The Blues looked like going trophy-less at one point this season – but their winning mentality eventually came through
The final day of the Women's Super League season had the potential to be incredibly dramatic. Chelsea and Manchester City were level on points and had little to separate them in the goal difference column ahead of their last outings of the campaign, and both had tricky games. But in the end, it was anything but, as the Blues thumped Manchester United 6-0 to secure a fifth-successive league triumph that allowed Emma Hayes to leave on a high.
It was a fittingly ruthless finale to Chelsea's season as it was that attitude that got them back into things earlier this month, when they beat Bristol City 8-0. However, they were not the only story in a topsy-turvy season which saw some sides underwhelm and others take real strides forward.
As the dust settles on it all, GOAL picks out the winners and losers from the WSL in 2023-24…
GettyWINNER: Emma Hayes
There were moments this season in which Chelsea fans dared to dream about something that has only been done once before in the history of English football – and that was some 17 years ago. There was hope that, in Emma Hayes' final season in charge of the club, they could win an unprecedented quadruple. It would be a fitting send-off for a manager who had already won 15 trophies in her 12-year spell, one which has seen Chelsea transform from a team with little status in English women's football to its dominant force.
However, a four-week period saw the Blues taste defeat in the Continental Cup final, suffer elimination in the FA Cup semi-finals and then be knocked out in the same stage of the Champions League, leaving only the WSL title on the table. It looked like that trophy had gone too, after a shock 4-3 loss at Liverpool, only for Man City to slip up at home to Arsenal and let Chelsea back in.
Hayes' side deserve immense credit for the way they capitalised on that opportunity, battering Bristol City 8-0 just hours later to remove City's goal-difference advantage before winning their final two games of the season to secure a fifth-successive WSL title.
Had Chelsea said goodbye to their iconic manager without a trophy, it would have been incredibly underwhelming. It was still a disappointing season for a club of this stature to not win more than one title, but it was a much better outcome than a first campaign without silverware in five years and ensured Hayes went out on a high with a dramatic turnaround.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Gareth Taylor
On the other side of that story is Gareth Taylor, the Man City head coach whose future has come into question plenty since he took over the women's team in the summer of 2020. Despite winning the FA Cup that year and the Conti Cup in 2022, Taylor has often been criticised for what some perceived to be a failure to really maximise the quality at his disposal.
This season, he looked set to silence those doubters emphatically by leading City to a first WSL title in eight years. He's put together a team that has consistently played an attractive brand of football, all while putting faith in young players, like Khiara Keating and Jess Park, and not being afraid to make bold decisions when needed, such as dropping England star Chloe Kelly for Mary Fowler during the run-in.
However, City's shocking collapse at home to Arsenal in the penultimate game of their season let Chelsea take control of the title race at a crucial moment, with two goals in two minutes changing the course of their season. Taylor has certainly proved that he is a much more capable coach than he has previously been given credit for and a new three-year contract was well-deserved in that regard. But the big prize slipped through his and his team's hands this year – and it really shouldn't have done.
GettyWINNER: Hannah Hampton
At the halfway point of the season, there were questions as to whether or not Hannah Hampton had made the right decision in joining Chelsea. It took until December for her to make her debut and it was unclear how many more appearances would follow, simply because of how competitive the goalkeeping unit is at the club.
However, when she got her opportunities, she took them, asserting herself as the most impressively consistent performer in her position in the second half of the WSL campaign. Chelsea will hope that they have their No.1 for the next decade in Hampton, and it's all been good news for her England career, too, with her firmly challenging Mary Earps to be the Lionesses' first-choice goalkeeper now.
GettyLOSER: Khadija Shaw
Individual accolades might mean something to Khadija Shaw, but there's no doubt that team success will mean more, so for her to be sat on the sidelines as Man City let the WSL title slip away will have been excruciating.
The Jamaica star was unlucky to miss out on Player of the Year accolades last year, but not this time, her second successive 20+ goal season in the league allowing her to pick up plenty of awards in the end of campaign ceremonies. However, she was unable to add to her 21 strikes in just 18 appearances due to a foot injury that required surgery – and oh how Man City missed her in their final three games.
In the defeat to Arsenal, her absence was particularly noticeable, with several chances going begging and superb crosses going untouched in what was eventually a shocking and dramatic loss for City that handed the initiative back to Chelsea in the title race. Other factors play a part here, such as the terrible game-management and defending from the Cityzens in that outing, but it doesn't feel like an exaggeration to say that if Shaw didn't pick up that injury, Man City would have won the title. To have not been able to help them get over the line will sting.
