7 hours ago
6
Chelsea clinched a sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title with two games to spare and continued their relentless dominance of the major silverware in English women’s football as they dug deep to win away at Manchester United, whose own hopes of securing European qualifying suffered a dent as a result.
The 1-0 victory, secured by a 74th-minute Lucy Bronze header from a corner, was greeted by jubilant scenes of celebration in the away end and saw Sonia Bompastor’s team remain on course to complete an entire league campaign unbeaten, a feat that has not been achieved by any team since the WSL expanded to be a 12-team division.
It also ensured the English champions bounced straight back after the desperately disappointing manner of their exit from Europe just three days earlier, and kept them on course for a potential domestic treble of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in English football, having already lifted the League Cup in March.
For Manchester United, who remain third in the table but missed the chance to mathematically guarantee a place in the Champions League for only the second time in their history, the defeat kept them four points clear of fourth-placed Manchester City with two games remaining, starting with Sunday’s potentially pivotal Manchester derby at Old Trafford. This Wednesday night, though, belonged to Chelsea, who had to display resolute qualities in defence to seal their crown but yet again found a way to win for a remarkable 17th time in their 20 league games this term.
If Chelsea had needed a morale boost after their humbling 8-2 aggregate defeat against Barcelona, in came in the form of score updates from Villa Park while they were arriving at a sun-kissed Leigh Sports Village, as news of goal after goal after goal continued to trickle up the M6 until it turned into something of a flood of bewilderment, rippling around the stadium.
Arsenal had lost 5-2, yes, 5-2, away at Aston Villa. “Really?” fans asked. The team heading to the Women’s Champions League final, after their historic win in Lyon on Sunday, needing a win to keep their own faint title hopes alive, had conceded five goals to statistically one of the worst teams in the league. This was inexplicable. This was the WSL at its very best, offering a storyline scarcely anybody with an ounce of sanity would have predicted. And this was a gift for Chelsea.
Arsenal's WSL dream ends after thrashing by Aston Villa
ShowArsenal's faint Women's Super League title hopes ended after they were stunned 5-2 by Aston Villa before Chelsea won at Manchester United.
Defeat at Villa Park was only the Gunners' third in the WSL this season, but they were left nine points adrift of Chelsea, who later clinched a sixth successive crown with a 1-0 win at Leigh Sports Village.
The former Arsenal player, Jordan Nobbs, came back to haunt her old side after rounding off a swift counterattack on the half-hour mark before Kirsty Hanson doubled their advantage on the cusp of half-time with a stunning strike.
Chasity Grant and Rachel Daly piled misery on the Champions League finalists after the break, before two goals in three minutes by Stina Blackstenius and then Alessia Russo cut the deficit.
But Grant added her second to wrap up a third straight league victory for Villa.
"That wasn't the performance we expect of ourselves," said Arsenal's Kim Little. "We expect higher standards than that and we're just disappointed in the result.
"It's over now so we have to move on but we'll regroup ... We’ve got two more league games left and a Champions League final."
(PA Media and Guardian Sport)
It meant that, before play began in this 8.15pm kick-off, Chelsea knew they needed just one more point to clinch the title, with two more games to play. They were up against a Manchester United side with aspirations of qualifying for Europe, though, and Marc Skinner’s team began the game purposefully. A first half played at a good intensity by both teams saw the world-record signing Naomi Girma produce a block worthy of her high price tag to instinctively prevent Grace Clinton from scoring on the rebound after Melvine Malard’s initial shot had been saved by Hannah Hampton.
after newsletter promotion
United ended the half disappointed that they had not been awarded a penalty, for what they felt had been a foul on Clinton by Millie Bright, and replays appeared to show there was contact between the England teammates inside the box. At the other end, Chelsea had looked threatening in wide areas, although they suffered a blow when Mayra Ramírez was forced off with an injury. The Colombia forward had torn United’s defence apart at Old Trafford on the final day of last season, when Chelsea had coasted to a 6-0 victory, in what was their final fixture before Bompastor’s arrival.
Both goalkeepers were forced into superb saves early in the second half and United began to build up a spell of pressure, as they chased a winning goal for themselves that would have lifted them up to second, before two of Chelsea’s summer signings from 2024 combined to wrap up the title. Sandy Baltimore’s in-swinging corner was met by Bronze at the near post and she ran to celebrate in front of the delirious Chelsea fans.
It is Chelsea’s eighth WSL title since 2015 and their 17th major trophy in those past 10 years, and they will hope to add another to that tally when these two teams meet again at Wembley in May’s Women’s FA Cup final.
