Shaw & champions City round out WSL season in style

Khadija Shaw Man City HIC

Manchester City closed out their title-winning Women's Super League season in style on Saturday, the new English champions finishing the league campaign with a 4-1 win at West Ham before lifting the trophy for the first time in 10 years. City's triumph was confirmed earlier this month, when Arsenal failed to beat Brighton, and so they could enjoy something of a victory lap in the capital, as a packed out away end watched a Jade Rose goal and a Khadija Shaw double deliver another win in a wonderful season.

There were just 13 minutes on the clock when Rose broke the deadlock, putting City on course to end their WSL campaign on a high, but Andree Jeglertz's side didn't have things all their own way, with third-from-bottom West Ham more than doing their bit to make this a competitive outing. Kinga Szemik made some excellent saves in the home goal to deny Lauren Hemp, who worryingly limped off in the first half, and Mary Fowler, with the Hammers also posing a threat at the other end with some half-chances.

Shaw would double City's lead just before the hour, bagging her 20th goal of the WSL season thanks to a fantastic cross from Aoba Fujino, and she'd take her tally up to 21 not long afterwards, as the ball broke kindly for her in the Hammers' box to present her with an opportunity that was never going to be wasted.

West Ham temporarily halved the deficit through Seraina Piubel and Eartha Cumings, making her league debut for City in the away goal, had to make a big save when a corner caused some chaos, too. But the result was never in doubt once Shaw made it 3-1 and there was time for a cherry on the cake as well, as Laura Coombs, set to retire at the end of this campaign, rocketed in a brilliant fourth. It all made for a pretty fitting end to a memorable campaign for City, who will look to make it a league and cup double when they take on Brighton in the FA Cup final later this month.

GOAL rates Man City's players from Victoria Road...

Goalkeeper & Defence

Eartha Cumings (8/10):

Making her WSL debut for City, and made several great saves while also becoming increasingly more confident in claiming crosses as the game progressed.

Iman Beney (6/10):

Got up and down the right plenty, battled well in her duels and always tried to make things happen, even if they didn't always come off.

Jade Rose (8/10):

Broke the deadlock with an alert finish and defended brilliantly throughout, coming up with a couple of particularly timely interventions.

Alex Greenwood (7/10):

Excellent in possession and delivered a brilliant corner that led to Rose's goal before going off at half time.

Leila Ouahabi (7/10):

Saw plenty of the ball and was productive with it, creating some good openings. Put West Ham under good pressure in their half on a regular basis, too.

Midfield

Yui Hasegawa (8/10):

Another wonderfully strong performance at the base of midfield, with her quality in possession and ability to cover so much space shining through.

Laura Blindkilde Brown (7/10):

Energetic 45-minute outing in which she competed well in her duels and didn't misplace a pass.

Aoba Fujino (7/10):

Showed promise in a more central role, with some nice touches and clever passes seeing her link up well with team-mates. Showcased her traditional winger skills with her assist for Shaw, too.

Attack

Mary Fowler (6/10):

Unlucky not to score, but for an excellent save from Szemik. Was relatively quiet otherwise, though did some great defensive work.

Khadija Shaw (8/10):

Broke the 20-goal mark yet again, with two great finishes. Could've made more had she not strayed offside a few times.

Lauren Hemp (6/10):

Was a lively presence and really could've had a goal before limping off before the half-hour mark.

Subs & Manager

Kerolin (6/10):

Had some moments but struggled to get too involved after replacing Hemp midway through the first half.

Sydney Lohmann (7/10):

Brought good energy and some incisive passing to the table after coming on at the break.

Gracie Prior (7/10):

Slotted into the defence well, winning plenty of duels.

Laura Coombs (7/10):

Marked her final WSL game with a wonderful goal that added further gloss to the win.

Laura Wienroither (N/A):

Replaced Beney for the final 10 minutes.

Andree Jeglertz (7/10):

Took the opportunity to rest some players and make some early subs, ahead of the FA Cup final in two weeks' time, which was wise. Will have hated to see Hemp limp off.