Manchester City have been crowned Women’s Super League champions for the first time in a decade after Arsenal could only manage a 1-1 draw at Brighton on Wednesday night. The result ended the title race, with City’s lead at the top of the table now insurmountable with two games remaining.
City manager Andrée Jeglertz praised his side’s resilience, saying: “The girls have met every challenge in front of them head on and have been an absolute joy to coach this season.” His team have topped the table since 9 November, building a points buffer that rendered recent losses to Brighton and Arsenal and a draw with Aston Villa irrelevant.
Arsenal went into the match needing to win all three of their games in hand to keep the title alive, but a sluggish first half, perhaps influenced by Saturday’s Champions League semi-final exit, proved costly. Fuka Tsunoda gave Brighton the lead before Frida Maanum equalised for the visitors, who had two penalty appeals waved away.
Brighton manager Dario Vidosic made seven changes with an eye on Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final, yet his side were the brighter team and deserved a point. Arsenal finish the season disappointed, with only the Fifa Champions Cup to show for their efforts. “Congratulations to Man City who have now won the league,” said Arsenal boss Renée Slegers. “It was disappointing today.”
City’s victory was sealed after a 91st-minute winner against Liverpool on Sunday demonstrated the ruthlessness that has been missing in previous seasons. Under Jeglertz, who arrived last summer, the club has invested heavily in the women’s team, including a new £10m facility. With Khadija Shaw (19 goals), Vivianne Miedema and Kerolin among the league’s top scorers, City still have a chance at a Double, facing Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
