The numbers behind Chelsea’s latest WSL title

Chelsea will soon receive yet another Women’s Super League trophy.

With two games to go, the Blues defeated Manchester United on Wednesday night, claiming their sixth straight league title.

The title race hasn’t been decided on the final day for the first time in five years.

Chelsea established themselves as the dominant force in the top division of England under Emma Hayes, and Sonia Bompastor has carried that legacy.

The club has now won nine overall and six consecutive WSL titles, which is three more than any other team.

Bompastor’s side has won 20 league games this season, breaking the previous record for the longest unbeaten streak in a single WSL season. She has since hit the ground running with that record.

Chelsea hasn’t lost a game in the WSL for five seasons.

That was during the 2019-20 campaign, when the coronavirus pandemic caused the season to be delayed.

At the time, Chelsea had only played 15 games, and based on a points-per-game ratio, they were declared WSL winners.

The Blues will become the first team to have won 18 games without losing to Tottenham and Liverpool in their final two games if they do not lose to Tottenham and Liverpool in their final two games.

Only two other WSL teams have gone unbeaten this year, with only 16 and 14 games between them, respectively, Manchester City (2016) and Arsenal (2012).

Although 54 goals in 20 games might seem like a respectable goals-to-game total, Chelsea haven’t been as prolific in front of the posts as many times.

It will be their lowest goal total since the Covid-disrupted season when they scored 47 unless the Blues can score eight more goals in their final two games.

Chelsea have grown used to blowing opponents away, but frequently this has meant slogging away victories.

They won 13 games by a three-goal margin or greater last term. Only six of their victories this season have resulted in three or more goals.

Only two of their 18 victories under Hayes last season were decided by a single goal, compared to the eight games that Bompastor’s side have won by just one goal.

And they’ve frequently left it late. In the final fifteen minutes of matches, they have scored almost a third of their goals this season, compared to 9% in the opening fifteen.