Mary Fowler has become a Women's Super League champion with Manchester City, but some of her Matildas teammates have been left frustrated in their bid to lift the English title with Arsenal.
Fowler and her City colleagues were gifted the crown on Wednesday night (Thursday AEST), even though they weren't in action. Instead, they watched it together on TV as Arsenal, featuring Caitlin Foord in their ranks, failed to win at Brighton & Hove Albion. The 1-1 draw was enough to send the trophy to City for the first time in a decade and to spark huge celebrations among the squad.
City could thank Brighton's Australian manager Dario Vidosic, who helped orchestrate another shock with his well-drilled party poopers.
Arsenal, 11 points behind at the start of the night but with three games in hand, could only stay in the race by winning convincingly to eat into the goal difference between the two sides — but they knew even this might not be enough. Still looking flat after their weekend's Champions League exit to Lyon, they always had their work cut out once Fuka Tsunoda struck just before half-time for Brighton.
Frida Maanum's 62nd-minute strike levelled proceedings but when the visitors couldn't conjure up a winner at Broadfield Stadium, Andree Jeglertz was able to celebrate silverware in his first season in charge at City. It sealed a triumphant comeback for Australia midfielder Fowler, who has been at City for four years and become a hugely popular player there. The 23-year-old only returned to action in February after being out for over nine months with an ACL injury suffered in the Women's FA Cup semi-final in April 2025.
"Helping guide this team to the WSL title is something I will never forget," coach Jeglertz said. "The girls have met every challenge in front of them head on and have been an absolute joy to coach this season."
Two of Arsenal's Matildas didn't play, with Steph Catley still nursing an injury and Kyra Cooney-Cross's season already over to allow her to jet back home to Australia to be with her ill mother. So it was down to Foord to fire the Gunners' challenge. But she was denied by a fingertip save from Nigerian goalie Chiamaka Nnadozie in the second half as Arsenal failed to gain the three points needed on the night that Sam Kerr's Chelsea finally saw their run of six consecutive championships ended.
