A stunning 6-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday saw the Blues lift the WSL trophy for the seventh time in total – and it proved to be the perfect goodbye for manager Emma Hayes and fellow club icons Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde.

Amid the celebrations in front of a sea of Blue at Old Trafford, with a strong Chelsea crowd having been in fine voice all afternoon, Charles - who started all 22 WSL games this season - spoke of how it felt to retain our title.

'It's just incredible,' said the 24-year-old. 'It was just such a special day and with the amount of fans we had and the noise that they created. I'm so proud to play for Chelsea and I'm so proud of the team this season.'

Chelsea secured the title with an emphatic win as we finished the campaign level on points with second-placed Manchester City, but with a superior goal difference of seven.

And having started the day with the advantage sitting at two, our full-back says the squad were focused on the task at hand: three points and plenty of goals.

'We knew coming in we just had to focus on what we could control first and foremost and I think that's what Chelsea is about,' added Charles. 'It's about showing up when it matters. I'm so proud and I'm also just really relieved.'

Echoing her teammates and manager, who have praised the grit and determination of the squad for not giving up even during difficult times when winning the league became a bigger challenge, our defender was delighted the job got done.

'We never completely lost hope,' said Charles. 'We were disappointed we let it get our of our hands, but we were grateful when it came back. Emma kept saying when you get a second chance make sure you don't need a third - and, thankfully, we took it.'