Chelsea crowned WSL champions for fourth straight year after win at Reading

Two locations, two trophies, but there was only ever one outcome. For all the anticipation and hype ahead of a final day of the Women’s Super League season, with everything still to play for, it was a somewhat muted end to the record-breaking campaign, which has seen attendances up by 173% on last season.

Guro Reiten starred for Chelsea, providing the assist for Sam Kerr and scoring herself, before Kerr added a third, as they consigned Reading to the Championship and earned a fourth successive title. They pipped Manchester United by two points, the Red Devils having taken the lead against Liverpool in the 72nd minute but Chelsea were already two goals up and a miracle from Reading was needed.

Without Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder for much of the campaign, with the influential defender Millie Bright missing the final third of the season, with the manager Emma Hayes absent for five weeks following an emergency hysterectomy, Chelsea are champions, having broken the record set by themselves for the most wins in a league season. It is a remarkable highlight of Hayes’ dynastic tenure at the club; winning the league and FA Cup double with the team in transition and at times far from their best.

Hayes may have been full of smiles and affection for her counterpart Kelly Chambers ahead of the game, handing the heavily pregnant manager a bunch of flowers at the end of a guard of honour to mark her 20th year at Reading, but there was no room for sympathy come kick-off.

The Chelsea manager stuck with the same starting XI that earned a 2-0 defeat of Arsenal last weekend to keep the destination of the title firmly in their hands. For Chambers, there were five changes to the team that lost to Tottenham last Saturday, including Deanne