Champions Chelsea became the first Women’s Super League side to finish a 22-game season unbeaten with victory over Liverpool.
England international Aggie Beever-Jones scored a stoppage-time winner to seal the win, firing the ball past goalkeeper Rachael Laws to cap off a stunning season.
Sonia Bompastor’s side have won 19 and drawn three of their matches in the French manager’s debut season in England.
They won the WSL title on 30 April with two games to spare and are still chasing a Treble with an FA Cup final to come on 18 May, having already won the League Cup.
The nature of the victory only helped add to Chelsea’s title celebrations as they lifted the trophy in front of fans at Stamford Bridge afterwards.
Liverpool had largely frustrated them and kept clear-cut chances to a minimum on a hot afternoon in London.
Bompastor rotated her squad and made several changes throughout as she tried to turn the game in their favour and eventually, following relentless pressure at the end, they found a breakthrough.
The best of the earlier chances fell to Sandy Baltimore early in the second half as she dragged an effort inches wide, while Liverpool had threatened on occasions but rarely tested goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at the other end.
It was nearly a positive end to Liverpool’s rollercoaster campaign but they still showed they can compete with the WSL’s best, despite narrowly losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals a few weeks ago as well as here.
For Chelsea, it has been a phenomenal domestic campaign and they have set their best points tally (60) in the WSL, with a sixth successive title in the bag.
Beever-Jones caps off historic season
All eyes were on the champions this week as they prepared to lift the trophy in front of their fans after the match at Stamford Bridge.
They were given a guard of honour by Liverpool’s players before kick-off and a giant tifo was unveiled by supporters in the Matthew Harding stand displaying the word “champions” on it.
The match programme cover was titled “unrivalled” and the word was surrounded by petals with the years written inside that Chelsea had won each of their eight league titles.
That helped build a party atmosphere in London at Saturday lunchtime but it was not the routine victory Chelsea would have hoped for.
They were made to work for it, as they have done so often this season with this their 10th match won by a one-goal margin during an incredible ‘invincible’ campaign.
Liverpool, knowing focus was not on them, went about their business impressively, remaining organised and frustrating Chelsea.
There were few clear-cut chances for the hosts in the first half as Beever-Jones and Sjoeke Nusken could not capitalise on brief openings, before Liverpool’s Marie Hobinger attempted to chip goalkeeper Hampton but could only find the top of the goal netting.
Bompastor reacted at half-time, bringing on Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Erin Cuthbert – switching to a back four in the process – and her side almost took the lead when Wieke Kaptein’s backheel dribbled inches wide minutes into the second half.
They came agonisingly close again when Gemma Evans’ loose pass helped tee up Baltimore’s chance on the edge of the box, but she dragged her shot wide.
Liverpool began to tire and, hampered by an injury to star player Olivia Smith midway through the second half, they came under fire from Chelsea’s relentless search for a winner.
As each corner flew in the noise grew at Stamford Bridge in anticipation and Beever-Jones delivered the moment in stoppage-time – as she did in Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool a few weeks earlier.
For an academy graduate to score the winning goal, in the final moments of a historic campaign, was the icing on the cake for Chelsea.