After a ten year wait, Manchester City Women are finally back on top of English football after winning the Women’s Super League. Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night secured the title after the Blues were pushed all the way by the north London club.
For weeks, City have had a seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the WSL. However, the Gunners’ involvement in the Champions League and FA Cup left them with several games in hand. Last Sunday’s late Rebecca Knaak winner against Liverpool put City on the cusp of glory and they end the season as worthy winners.
Key to their success has been the goals of Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw. The Jamaica international has scored 19 goals in 21 league matches this season. “I have been able to score consistently in most of the games,” Shaw told MEN Sport, in partnership with Betway.
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“I work a lot on different aspects of my finishing in the box. So I would definitely say those two.” Shaw’s quality was highlighted during a 5-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in March when she scored a 13-minute hat-trick to put Spurs to the sword.
And it is that game Shaw believes is evidence of the improvements City have made this season compared to last year when the Blues finished 17 points behind champions Chelsea. “I would just say it has been a game at a time and doing better than we did the last one,” she said.
“If you look at the game against Tottenham, we had [Aston] Villa [before that] after the international break. We were a bit slow and we did not get the result we wanted.
“We tried to be better than that game and yes, we scored a lot of goals but there were areas that we looked to improve to face [Manchester] United. So I think that’s just how we have approached the games.”
She added: “I would definitely say [there has been a shift in mentality]. There has been a focus on results and then looking at how we perform later.
“I think that would definitely be it. We want to win and we are going to do everything possible to get the win.
“I am not saying that was not the case before. But, the emphasis now is mostly on that, on our attacking play and enjoying it. You become a problem when you are in our way and that is how we have approached every game this season.”
It’s a similar story for Lionesses star Lauren Hemp. The 25-year-old has won countless trophies with both City and England but the WSL has, until now, eluded her.
Hemp credits City head coach Andree Jeglertz, who arrived in the summer, for bringing that spirit to the squad. “For me, I have played a different kind of role where I tend to come in a lot more than maybe what I have done in previous seasons,” she explained.
“Picking up different pockets of space where I can be free and I have felt the freedom from Andree to be able to do that, go and find the ball, get on it and create things. It is not as structured and I personally feel it is a lot easier to play in a team where it allows you to do that because I don’t like structure as much, being a wide player.
“I feel like I am very creative and if you are only allowed to do certain things, it is hard to help the team how you want to. So I’d probably say that is the biggest thing.”
“It’s massive for me,” Hemp added. “I think this club really deserves it. I joined seven years ago wanting to win the league, wanted to win as many trophies as I can and it is the one thing missing.
“I’ve been trying so hard to get over the last few years. The group is so special. I couldn’t hope for a better team to win it with.
“The basics have always been there. We have always done the right things, always tried to play good football and create lots of chances and we have done that over the last few seasons.
“I think it has been a matter of time and it has always been coming that things finally started to switch. We’re winning games and winning some games convincingly and at times last year where we’d maybe struggle, we have managed to win them.
“I think this group has just been so good this year. So many people are contributing goals, everyone’s been doing their job and I think we are all on a journey and we [all] knew what we wanted to achieve this season.”
While Hemp has achieved a seven-year dream, for Kerolin, this is the culmination of a major journey that took her from Brazil to Spain, the United States and finally City. Her nine goals and five assists in the WSL have been a stark improvement on her debut year.
For the 26-year-old, the difference between 2024/25 and this season has been huge. “Since I first came here, I can tell the difference in the team,” she explained.
“It is the same players but with a completely different mentality which is amazing because he [Jeglertz] actually brought us the confidence, the positive vibes to win. I think the way he wants us to play free, giving the best for the team, using your talent for specific roles in the team just gives us that confidence and that winning mentality.”
Kerolin added: “It is easy to say when we started to win because of course it is and then you are like: ‘Now the confidence is back.’ And then you are also like: ‘If something happens, how are we going to approach this?’
“Sometimes it is easy to get there but it is hard to go [further]. I think the challenge [has been] every single game, keep winning and also thinking one game at a time, focus on ourselves and then do the best I can do.”
Before City get their hands on the WSL, there is the small matter of the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea before the final day clash at West Ham on Saturday, May 16.
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