Manchester City were crowned Women’s Super League champions on Wednesday after Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw away at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The title triumph marks City’s first WSL crown in a decade and ends Chelsea’s dominant run of six consecutive league titles.
City sit top of the table with 52 points from 21 matches, while Arsenal’s draw ended their hopes of catching the league leaders despite having games in hand.
Arsenal entered the match knowing they needed victories in all their remaining fixtures to keep the title race alive, but Brighton frustrated the visitors throughout the contest.
The home side took the lead just before halftime through Fuka Tsunoda, putting additional pressure on Arsenal.
Norwegian midfielder Frida Maanum equalised for Arsenal shortly after the hour mark, but Renee Slegers’ side could not find the winning goal despite pushing forward late in the game.
Manchester City manager Andree Jeglertz praised his players after sealing the club’s long awaited league success.
“The girls have met every challenge in front of them head on and have been an absolute joy to coach this season,” Jeglertz said.
“In the good moments and the bad, they’ve always stuck together and found a way to win, something that all great champions do.”
City’s impressive campaign has been built on attacking football, consistency and resilience throughout the season.
Although they recently suffered a 3-2 defeat to Brighton, Jeglertz’s side maintained their composure and continued their strong run to secure the title.
Arsenal, meanwhile, recently exited the Women’s Champions League semi finals after defeat to OL Lyonnes, adding further disappointment to their campaign.
“Congratulations to Man City who have now won the league. It was disappointing today,” Arsenal coach Renee Slegers said after the draw.
“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.”
Jeglertz also thanked the club’s supporters and staff for their role in the title winning campaign.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible effort, belief, passion and dedication of my colleagues, the players and the fans,” he added.
Manchester City will now look to finish the season strongly as they continue competing for more silverware.