Mary Fowler Helps City End 10-Year WSL Title Wait
Mary Fowler was part of a Manchester City side that finally ended its 10-year wait for the Women’s Super League title. Arsenal’s draw at Brighton on Wednesday night handed City the championship without them needing to play, and it closed a long stretch of near-misses for a team that had finished second five times since 2016.
Andree Jeglertz Delivers In Year One
Andree Jeglertz won the title in his first season at the club. City had reached an 11-point lead by early February and stayed in control enough to take advantage when Arsenal slipped at Brighton.
That finish mattered because City had been here before and come up short. They were top when the 2019-20 season was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, only for Chelsea to move above them on a points-per-game basis after playing one match fewer.
City’s Near-Misses Since 2016
The following season, City finished second by two points despite losing just once all season. In the most recent previous title race, Chelsea beat Liverpool 4-3, City lost to Arsenal on the penultimate weekend, and Chelsea then won their final three games 15-0 to finish top on goal difference.
That run also ended Chelsea’s six successive league triumphs. Emma Hayes described that season as “the title race to be over,” and City spent the next year trying to force a different ending.
Big Four Pressure, Smaller Margin
This season also came with a different shape. City did not have European football, while United, Chelsea and Arsenal all made it through to the European quarter-finals. Marc Skinner had pointed to the benefit of that gap in workload when he said, “That extra space keeping everybody fit just gives you options,” and City turned their extra time into four wins from six games against the rest of the Big Four.
Yui Hasegawa had framed the target plainly: “We really must aim for first place,” she said. City got there at last, and after five second-placed finishes since 2016, the club finally has the league title back in its hands.
