WSL title race: Why Manchester City could win it this year
Last updated on .From the section Women's Football
Manchester City have waited a long time to reclaim the Women's Super League title but after wrapping up a comfortable 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United, the possibility of doing so is getting closer to a reality.
City's sole WSL title win came in 2016 and since then, Chelsea have had a monopoly on the league, winning five of the past six seasons.
Rich in resources and with a squad packed full of world-class talent, pressure on City to end the eight-year wait has grown, but Saturday's victory at Etihad Stadium suggests they may finally be capable of achieving their ambitions.
They sit top of the table with a three-point lead over defending champions Chelsea, who could return to the helm with victory over West Ham on Sunday, with five games remaining.
Manager Gareth Taylor is convinced the title race will go down to the final weekend of the season but City have proven they are worthy of being in contention on 18 May.
Park and Shaw carrying City momentum
United arrived at Etihad Stadium knowing they could seriously dent City's title hopes and in turn make up for their unforgettable 3-1 defeat when the sides met at Old Trafford in November.
But in the end it was the same old story as City ran out 3-1 winners again - Jess Park celebrating a double in front of United's away fans, before sliding a pass through for club record-scorer Khadija Shaw to add a third goal moments into the second half.
City were not at their fluent best but derby matches rarely bring out the best in rivals. This was a battle which City won comfortably.
It came after disappointing cup defeats for City, which leaves them chasing the WSL title as their only remaining hope for silverware, and they played like a side desperate not to loosen their grip on it.
In Park, City have a player full of confidence, taking her opportunity to shine when it only arrived following a serious injury to record-signing Jill Roord.
She has played a pivotal role in big games, shining at Kingsmeadow last month to help carry City to a 1-0 win over Chelsea, dealing the first blow in the title race.
Park provided the assist for Shaw that day too and the Jamaica international, who now has 68 goals in all competitions for City to become their all-time record scorer, is racing towards the Golden Boot award.
With those two firing on all cylinders, like they did at the Etihad on Saturday, City will cause all teams problems as they look to take maximum points from their final five games of the season.
They extended their winning run in the WSL to 11 matches - a run which began with their victory at Old Trafford and they hope will end in silverware on the final day of the campaign.
Is this the year City finally win it?
So tight is the title race, it may even come down to goal difference.
City and Chelsea are level on goal difference - although Chelsea will edge ahead again if they beat West Ham on Sunday - and Emma Hayes' side have scored more goals.
That is something City must deal with when the time comes but manager Taylor knows there is still work to do for that to become a factor on the final day of the season.
"We need to not worry too much about anything else," said Taylor. "We need to control what we can control. That was what this week was about and the girls did that really well."
Asked if this feels like the year City will finally win the league, he added: "It's always felt like that. When we started the season, our first game against West Ham, the performance was really good and we started to see things.
"Obviously there's a long way from that point then, to where we are now. Full credit to the players to get us to this position and to where we are. It's taken a lot of hard work and a lot of trust.
"We're there now. The most important thing now is that we've always been chasing - and we now look like we're at the top and things will invariably change [on Sunday]."
What may go in City's favour is that Chelsea are still challenging on several fronts.
They have a Women's Champions League quarter-final tie to wrap up on Wednesday, a League Cup final against Arsenal to play on 31 March, before a Women's FA Cup semi-final tie with Manchester United next month.
In Hayes' final season, Chelsea players are motivated to send her out on a high.
But City, who have shown consistency in the league all year, are equally as desperate to spoil the party - and they might just do it.
