Chelsea were playing away against Arsenal when Emma Hayes felt her baby pass away. She was in her final trimester, pregnant with twins, and she had been told one of the babies was struggling. As she watched her players battle to stay in the game, she felt her son lose his fight.

The most decorated manager in the Women’s Super League didn’t know what had happened, only sensed something was badly wrong. Her doctor rushed over; her blood sugar levels had plummeted. Someone brought her tomato soup.

The next day, her consultant told her the worst news an expectant mother can hear. “It was really, really hard,” she says. The 41-year-old, who has been manager of Chelsea Women for six years, is sitting on a