Chelsea Ladies won the Women’s FA Cup for the first time in their history by beating Notts County Ladies 1-0 in the final in front of a record crowd at Wembley.
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Chelsea, who came into the final off the back of two consecutive league defeats, were beaten on penalties by Birmingham in their only previous Women’s FA Cup final appearance in 2012.
Neither side took control of the contest in the opening stages but the lively Aluko helped Chelsea find another gear on the half-hour mark.
The FA WSL Player of the Year poked the ball home from close range after 37 minutes to successfully cap a period of Chelsea supremacy.
Bassett, a Chelsea player last season, had admitted before the match yesterday that lifting the trophy with Notts County “would be an iconic picture but that is not my motivation”.
County had barely seen another touch of the ball before Aluko ghosted into the box once more, this time whipping a teasing cross from the left on to the stretched leg of Gemma Davison, whose volley flew inches wide of the post.
However, moments later Aluko was instrumental in giving the Blues the lead.
She reiterated Aluko’s sentiments regarding more silverware in the future and said: ” We’re going to aspire towards more trophies. She collected Millie Bright’s pass, advanced into the County half, past Sophie Walton and Turner before feeding Ji six yards out.
Ji scrambles the ball over the line for the only goal of the game.
From the resulting corner, Davison was needed on the back post to smash away a Leanne Crichton header that would have crept in the bottom corner.
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But Ji’s goal proved enough as the Blues held on for a richly-deserved triumph in front of a national television audience.
