silverguide.site –

Manchester City are Women’s Super League champions for the first time in 10 years after Arsenal were held to a frustrating draw at Brighton.

It is not the nicest way to win a league title, but City will not care. Their only previous WSL title was won in 2016 and they have had six runners-up finishes since, including second place in the shortened Spring Series as the competition moved from its previous summer scheduling.

On 16 May there will be a party atmosphere in Dagenham instead of a tense one, their final game of the season against West Ham turned into an exhibition match instead of a must-win thanks to Arsenal’s dropped points.

The City manager, Andrée Jeglertz, praised how his players have “met every challenge in front of them head on” this season, having not released the stranglehold they have held on top spot since 9 November.

They have been champions in waiting since, losses to Brighton and Arsenal and a draw with Aston Villa immaterial thanks to the large points margin they had built up.

“Helping guide this team to the WSL title is something I will never forget,” said Jeglertz. “The girls have met every challenge in front of them head on and have been an absolute joy to coach this season.”

Scheduling issues meant Arsenal had three games in hand over the league leaders going into Wednesday’s game in Crawley. They needed to win all of those to keep the title race alive but fell at the first hurdle against Brighton, despite coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw after Fuka Tsunoda had given the hosts the lead.

Renée Slegers’ side could feel aggrieved that two penalty shouts were waved away, the first when the scorer of the equaliser, Frida Maanum, was downed by Charlize Rule and the second when Alessia Russo took an elbow to the head deep into injury time, but their hangover from Saturday’s Champions League semi-final exit proved costly in a sluggish first half.

It was always going to be a tricky task for Arsenal in Crawley. Brighton have been in formidable form, having not lost since a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on 18 March. Since then, results have included a 2-0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a 3-2 defeat of City and a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Dario Vidosic, the Brighton manager, made seven changes to the team which shared the spoils with United on Saturday, Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike on the bench with one eye on Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, but they were the brighter side and worthy of a point and another huge confidence boost as they aim for the Cup final at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Arsenal finish the season disappointed, with just the Fifa Champions Cup to their name. “Congratulations to Man City who have now won the league. It was disappointing today,” said Slegers. “Credit to Brighton who are a very tough opponent to play against and they did well, but we have to look at ourselves and we are very disappointed.”

Arsenal looked deflated at the final whistle, but the reality is that City’s last-gasp winner against Liverpool on Sunday had already dealt a blow to any hopes they had of a title upset. Rebecca Knaak’s 91st-minute header demonstrated a ruthlessness to City that has been missing in previous seasons.

“In the good moments and the bad, they’ve always stuck together and found a way to win – something that all great champions do,” said Jeglertz.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible effort, belief, passion and dedication of my colleagues, the players and the fans. They’ve all been a credit to the club as well as themselves and deserve to celebrate this amazing moment.”

They have been a rejuvenated force under Jeglertz, who arrived last summer, but the changes have been deeper, with the club investing in the leadership team responsible for the women’s side. They are also on the verge of opening a new £10m facility for the team.

The champions have been formidable in front of goal, with Khadija Shaw, Vivianne Miedema and Kerolin in the top six WSL goalscorers, Shaw leading the way with 19 goals and four assists in 21 games.

Having finished fourth in the league last season, City missed out on Champions League football, allowing them to focus on the league and domestic cup competitions. They were knocked out of the League Cup by the eventual champions, Chelsea, at the semi-final stage and they meet their rivals again on Sunday at the same stage of the FA Cup with a Double still possible.

“This isn’t the end of the road,” said Jeglertz. “We still have plenty to fight for this season and in the coming years. I’m excited by what the future holds for this amazing group of players and this fantastic club.”