Niamh Charles is still just 24 years old, but there was a sense that the Chelsea defender came of age in last week’s 1-0 victory over Barcelona.
The Catalans managed just one shot on target as Charles and her team-mates restricted the reigning European champions to half chances.
Charles was part of the Chelsea team that was beaten 4-0 by Barca in the 2021 final. The defender, then 21, had a particularly tough evening - as did many of her team-mates.
In last season’s semi-final against Barca, she showed vast improvement - but there was still a gap.
The prospect of going up against Caroline Graham Hansen and Mariona Caldentey would put fear into most defenders, but Charles appeared unfazed in Spain last week. She looked confident and put in a performance that demonstrated just how much she has grown in the last three years.
‘My technical and tactical game I would say has improved from hours on the training pitch,’ Charles says. ‘But I think I’ve grown hugely, I wouldn’t just say as a player but as a person. I’ve probably matured, got to know myself better.
‘How I deal with things, how I prepare for games. I guess part of that is time. I wish it would have been a bit quicker or just happened overnight but at the same time you can’t manufacture that.
‘As a player and a person I’ve become a lot more well equipped to deal with certain things. I’m probably a bit more consistent.’
While Charles and her team-mates can take a great amount of belief into Saturday’s second leg, the defender knows Barca will throw everything at them at Stamford Bridge.
‘We’re very aware that it’s half-time, we know they’re coming to raise their level,’ Charles says.
‘We’re all aware of how good the wingers are and how good they are across the team.
‘If there’s any bit of weakness, they’re going to punish you. Although it was a good start, it’s definitely just half-time.
‘We know that we’re not just going to be able to sit back, we’re really going to have to match that and everything they bring and hopefully we can come out on top.’
Ever since Emma Hayes announced she would be leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, there has been talk about the manager being given a fairytale ending.
Ahead of the first leg, Erin Cuthbert said that Hayes’ legacy would not be defined by a Champions League and that the motivation to win trophies was there regardless of her impending departure.
Charles, who has shared captaincy duties with Cuthbert this season, echoes those thoughts.
‘Although it is her last season, it does not cross my mind in terms of adding motivation to games,’ Charles says.
‘Regardless of who is leaving, we’re here at this football club and the expectation is to win.
‘It’s reinforced what the culture at this club is to me. It is a lovely narrative and she has done so much for this club and it’s nice to get that, but as players we don’t focus on it.’