The pair said an emotional goodbye to Chelsea after the final game of the campaign – a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in which Kerr scored the only goal – and were celebrated with a guard of honour from players and members of staff.

Bompastor highlighted why our victory was important for the pair, and went on to celebrate Kerr's contribution after she became our joint-highest goalscorer with her superb match-winning strike.

'For sure, it's nice to finish on a high, and it was really important for us,' said the head coach. 'Especially playing a home game in front of the fans, and also having the opportunity to celebrate two great players, two great people.

'I felt it was the minimum we could have done for them. I was really, really hoping for us to be able to perform today and win the game. Sam really deserves that.

'I had the chance to work with her for the last two seasons. Unfortunately, in the first season, she was injured. She could play more minutes this season, which I was really happy with. Sam is a great player. All the goals she scored during her career at Chelsea, and all the titles and trophies she won here, prove that.

Bright departs after 12 years with Chelsea, and her unparalleled contribution was recognised with an installation at Stamford Bridge, which was unveiled before kick-off.

Our departing captain is the only Chelsea Women's player to have been at the club for all 20 of our trophy wins, and Bompastor spoke about the difficulty of replacing her influence on and off the pitch.

'When I first joined, Millie had a really good season with us,' the head coach continued. 'She was the captain playing at a really high level. She performed well. She really helped us to achieve what we achieved – the treble.

'Losing a player with her quality, and also the person she was in the locker room, will be really difficult to replace.

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I think it was more difficult for her this season, especially with injuries. But when you consider we are talking about Chelsea having to go through a transitional period this season, we lost our captain for almost the whole second part of the campaign.

'It's a big loss. It was a loss for us this season, but it also will be a loss for the future. Part of the reflection is how we can replace her? We won't find exactly the same, but we need to make sure we are in the place to replace what we are going to miss from her, if that makes sense.'