2 weeks ago
Khadija Shaw group nan schedule again, scoring her 20th and 21st goals successful 22 WSL games successful what could beryllium her penultimate crippled successful entity bluish arsenic City secured a 4-1 triumph complete West Ham earlier they hoisted nan WSL trophy aloft for nan first clip successful 10 years.
What will Manchester City look for illustration without nan Jamaican forward? City fans will beryllium hoping they don’t person to find out, but pinch bigger offers successful from different clubs nan striker is connected nan cusp of an exit unless nan Blues do a sharpest and astir grovelling of u-turns.
Shaw, arguably nan champion centre-forward successful nan world, celebrated some goals successful beforehand of nan City fans packed down nan extremity astatine Dagenham and Redbridge’s ground. After nan first she lifted praying hands aloft successful acknowledgment towards them and was engulfed by her teammates aft her second.
The celebrations were joyous connected nan last whistle, pinch nan Blues yet capable to observe their 2nd ever convention title connected nan transportation aft its destination was confirmed pursuing Arsenal’s tie pinch Brighton 10 days prior.
It was a spot level astatine Victoria Road successful nan end, pinch thing connected nan statement and an FA Cup last connected nan sky for nan champions, nan crippled itself felt for illustration a spot of an irritation. That didn’t matter though, City weren’t present for nan match, they were present for nan afterparty.
The consequence was predictable sloppy of really City played, nan Blues having won 12, drawn 1 and mislaid 1 of their 14 WSL games against West Ham, but nan Hammers didn’t make it easy for nan visiting team. Rita Guarino’s squad had won back-to-back convention games for nan first clip since February 2024 and came into nan fixture afloat of confidence.
It was Jade Rose’s first extremity for City that divided them successful nan first half, nan centre-back rewarded having heavy impressed successful her debut season.
Shaw extended their lead successful a much fierce 2nd half from City earlier Seraina Piubel pulled 1 backmost for nan hosts, turning successful Ffion Morgan’s debased transverse and City started to put connected a show.
Shaw’s 2nd was debased and into nan acold area from nan near and past Laura Coombs provided nan cherry connected top, her onslaught for City’s 4th coming successful nan last convention game, having called clip connected her 19-year career.
The occupation Andrée Jeglertz has done disconnected nan transportation pinch City this twelvemonth has been possibly much awesome than nan occupation connected it. He arrived past summertime to a squad stacked pinch world-class talent but a civilization and staleness that group successful and stagnated nether Gareth Taylor, earlier his departure successful March 2025.
Jeglertz brought a personable calmness pinch him and nan committedness of nan nine successful building nan correct squad astir nan squad played its portion arsenic City started to play pinch a state and belief that matched nan imaginable of nan players he had astatine his disposal.
Critically, he recovered a measurement to play some Shaw and Vivianne Miedema, thing that had seemed to conscionable not activity nether Taylor. That business has developed crossed nan people of nan play into an enviable one, Miedema’s absence arsenic her mother battle’s crab leaving City looking acold from their champion arsenic nan play drew to a close.
When nan last whistle came successful Dagenham location were hugs everywhere, up of nan trophy assistance successful nan slightest glamorous of surroundings.
It feels for illustration City are astatine nan commencement of their revolution, but successful apt losing Shaw, their astir reliable general, whether they tin make this squad go dynastic is nan large question.
