Fitting finale for FAWSL – season review part one

By Ellen Farrell

Fans witnessed a pulsating final day of The FA Women’s Super League 1 this month, with three teams still in contention for title glory right up to the last few seconds. Liverpool snatched the title from Chelsea’s grasp to be crowned champions for the second consecutive season, despite going into the final fixture third in the table.

Manchester City’s victory dented Chelsea’s title bid and Birmingham could only manage a draw with Notts County. A 3-0 win for Liverpool against Bristol Academy meant they were able to capitalise on both the Blues’ slip-ups, claiming the title on goal difference.

Here, Ellen Farrell looks back on how the 2014 domestic season took shape for the top four.

Liverpool Ladies

League position: 1^st (26 points)

Top scorer: Natasha Dowie (10)

Biggest win: 6-0 v Sunderland (Continental Cup)

Biggest loss: 0-2 v Everton (FA Cup)

Liverpool got the defence of their 2013 WSL title off to a winning start against Manchester City in April but took just three points from their next four games.

They responded well after losing to Arsenal in June with back-to-back wins against Everton and Bristol Academy respectively, but then lost their second league match of the season a week later, losing 1-0 away at Manchester City.

Following the loss to City, the Reds showed great resilience to go the rest of the league season unbeaten, winning four and drawing two, including wins against rivals Chelsea and Birmingham which ultimately kept them in the hunt for the title.

Arguably the most significant result came when they fought back from 3-1 down to draw with Arsenal in an enthralling encounter. The Reds secured a crucial point in their penultimate league match, setting up the final day drama.

Even though their title triumph was not as convincing as last season, the manner in which they won was all the more impressive and testament to how the league is becoming increasingly competitive.

 

Chelsea Ladies FC

League position: 2^nd (26 points)

Top scorer: Eniola Aluko and Ji So-Yun (9)

Biggest win: 13-0 v London Bees (Continental Cup)

Biggest loss: 0-3 v Arsenal in the (Continental Cup)

Chelsea came agonisingly close to winning the title for the first time, going into the final day knowing a win would be enough to be crowned champions regardless of other results. The Blues failed to stamp their authority in the game against Manchester City and a wonder strike by former Everton forward, Toni Duggan, helped Liverpool to title glory.

Still, second place and Champions League qualification is an impressive feat for a team who finished second bottom last season.

Emma Hayes made a number of key signings, including three-time Korean Footballer of the Year Ji So-Yun, as they showed their intent for silverware early on. They got their league campaign off to a brilliant start, winning 2-0 away against Bristol Academy and drawing 0-0 against Liverpool.

Their first loss, 2-1 away to Birmingham in May, was followed by a five-game unbeaten streak, including four consecutive 2-1 victories. A convincing 3-1 win at home to Birmingham and a hard fought 3-2 away victory at Arsenal got their league form back on track after losing to Liverpool.

A 5-2 win against Everton looked like it had sealed Chelsea the title with a game to spare, but they were denied by a late Birmingham City goal, as the West Midlands team beat Manchester City 2-1 to take the title race right down to the wire.

 

Birmingham City Ladies

League position: 3^rd (25 points)

Top scorer: Karen Carney (9)

Biggest win: 3-1 v Bristol Academy in the league

Biggest loss: 0-5 v Bristol Academy in the Continental Cup

Birmingham have competed for the FA Women’s Super League consistently since its inception in 2011 and this season was no different. The Blues finished in the top four for a fourth consecutive year.

A 0-0 draw at home to Everton followed by an impressive six-match unbeaten streak, including wins against Chelsea and Arsenal saw the West Midlands side dubbed the early season favourites and theirs was the last unbeaten league record to go.

However, after beating Chelsea and Arsenal earlier on in the season, Birmingham suffered back-to-back defeats against the two London teams at the end of August – a significant blow to their title hopes.

They put themselves back in contention with victories against Bristol and Manchester City though, going into the final day two points adrift of Chelsea.

Arsenal Ladies FC

League position: 4^th (21 points)

Top scorer: Kelly Smith (15)

Biggest win: 7-0 v London Bees (Continental Cup)

Biggest loss: 0-2 v Birmingham and Bristol Academy (League and Continental Cup)

2014 was a turbulent season for the Gunners. Their domination of the FA Cup continued but the season started with several high profile departures including captain Steph Houghton to Manchester City, Ellen White to Notts County and Kim Little to Seattle Reign.

Arsenal’s early season league form put them in unfamiliar territory; they lost three games in a row meaning they propped up the table for a chunk of the season.

John Bayer took over as interim coach following Shelley Kerr’s resignation and Arsenal recorded their first league victory of the season beating reigning champions Liverpool 1-0 away in June courtesy of a Casey Stoney goal.

After a 2-1 loss away to Chelsea, the Gunners’ league form improved and they snatched a vital late victory against fellow league strugglers Everton in July. This was the start of a four match unbeaten run, including impressive away wins at Manchester City and Birmingham as they moved steadily up the table.

Their home form was a constant struggle though; they had to wait until the final day of the season to record their first home win, beating Everton 3-1 to secure fourth spot in the table.

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Arguably the best and most closely contested season since the Women’s Super League started in 2011, only five points separated Liverpool in first and Arsenal in fourth. It was a fitting finale for a season that has seen increased broadcast coverage and attendances in the league up by more than 30 per cent.

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