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The Women’s Super League (WSL) returned from the winter break over the weekend and it was well worth the wait.
Liverpool beat Brighton 2-1 in Friday Night Football Under Lights, before Merseyside rivals Everton held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Walton Hall Park.
Super Sunday brought all the action, as Chelsea A 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United extended their gap at the top of the league standings. Rivals of London Armory 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Meadow Park.
The English capital saw a lopsided game, with Tottenham Hotspur edging out Leicester City 1-0 thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Janina Leitzig.
All eyes were then on the Etihad Stadium as the Manchester giants locked horns. It was combined Which would eventually claim the city’s bragging rights, with Ella Toon emerging as the hat-trick hero.
90 minutes Here are six key takeaways from Gameweek 11 WSL…
It was an unforgettable evening for the Toon as United claimed Manchester bragging rights with a 4-2 win over their city rivals. The midfielder’s 14th-minute opener would set the tone for the night as she chipped home her finish to silence the fans inside the Etihad.
Not only that, the 25-year-old scored her first goal against him city Despite playing 10 WSL derbies, she made history by completing a hat-trick in just 46 minutes.
In what was a night of theater for United, the Citizens will be hoping to erase any memories of the match. Two horrendous errors from Khiara Keating set up Toon for her second and third and a number of defensive woes left City with their jaws on the floor.
Mark Skinner will enjoy the victory, moving City into third place in the WSL standings, now level on points with second-placed Arsenal. Despite fans counting them out, United remain well in contention to mix things up at the top of the table.
Alessia Russo has once again got on the scoresheet for Arsenal. It may have been a tap-in to sink the knife into a wounded Crystal Palace, but the goal was the forward’s seventh in six consecutive league fixtures. The 25-year-old is becoming everything Arsenal fans hoped for when they signed him in the summer of 2023.
Despite not scoring in the opening five gameweeks of the league season, Russo is now just two goals behind Khadija Shaw in the Golden Boot tally. With the City powerhouse sidelined due to injury, Russo is not out of the race to overtake in the goal scoring standings.
Arsenal must now turn their attention to crucial away matches against Chelsea and City, and it is there that we will see if Russo can score for the Gunners on the biggest stage.
Man City have gone three games in a row without picking up a point, apart from beating National League side Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. A toothless performance against Everton before the Christmas break could have been forgiven due to a lingering injury list, but what we saw on Sunday night was far worse than the defeat on Merseyside.
Shaw has been plugging holes in this City side for several seasons now, but she wasn’t the only player the team sorely missed in their latest clash. Alex Greenwood’s absence could be felt a mile away, and Lauren Hamp’s omission proved costly.
Injuries can’t really be used as an excuse when the team’s starting lineup still includes the likes of Vivian Miedema, Jess Park, Jill Roord and Mary Fowler. However, it is not the attack that serves as the city’s problem.
Gareth Taylor is heavily reliant on superstars to mend his broken backline, and United mercilessly exposed those issues. The Citizens welcomed defender Rebecca Knack into the fold as the transfer window opened, but her derby cameo proved they are rarely as upgraded as Alana Kennedy.
Rumored to be in talks with Brazilian winger Caroline, City should probably rethink their salary allocation and buy some defensive depth. Kerstin Casperidge was spotted, and Leila Ohabi was too easily beaten for speeding. City need to shore up their defensive woes if they are going to put themselves back in the race as title contenders.
Seven points clear at the summit of the WSL league table, Sonia Bompaster’s Blues are running their own race. A 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United at the Chigwell Construction Stadium means Chelsea are 10 goals clear of second-placed Arsenal’s goal difference.
Katrina Macario opened the scoring with a superb volley that curled into the top-left corner, setting the tone for the rest of Chelsea’s afternoon. Goals from Erin Cuthbert, Aggie Beaver-Jones and Sandy Baltimore were enough to hang the iron over their heads, before an own goal from Amber Tysiak added salt to the wound.
Bompaster had very successful shoes to fill when she took over as Emma Hayes’ successor, but the French boss is yet to lose a game. Chelsea are now unbeaten at the halfway point of the season and have 31 points to their name.
At this point, he could pull off a miracle if another team wants to knock him out of the race for a sixth straight WSL title.
It’s a remarkable statistic to uncover when you consider that United, Arsenal and Chelsea have scored more goals in Gameweek 11 than Leicester City all season. Another narrow 1-0 defeat saw the Foxes bow out after an unfortunate own goal from goalkeeper Leitzig in London.
Amandine Miquel’s side are currently 11th in the league standings and just two points clear of Crystal Palace in the drop zone. With the Eagles awaiting the return of their 2023/24 top scorer Ellis Hughes, now is the time for the Foxes to get cracking.
With several injuries hampering their performances, Leicester must be aggressive in the transfer window if they are to avoid relegation this season. Mikel’s side will be boosted by the return of exciting forward Jutta Rentla, but if injury luck has told us anything it’s that they can’t rely on one name to save them from relegation.
Defending has not been a clear issue so far, holding both Chelsea and Arsenal to 1-1 and 1-0 scorelines respectively. The side lacks creativity upfront, and it will be detrimental to their campaign if they cannot find a solution in January.
This Olivia Smith got a goal on repeat 🔁#BarclaysWSL @LiverpoolFCW pic.twitter.com/kuYTkkPBGd
— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 18, 2025
Olivia Smith signed with Liverpool during the summer of 2024, and quickly proved why she is one of the most exciting prospects in women’s football. The Canadian’s goal against Brighton & Hove Albion was sensational, smoking the Seagulls for momentum before burying his strike into the back of the net.
Despite achieving a fourth-place finish in the 2023/24 campaign, the Reds made a false start to the current season. Matt Beard was urging one of his players to show motivation, and Smith certainly stepped up.
If Beard’s Reds are to break into the top-half of the WSL table anytime soon, they will be relying on more of Smith’s magic.
