Dagenham and Redbridge’s modest Chigwell Construction Stadium hosted Manchester City’s first Women’s Super League title lift in a decade, ushering in an era of change across the Women’s Super League.
City steamrolled West Ham with a 4-1 win to end the season on the perfect note, but how they build on this triumph may depend on the future of their goalscoring machine, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, who netted a brace against the Hammers.
Shaw became the first player in WSL history to reach the 20-goal mark in three separate seasons and brought herself up to 100 goal contributions in just 93 appearances.
The Jamaican striker’s future remains uncertain, with her contract expiring this summer and reports suggesting that stalled negotiations could result in a move to deposed champions Chelsea.
Asked whether she would still be at the club next season, Shaw told Sky Sports: ‘I just want to enjoy today. It’s been a long season. Every time I’ve come out on the pitch I’ve always tried to do the best that I can – the players that are around me make me look good.
‘I’ve always said that Manchester is my home and this is a place where I want to be but there’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes which I won’t talk about now. Manchester is where I would want to be but ultimately, we’ll see.’
Manchester City won their first Women’s Super League title in a decade on Saturday
The future of Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw (left), however, remains unclear ahead of the summer
Chelsea
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s six-year dominance of the top flight came to an end with a farewell to veterans Sam Kerr and captain Millie Bright.
Former Lioness Bright announced last month that she would bring her playing career to a close with the side where she experienced 12 years of success, and USA head coach and former Blues boss Emma Hayes was among those in west London to pay tribute to the pair.
As for Kerr, her goal against Manchester United on Saturday – the only goal of the game – drew her level with Fran Kirby as the club’s all-time top goalscorer with 116.
Reports have linked Kerr with a return to the United States following her time in west London, a move that would bring her recently retired wife Kristie Mewis back to her homeland with their son, Jagger.
And Chelsea’s 1-0 win ensured they finished third, meaning they must go through Champions League qualifiers next season after City and Arsenal secured the two automatic places.
‘The club have been doing well with a winning mentality for so long, but you saw today we are losing two big players for us who have achieved so much. We need to make sure we are able to replace them,’ Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said.
Sam Kerr (left) and Millie Bright (right) have waved goodbye to Chelsea after years at the club
Manchester United
United’s season was brought to a ‘bittersweet’ end, according to boss Marc Skinner, after they failed to requalify for the Champions League following their first campaign in the competition.
After seeing City’s success without European football this year, Skinner insisted this would not add pressure domestically next season.
‘It’s a different challenge for us. We don’t spend in the same market, so we have to find our own solutions. We want to close that gap, and I believe in the team to do it.’
Leicester
Leicester City will face Charlton Athletic, who finished third in the second tier, in a play-off next weekend to determine a place in the newly expanded top flight for next season.
