Chelsea's 'blue flash' vows to make this cup final count

Ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup clash, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd speaks to Jamie Braidwood about past trophy regrets and how speed has made her a key player in an invincible’ season

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The word “invincible” has different meanings for different people. For most at Chelsea, though, it is completing an unbeaten domestic season by winning the treble at Wembley, in the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday. For Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, the club’s speedy, direct winger, the feeling of “invincibility” is a little like controlling the main character in a video game, whirring through levels in a blue flash and dodging enemies in the pursuit of golden rings. A bit like Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic, to be fair, would be a pretty good winger, too. It’s why Rytting Kaneryd’s Chelsea and Sweden international teammate Zecira Musovic started calling her by that nickname earlier this season, when the 28-year-old was tearing through the Women’s Super League and emerging as a key player under Sonia Bompastor. There was confidence from the opening game, as Rytting Kaneryd scored a stunning long-range goal in Bompastor’s first win, a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Chelsea didn’t look back, winning their first nine games in the Women’s Super League (WSL), the first 14 in all competitions. In the autumn, Rytting Kaneryd scored a goal of the season contender, too, a flying volley on the run as part of a brace in the 5-2 victory over Tottenham. If Chelsea’s success this season was built on the seamless transition between Emma Hayes and Bompastor, Rytting Kaneryd was pivotal to them hitting the ground running.