Chelsea have clinched their sixth consecutive Women’s Super League (WSL) title, and a record-extending eighth overall, following a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Wednesday.
Lucy Bronze’s late header secured the decisive goal, sparking jubilant celebrations among the Chelsea squad and their supporters. Chelsea entered the match needing only a point to secure the title, but Bronze’s 74th-minute goal, from a Sandy Baltimore corner, ensured a triumphant victory.
“It’s a great achievement,” Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor told Sky Sports. “It feels a bit unreal. Tonight it’s a team performance. We bounced back and showed the great character the team has. This league is really competitive. Maybe for some people they just think being Chelsea, it’s really easy for us to achieve this, but it isn’t. We work really hard and we had the right mindset from the beginning of the season until now.”
This title marks a successful debut season for Bompastor, who took over from Emma Hayes. Chelsea have been dominant under Bompastor, remaining undefeated in the league with 17 wins in their 20 games so far.
The match saw opportunities for both sides. Manchester United’s Melvine Malard was denied by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, while United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made a series of impressive saves to keep Chelsea at bay until Bronze’s decisive goal.
“I don’t think I’ve got enough words to say (how I’m feeling),” Hampton said. “We’re all ecstatic and we’re not going to let up in the last two games, we want to go the whole season unbeaten.”
With this victory, Chelsea now hold an insurmountable nine-point lead over Arsenal in the WSL table, with only two games remaining.
