Manchester City secured their second Women's Super League title in the 2025-26 season after Arsenal failed to beat Brighton. Here is a player-by-player analysis of the squad that delivered the championship.
Goalkeepers
Ayaka Yamashita: 7/10 The Japan international has enjoyed a solid season, with seven WSL clean sheets putting her in contention for the Golden Glove heading into the final matches. Her distribution has been a key strength, supporting Andrée Jeglertz's tactical approach.
Khiara Keating: 6/10 Keating made four WSL appearances, starting in wins over Tottenham (twice) and Brighton, as well as a goalless draw with Aston Villa. At just 21, she is developing well but faces a big decision on whether to fight for her place or seek a move to start regularly.
Defenders
Kerstin Casparij: 9/10 One of only two players to start every WSL game for City this season, alongside Bunny Shaw, the Netherlands right-back has been integral to the team's success. Her forward runs, overlaps, and accurate crosses are a key part of City's attack, and her consistency is remarkable. She is one of the most reliable players in the league.
Alex Greenwood: 8.5/10 A terrific leader whose calm captaincy has helped eradicate nerves and tension often associated with title races. This is the first WSL title of Greenwood's career, a long time coming for the 32-year-old who played in the league's inaugural season in 2011 with Everton and has been agonisingly close to becoming a champion with City several times.
Rebecca Knaak: 7.5/10 The German has proved to be a dependable option this season, with her late goal against Liverpool at the start of the month priceless in the title race. She is strong in the air, tidy in possession, and has helped City cope with losing Laia Aleixandri to Barcelona last summer.
Jade Rose: 7.5/10 The Canada international has turned out to be an astute signing, developing a good understanding with the rest of the backline. She has adapted quickly to life in the WSL and, at 23 with three more seasons on her contract, could be at the centre of City's defence for a long time.
Leila Ouahabi: 6.5/10 The 33-year-old offers a strong attacking threat when pushing forward but has not quite found the defensive solidity to match the high bar set by Casparij on the opposite flank. An upgrade at left-back during the summer is a strong possibility.
Gracie Prior: 6.5/10 The 21-year-old performed well when called upon a handful of times and is developing into a good squad player. She will hope to kick on next season.
Naomi Layzell: 5.5/10 The England Under-23 international required surgery in December after a hip injury in October while on international duty and has not played since. She performed reasonably well in her few appearances at the start of the campaign.
Midfielders
Yui Hasegawa: 9/10 A player of the highest technical ability, able to change direction in the blink of an eye and display immense composure in possession. The Japan captain has played slightly higher this season, and her well-timed runs into the box have added a further attacking dimension to City's play.
Laura Blindkilde Brown: 8/10 An unsung hero and key contributor to City's success, particularly during the first half of the campaign. The 22-year-old looked to have made the holding midfield role her own and can consider herself a little unfortunate that the club invested in Sam Coffey in January. Nonetheless, the England international has enjoyed the best season of her young career.
Sam Coffey: 7/10 The US international has added experience to City's ranks since arriving in January, along with a level of international quality that could prove crucial in next season's Champions League campaign.
Laura Coombs: 6.5/10 The 35-year-old has proved a useful squad member, with her positive attitude and application in training helping maintain squad cohesion and unity. Coombs recently announced her retirement, and a title-winner's medal is a happy sign-off to her career.
Grace Clinton: 6/10 The England international scored on her debut against Tottenham in September and looked set to play a starring role, but her first season at the club since crossing the city divide has been hindered by injury. The 23-year-old will hope to make more of an impact next season.
Sydney Lohmann: 5/10 The 25-year-old arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer with great credentials and looked promising on debut against Chelsea on the opening night, but she has subsequently struggled with fitness issues.
Forwards
Khadija Shaw: 10/10 The 29-year-old is set to win the Golden Boot again and is surely in line for a flurry of end-of-season awards. She has been the standout player in the WSL this season. Shaw is the best striker in the world, and her goals have been crucial to City's title triumph. "Bunny" has delivered in big games as well as running riot against weaker teams. Her movement in the box makes her nigh on impossible to mark.
Kerolin: 8.5/10 Developing an intrinsic understanding with Shaw, the Brazilian has flourished this season, no more so than in February's season-defining 5-1 victory over Chelsea, in which she scored a stunning hat-trick. The 26-year-old missed part of the first half of the season with a lower body injury and has been an impactful substitute at times.
Lauren Hemp: 8.5/10 The England winger has been in terrific form, creating on average more than three chances per 90 minutes. The 25-year-old would have easily topped the WSL's assist charts had it not been for an ankle injury in the autumn. Since returning to fitness, Hemp has been causing problems for full-backs on a weekly basis.
Vivianne Miedema: 8/10 It says a lot about the strength of City's attacking options that Miedema, the WSL's all-time leading scorer, can slide so easily under the radar. Nonetheless, she has had an excellent season, reaching double figures for goals and providing plenty of assists after successfully transitioning into a deeper No 10 role. The 29-year-old remains world class.
Aoba Fujino: 7.5/10 The 22-year-old has regularly got City fans off their feet with her skilful footwork and creativity. A minor injury saw her miss a run of games in January, with concussion then sidelining her briefly in February, contributing to a slowdown of her excellent form from the first half of the campaign. Still only 22, Fujino has a bright future.
Iman Beney: 7/10 The 19-year-old began her City career well and, although she has not been given too many opportunities in recent weeks, her late winner in the pivotal 3-2 victory over Arsenal should not be forgotten. That ruthless finish was one of the season's key moments, and Beney scored another vital goal a week later in the 2-1 win at Anfield.
Lily Murphy: 5/10 The England Under-20 international picked up a shoulder injury deep into stoppage time of City's opening-night win over Chelsea, curtailing her first-team chances. Murphy has not featured in the league since then, and although she returned to fitness in December, she has frequently been an unused substitute and may feel unfortunate not to have been given more opportunities from the bench.
Mary Fowler: 6/10 The 23-year-old Australian returned from a cruciate ligament injury in February after about 10 months out and is slowly but surely working back towards the levels City know she is capable of. This season was always going to be primarily about recovery.
