutes remaining, a first Women's League Cup trophy in four years was ours!

Four changes

Sonia Bompastor made four alterations from the Women's FA Cup win over Crystal Palace last weekend.

Hannah Hampton retained her place in goal, as did centre-backs Millie Bright and Nathalie Bjorn, plus Sandy Baltimore on the left, but Lucy Bronze was back in at right-back.

Sjoeke Nusken joined Erin Cuthbert in the middle, with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd returning on the right and Lauren James on the left. Catarina Macario started behind Ramirez, who was also back in the side after dropping to the bench against Palace.

Early lead

Chelsea took the lead after just eight minutes as good work from Macario to roll the City midfielder just inside their half saw James slip the ball through into Ramirez's path. The striker's initial shot was saved but the ball rebounded off the City defender and back to Ramirez, leaving her with a simple tap-in for 1-0.

City enjoyed plenty of pressure following the goal and would have scored had it not been for a host of excellent last-ditch blocks during the first half from Nusken, Bright, Baltimore and finally Ramirez just before the interval.

Hannah Hampton also played her part in keeping us ahead at the break, as she tipped Leila Ouahabi's low shot around the post and stopped Fujino's powerful drive following a well-worked corner.

We arguably should have scored a second before half-time, though. More good work from the impressive Macario helped create the space for James to get a shot away from close range, but it was too central and easily saved.

And then Ramirez was put through one-on-one but as the striker went slightly wide while trying to round the goalkeeper, her effort from an angle hit the side-netting.

But with City enjoying plenty of pressure and with goal-saving blocks from the likes of Baltimore needed to deny the dangerous Bunny Shaw and Vivianne Miedema, our opponents could have felt hard done by had they gone into the break two goals behind.

The second half started with Shaw having a wayward effort from distance go over when trying to lob Hampton but the Blues were more defensively solid at the start of the second period.

And we went very close to adding a second goal following a world-class pass from Cuthbert. The Scot threaded the ball inside two defenders to pick out the run into the box of Rytting Kaneryd but Ayaka Yamashita raced out to save.

Then a moment of quality at the other end led to the equaliser. Fujino beat a couple of Chelsea defenders on her way into our box and then struck a shot from the corner of the area which moved in the air on its way into Hampton's near top corner.

City almost grabbed the lead moments later. Bronze was dispossessed just outside our box and after a one-two, Shaw was through one-on-one. But Hampton was out quick to make a superb stop with her outstretched foot.

Our opponents were back on top by this point and Hampton had to make another save to deny Miedema.

But a double-change from Bompastor paid immediate dividends as the Blues went back in front.

Not long after substitute Maika Hamano had a long-range effort go wide, another replacement, Beever-Jones, played Ramirez in wide right and the striker's low cross was diverted into her own goal by Hasegawa when trying to clear, under pressure from Hamano.

Beever-Jones then flashed a shot wide of the near post as the City pressure subsided somewhat.

Jill Roord had an effort from distance easily saved in the 89th minute but in the end, Chelsea were able to hang on comfortably and could have scored a third goal on the counter during injury-time but Wieke Kaptein's effort from the edge of the box was blocked.

What it means

This was Chelsea's first Women's League Cup victory since 2021 and our third in total, having lost the previous three finals following back-to-back wins.

It is also a first trophy in Blue for Bompastor following her appointment last summer.

What is next

Chelsea now face a further three games against Manchester City, starting away at the Joie Stadium on Wednesday night in the first leg of our Champions League quarter-final.

We are back in Manchester next Sunday for a Women's Super League clash before the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hampton; Bronze, Bright (c), Bjorn, Baltimore (Charles 87); Cuthbert, Nusken; Rytting-Kaneryd (Beever-Jones 74), Macario (Hamano 74), James; Ramirez (Kaptein 79)
Unused subs: Spencer, Lawrence, Jean-Francois, Brown, Fishel
Scorer: Ramirez 8, Hasegawa (og) 77
Booked: Bronze 50

Man City: Yamashita, Casparij, Prior, Aleixandri (c), Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Miedema, Roord, Fujino (Park 81), Fowler, Shaw (Kerolin 81)
Unused sub: Keating, Layzell, Coombs, Wienroither Nicoli, Blindkilde Brown, Oyama, Murphy
Scorer: Fujino 64
Booked: Miedema 43, Shaw 57

Referee: Emily Heaslip
Attendance: 14,187