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Goal difference. That's all that denied Manchester City a first Women's Super League title since 2016 last season. A pivotal Sunday on the penultimate weekend of the campaign saw the Cityzens succumb to a surprising late defeat to Arsenal and then, hours later, Chelsea thumped bottom side Bristol City 8-0 to put themselves on the brink of a fifth-successive title. There was still another game for each to play, but the Blues, with their mentality and experience, were never going to falter from there, as a title-sealing 6-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford showed.
Plenty has changed in the months since that thrilling race to be crowned champions of England came to its conclusion. Most of that is on Chelsea's side, with iconic manager Emma Hayes moving on. She's already continued her winning ways, leading the United States women's national team to an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 despite only being in charge for a few weeks. The question is, can her former club also continue to leave all those in England in their wake and claim an unprecedented sixth WSL title in a row?
Some have been bold enough to suggest not. With a new manager and a lot of ins and outs in the squad, some believe - probably tentatively - that this could be a transitional season for Chelsea, despite many of those signings being of top quality and their new coach, Sonia Bompastor, having won the Champions League both on the pitch and in the dugout.
If anyone is able to dethrone the Blues, it feels like it will be their closest competitors for last season's crown. Driven by the hurt of falling short by the finest of margins last season, this Man City team is going to be hungry to make amends, and it is also much stronger, too. But is it ready to finally get the job done in the WSL for the first time in more than eight years?