Manchester City’s hopes of winning the WSL for the first time in eight years ended in despair at Villa Park. Despite this final-day victory they fell at the final hurdle as Chelsea clinched their fifth consecutive league title on goal difference. Mary Fowler opened the scoring before Rachel Daly equalised in the second half. Lauren Hemp poked home the winner late on but it was too little too late as far as the winning the league was concerned.
Manchester City have impressed this season with their notable consistency and goalscoring prowess. Those eye-catching winning streaks, however, will do little to console Gareth Taylor, who was full of “mixed emotions” after the final whistle. “I feel really proud of the team’s performance,” he said. “The mad thing is we could have scored double figures.”
Manchester City will continue to rue the stoppage-time loss to Arsenal just a fortnight previous that gave Chelsea a second chance in the run-in and, on this sunny afternoon in Birmingham, they struggled to put away their chances against a resilient Aston Villa.
The loss of Khadija Shaw back in April was a blow that City have struggled to recover from. The WSL Player of the Season and Golden Boot winner was in imperious form before suffering a foot injury that put an end to her campaign. It meant Taylor has had to juggle his normally stable frontline in recent weeks, opting for Fowler to lead the line on this occasion. Alanna Kennedy returned to partner Alex Greenwood in central defence with Leila Ouahabi dropping to the bench.
Carla Ward, on the other hand, named a strong side for her final game in charge of Aston Villa. Daly captained the team while Alisha Lehmann retained her place in the starting lineup after scoring two in her past two games.
It was the visitors who were in control for much of the first half, but they failed to take all the chances that fell their way. Villa’s defence were struggling with set pieces and Kennedy rose high but could only direct her header on to the woodwork.
Their control of the game, however, finally paid off when Hemp broke dangerously down the left. Her low cross fell for Fowler and the Australia international took a touch away from the defender before drilling it home.
They should have extended their lead before the break when substitute Laura Blindkilde Brown, on for the injured Laura Coombs, drifted into the box. She met the delivery with a sweet volley, but could only send it crashing off the bar.
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With Chelsea cruising at Old Trafford, City would have known they had a mountain to climb at the break. They struggled to gain momentum and Villa took advantage of City’s desperation. Picking the ball off, Kenza Dali fed Daly who broke through into the area before sliding the ball under Khiara Keating.
It was a goal that sparked City back into life and they put pressure on Villa relentlessly, denied by the brilliance of Anna Leat in goal. They found their winner with 13 minutes to go, Hemp turning home her 11th goal of an impressive campaign to ensure they maintained their unbeaten run.
Steph Houghton came on late to make her final appearance after a decade in a City shirt. The fairytale ending to a wonderful career was not to be, however.
As the whistle blew, City’s players dropped to their knees in the knowledge of how close they came. They will have to settle for second place and European football but will know that strong foundations have been laid for when they return next season.
