Chelsea have won the Women's Super League for the sixth consecutive season and have done so with two rounds to spare.
The Blues have won the trophy in record time as the league title has never been won this early in the tournament before in the WSL era.
They have also done so on the longest unbeaten run in a single WSL season. But how have they done so?
Chelsea's secret to success: Manager and signings
When Emma Hayes stood down as Chelsea manager at the end of last season there were a few question marks over if the Blues could continue their dominant era.
However, they were quickly dispelled with the appointment of manager Sonia Bompastor. She arrived from Lyon and was a serial winner with the club.
Before Chelsea had even played a game under Bompastor, she brought in stars in the summer transfer window.
Among those to sign were England's Lucy Bronze, France's Sandy Baltimore and Maelys Mpom.
Chelsea's work during transfer windows have been impressive across the board in recent seasons but the calibre of signings showed players were still interested in playing for the Blues without Hayes. It also displayed the allure and style of Bompastor.
She quickly became the first-ever manager to win her first seven WSL games in charge.
She continued her unbeaten run into the winter transfer window where she brought in two record signings.
Chelsea broke the world record for a women's football signing with USWNT defender Naomi Girma. They also then broke the record for an England player signing by bringing in Keira Walsh.
The signings from both windows have allowed the Blues good squad rotation and unbelievable bench depth which has allowed them to squeeze out results.
The new faces have also brought valuable experience with them. For example Bronze has won 26 club titles across her career and was seen across the season giving team talks.
She gave one during the game against United on Wednesday where Chelsea did not give their best performance. Bronze was then the player to be the difference with her header delivering the win for Chelsea.
The goal that won us the title. pic.twitter.com/w7wQMq2GABMay 1, 2025
The experience of players like Bronze have helped them when their backs are against the wall. But their manager has also been key.
It would have been quite easy for Chelsea to fold slightly under new management which we have seen in football when the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down from Manchester United.
But the transition at Chelsea has been seamless under the new boss.
She has had a clear vision and the players have followed her into battle.
Rivals inconsistency aid Chelsea's trophy
While Chelsea themselves have grinded out results to maintain their dominance, factors and results for other teams have helped them in their bid for another title.
Manchester City were in the title fight early on in the season but an injury crisis saw their form slip. Players like Bunny Shaw, Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Vivianne Miedema had time on the sidelines and it hampered their campaign.
Arsenal had a poor start to the season where they registered an early defeat to Chelsea and draws to the likes of Everton. That sat them in a difficult position and they were unable to recover the points dropped.
And Manchester United, while having the best defence in the league, had a similar fate to Arsenal by dropping too many points. They are also yet to beat Chelsea in the league with it being a sticking point for the Red Devils.
With that being said, Chelsea themselves have earned their bragging rights. They have not lost to their first rivals all season. They registered 2-0 and 1-0 wins over Man City, 2-1 and 1-0 victories over Arsenal and two 1-0 wins over Man Utd.
Of the six consecutive trophy wins, this has been their most dominant which is ominous for their rivals for the seasons to come.
TOPICS
