Chelsea Women Win WSL

Chelsea Women win WSL in style after resounding 6-0 win against Manchester United Women.

Just two weeks earlier, the Manchester City had the WSL title in their hands. They only needed to win their remaining three matches to finish above last season’s WSL champions Chelsea. However, Arsenal had other plans, dealing them a 2-1 defeat at City’s home ground. Manchester City still had a significantly better goal difference over Chelsea, so it seemed the WSL fate was still in their own hands.

Emma Hayes has never been a quitter and her team still had belief in themselves to overturn the huge goal difference. But even the most optimistic of Chelsea fans wouldn’t have dreamt that Chelsea could hit eight past Bristol City to swing the pendulum back in Chelsea’s favour.

On the final day of the season, City and Chelsea went into the day joint on points with a marginal goal difference, meaning that either team that could secure a high score would more than likely be taking the WSL trophy home with them.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea took just two minutes to score against Manchester United at Old Trafford and then on eight minutes, they had doubled their lead and were in control. City grabbed a goal against Aston Villa in the first half to give them a glimmer of hope but the Chelsea machine was in full throttle. A Ramirez-inspired performance gave Chelsea a 4-0 lead going into half-time and City’s hopes hung by a thread.

The Perfect Farewell for Emma Hayes

A cagey game at Villa Park saw Villa pull a goal back before City regained the lead a short while after. The damage had already been done by Arsenal a few weeks previous, Emma Hayes would lift the WSL yet again in her farewell game before heading Stateside to become USWNT manager.

Chelsea’s six goals at Old Trafford against a lacklustre United guaranteed that the ribbons on the WSL trophy would be blue; Chelsea blue and not City blue. Fran Kirby also had a fairytale finish to her long and illustrious Chelsea career, getting the final goal to clinch the WSL trophy.

The 2023/2024 WSL season was one of the most competitive and exciting climaxes we have seen. Another WSL trophy in Chelsea’s cabinet, a disappointing end for Manchester City and the retiring legend Steph Houghton. Villa also say goodbye to manager Carla Ward, so it was an emotional finale to the season around the WSL grounds.