If winning without playing well is a sign of a champion's selection, perhaps Manchester City's title rivals are done for.
"The job is done," Manchester City's match-winner Kadeisha Shaw described their 2-1 win over London City Lionesses on Sunday, which extended their lead at the top of the Women's Super League to nine points.
Arsenal's victory over Chelsea on Saturday opening day, according to Sonya Bampostor, has "probably ended" the title race.
These comments - perhaps Chelsea manager's mind games - seemed premature as City struggled against London City for a long time, but Shaw's late strike ensured what could be a priceless victory.
The City's nine-point lead is a formidable advantage, with 27 games remaining. After winning 12 games in a row following their opening day defeat to Bampostor's side, it's unlikely they'll lose three of their remaining nine games.
Opponents are struggling to stop City from scoring, let alone taking points.
City have scored in their last 27 WSL games, their longest scoring streak in the competition, and are averaging 2.7 goals per game this season (36 goals total).
Shaw plays a significant role in this front - with 13 league goals this season, the Jamaican looks set to win the golden boot for the third consecutive season.
One criticism sometimes heard about City is their reliance on Shaw. While not denying her importance in Eglert's system, her teammates are doing more than their fair share.
Viviane Miedema is the all-time top scorer in the WSL, but is thriving this season at the tip of the spear supported by Shaw.
It was her perfectly timed pass that set up the goal for Caroline on Sunday; the Brazilian striker has scored three goals and three assists in her last five league games.
Now that their injury spike at the start of the season is cleared, City's depth and quality cannot be overstated.
Forwards Aoba Fujiwara and Mary Fowler are on the sidelines, and Sunday saw Sydney Lohmann, Imman Bani, Grace Clayton, and Sam Kofi on the bench.
The latter, a £600,000 club record signing, made her debut from the bench and the corner that led to Shaw's winning goal.
City did not play well in south-east London on Sunday, but, like all great champions, they found a way to win.
There is still hope for Chelsea, though.
It was Eder Maestro's second match in charge of London City, but his team showed City's weaknesses and deserved at least a point.
City's midfield duo Yu Hasegawa and Laura Blindkilde Brown have been excellent all season, but London City played on their lack of physicality and vulnerability on transitions.
City's high defensive line stretched its limits - Isobel Goodwin repeatedly got behind Rebecca Knack and Jade Roche, but Aika Yamashita and the goalkeeper kept her from scoring.
This was a plan to hurt Eglert's side, but, aside from Freyja Godfrey's brilliant strike, the hosts did not convert chances that could have broken City's spirit.
City are three wins away from their club record 14-game WSL winning streak in 2023-24.
However, they are painfully aware that this was the season they lost a six-point lead at the top with only two games remaining. Chelsea overtook them on goal difference.
Losing to Chelsea next week - as they did in the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday - could make City start to feel the heat.
"There are many games left, but easy wins are not there," Eglert said.
"We play Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham. Every team will find a different way to challenge us. These are many games."
"We have some disappointment after losing to them (Chelsea) this week, so we're focused on finding another way to win that game."
"We've had a great season so far. We just need to stay humble in this situation."
Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie are back for another season on Women's Football Weekly Podcast. New episodes are released every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly channel.
