Manchester City defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley to complete a double, their first in a decade, capping a season that also ended a 10-year wait for the Women’s Super League title. The result matched City’s best season to date by securing another double, the club having previously won the League Cup and WSL double in 2016. Andrée Jeglertz became only the second manager to win the league in their first season.
Khadija Shaw opened the scoring with a header from an Alex Greenwood cross and celebrated a new contract that sources said makes her one of the highest-paid players in the world. Greenwood then doubled the lead with a perfectly placed free kick before substitutes Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema came off the bench to add two late goals and seal the victory.
The game underlined Shaw’s influence: she scored twice in added time against Chelsea in the semifinals to send City to Wembley, and the final reinforced why the club moved to retain her. Sources said City initially planned to let Shaw leave as a free agent but reversed course after negotiations stalled, with Chelsea said to have offered a longer contract and a £1 million salary baseline.
Sources said Manchester City trebled their initial offer, matching Chelsea’s proposal and meeting Shaw’s expectations to keep the Jamaica international, described in club discussions as “arguably the best striker in the game at present.” Shaw finished the WSL campaign with 21 goals and increased her Manchester City total to 118 goals in five seasons after the final.
Brighton began the match strongly and were the better side for the first 30 minutes, absorbing pressure and limiting City’s possession. Marisa Olislagers dropped into the back line to add depth, and Brighton fashioned chances that included Fran Kirby’s shot saved by Ayaka Yamashita and a follow-up from Kiko Seike that sailed over the bar. Brighton’s campaign drew praise regardless of the scoreline, with the club coping with an emotional second half of the season after manager Dario Vidošić stepped away in January and later confirmed the death of his father, Rado.
