Chelsea sweep WSL player & manager of the month awards for January

Chelsea have swept the WSL monthly awards for January with Fran Kirby and Emma Hayes winning the Barclays player and manager of the month prizes respectively.

It was a big month for Chelsea that saw the Blues extend their unbeaten record in the WSL to 33 games and displace Manchester United at the top of the table.

Kirby started January in incredible form, scoring four times against former club Reading in a 5-0 thrashing of the Royals to kickstart the season after the Christmas break.

The England international then scored the winner in a huge game against Manchester United a week later, showing ice cold composure as she went through one-on-one and slotted home.

Kirby was also a menace as Chelsea thrashed Tottenham and remains one of the most important players despite the squad being littered with world class attackers.

Hayes oversaw the three big important wins that have put her team on course to win a fourth WSL title in the space of six seasons. She was even linked with the job at AFC Wimbledon but shut down the rumours and explained exactly why it would have been a massive step down.

A shock defeat to Brighton in early February actually ended Chelsea’s unbeaten record at 33 games, a run that had stretched back two years to 2019, but they have since returned to form with big wins over Arsenal and Bristol City to strengthen their grip on the WSL title race.

The WSL season is currently paused for an international break, but games will resume at the end of the month, with Chelsea next in action against West Ham on Sunday 3 March.

Three Chelsea players - Kirby, Millie Bright and Bethany England - are part of the England squad that will face Northern Ireland in an international friendly on Tuesday 23 February.

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