Manchester City miss out on WSL title despite defeating Aston Villa
Manchester City missed out on the Women’s Super League title despite defeating Aston Villa in their final match.
Mary Fowler’s 21st-minute goal gave Gareth Taylor’s team an early lead at Villa Park. Rachel Daly equalized for Villa midway through the second half, but Lauren Hemp scored the winning goal for City.
City needed Chelsea to drop points against Manchester United, or to win by a margin large enough to overcome Chelsea’s goal difference advantage. However, Chelsea’s emphatic victory at Old Trafford ensured City remained without a WSL title since 2016.
Fowler opened the scoring by skillfully controlling a low cross, turning her marker, and firing a left-footed shot into the far corner past Anna Leat. By then, Chelsea had already netted twice, increasing City’s challenge to overtake them.
City hit the bar twice in the first half, with attempts from Alanna Kennedy and former Villa midfielder Laura Blinkilde Brown. In the second half, as City’s hopes dimmed, Daly capitalized by cutting inside from the left and finishing past keeper Khiara Keating.
Hemp’s close-range goal from a Fowler cross in the 77th minute secured City’s three points, but by then, City would have needed to score six more goals to surpass Chelsea.
This match also marked farewells for Villa manager Carla Ward, who is stepping down after three years, and for Manchester City defender Steph Houghton, the former England captain, who made her final appearance before retiring from professional football.
Prior mistakes cost City
A WSL season that held great promise for Manchester City, including a league-record 14-match winning streak, has ended in disappointment as they let the title slip from their grasp.
City gained a significant advantage in the title race after defeating Chelsea at Kingsmeadow, holding a six-point lead at one point.
However, their narrow four-goal victory over relegated Bristol City, compared to Chelsea’s eight-goal triumph the following week, and a 2-1 home loss to Arsenal after leading until the 88th minute, ultimately shifted the advantage back to Chelsea.
Despite City’s efforts to secure a win at Villa Park, the title was no longer in their hands.
City might have managed the necessary goal difference had Khadija Shaw been available. Named WSL player of the season, Shaw scored 21 goals in 18 games, finishing as the top scorer. However, she missed the final three games due to a broken foot, and Jill Roord, their key summer signing and midfielder, was also sidelined late in the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Both were on the bench at Villa Park, representing the season’s unfulfilled potential.
Ward signs off with fighting display
This was an emotional day for Villa, as Ward took charge of her 66th and final game.
Under Ward’s stewardship, Villa have become firmly established in the WSL and developed a well-earned reputation for giving the bigger teams a hard time.
So this game was an appropriate note on which to end Ward’s tenure – although Villa were grateful to some fine stops by goalkeeper Leat for keeping them in it.
Ward, who was accompanied by her four-year-old daughter Hartley on the pitch for a presentation before the game, says she is stepping back from management “to prioritise other important things – such as family life”.