Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s Manchester City seal Women’s Super League crown as Brighton hold Arsenal

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Manchester City were confirmed Women’s Super League winners on Wednesday despite having no fixture, after Arsenal’s trip to Brighton finished 1-1 and removed any remaining path for the London club to overtake them.

Arsenal, in third, had hoped to recover from Saturday’s Champions League loss to Lyon and stay in contention; the match was the first of three they still had in hand against City. Manager Renee Slegers needed all three points at Brighton, but her side could not force a second goal once Frida Maanum levelled in the 62nd minute, answering Fuka Tsunoda’s earlier strike for the hosts.

The stalemate closed out Arsenal’s pursuit of the championship and halted Chelsea’s sequence of six straight domestic titles. For City, the outcome delivers silverware in head coach Andree Jeglertz’s debut campaign and a WSL championship their first since 2016.

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