Chelsea crowned WSL champions after Man Utd win & Arsenal implosion | OneFootball

Lucy Bronze's solitary goal for Chelsea against Manchester United on Wednesday night mathematically confirmed Sonia Bompastor's side as Women's Super League (WSL) champions after Arsenal suffered a 5-2 collapse to Aston Villa on the same evening.

The Blues have scarcely skipped a beat domestically during Bompastor's debut campaign. Any teething problems that may have been expected after the end of Emma Hayes' 12-year reign last summer were entirely non-existent as the revered French coach oversaw nine consecutive league wins before dropping points to Leicester City in December.

Bompastor is still yet to taste the bitter pang of defeat in the WSL, although the same cannot be said for Chelsea's nearest rivals.

Both Arsenal and Manchester City have been forced to change managers mid-season after underwhelming results. The Gunners' Jonas Eidevall lasted just four top-flight games before he stepped down in October, three days after a convincing 2-1 home defeat to Bompastor's Chelsea.

Gareth Taylor made it until March, but was dismissed on the eve of a four-game series against Chelsea across three different competitions. Taylor's replacement Nick Cushing managed to inflict the first defeat of Bompastor's tenure, yet lost in the League Cup final, WSL and still conspired to get knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by the Blues.

Arsenal were well beaten by Aston Villa / Nathan Stirk/GettyImages

After booking their place in the Champions League final on the weekend, Arsenal dramatically collapsed away to Aston Villa on Wednesday night. Renee Slegers' side went 4-0 down inside an hour before eventually reducing the deficit to 5-2. Arsenal's third league loss of the campaign ensured that Chelsea only needed a point to secure the title with two games to spare. In the end, they got all three.

While the west London outfit's domestic campaign has been imperious - the club haven't suffered defeat outside European competition in almost a full calendar year - Chelsea's Champions League aspirations were extinguished on the weekend.

A rampant Barcelona romped to a 4-1 win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday to abruptly conclude Chelsea's European run in the semi-finals. However, as Bompastor told the media before their midweek league outing: "The best teams bounce back."

Chelsea, for a sixth season in succession, have proven to be the best team in England. The reigning League Cup holders can underscore that undisputed status by completing a domestic treble with another victory over Manchester United in May's FA Cup final.