Chelsea slip gives Man City breathing room in Women’s Super League title race

A dramatic weekend in the Women’s Super League reshaped both ends of the table. Manchester City collected a ninth consecutive victory to stretch their lead after Chelsea finally saw a record league run halted by Everton. Tottenham surged into contention for a Champions League place, while West Ham, Liverpool and Brighton all delivered storylines with big implications for the relegation fight and defensive rankings. Here are the key themes from a pivotal round of WSL fixtures.

For the first time in more than a year and a half, Chelsea left a league outing beaten, opening the door for Manchester City to tighten their grip on top spot in the Women’s Super League. Below them, Tottenham Hotspur continued their upward curve, and several sides near the bottom showed why the scramble to stay up could run to the final weeks.

Chelsea’s streak ends as Women’s Super League title momentum swings

Chelsea’s extraordinary 34 match unbeaten sequence in the league finally came to an end, and it was Everton who delivered the upset few had foreseen. The champions had gone 585 days without losing a WSL game, a run stretching back to a defeat by Liverpool in May 2024, but that resistance was finally broken.

The numbers underlined how brutal the loss felt in west London. Chelsea enjoyed 79% of the ball and unleashed 30 attempts on goal, striking the frame of the goal three times, yet still failed to score. Wastefulness in front of goal turned a dominant display into a damaging result, leaving the defending champions six points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Manager Sonia Bompastor experienced league defeat for the first time since taking charge and spoke afterwards about a mix of irritation and resignation. She felt her players largely delivered the game plan, arguing that more ruthless finishing was the only major thing missing on a day when, as she saw it, the ball simply refused to cross the line.

Manchester City show patience and steel against Leicester

Earlier in the weekend, Manchester City had already taken care of their part of the title race by calmly dismantling Leicester City 3-0 to secure a ninth straight league victory. The scoreline was comfortable, but the contest demanded maturity as Leicester sat deep in a compact back five and challenged City to find solutions.

A year ago, December was the month in which City’s season had begun to fray, with injuries piling up and unexpected defeats halting their momentum. This time, under Andrée Jeglertz, they navigated a potentially awkward test with assurance. City circulated the ball without panic, trusted their structure and waited for gaps to appear rather than forcing the issue.

Jeglertz later highlighted the team’s composure and togetherness, praising how players encouraged each other and stayed committed to the approach even when the breakthrough was slow to arrive. It was the kind of efficient, professional away win that title winners often specialise in, and it has given City a healthy cushion at the top as the festive period approaches.

Tottenham’s belief fuels Champions League ambition

Tottenham’s resurgence under Martin Ho gathered pace with a thrilling turnaround against Aston Villa. Trailing as the clock ticked into the final stages, Spurs struck twice in the closing 10 minutes through Bethany England and Olivia Holdt to pinch a 2-1 victory that felt like another statement of intent.

Ho has not radically rebuilt the squad. Only a small number of players left in the summer and just two new faces arrived, yet Spurs already sit only a single point short of last season’s total tally of 20 and are likewise just one point off the Champions League places. The transformation has been as much psychological as tactical.

The loss of Jessica Naz to injury in the second half could have drained momentum from the hosts. Instead, Tottenham responded with a surge of energy, refusing to accept that the contest was slipping away. England later spoke about the group’s refusal to give in and stressed how important it was not to sulk or resign themselves to a defeat against opponents they believed they could overcome.

Relegation battle sharpens for West Ham and Liverpool

Set pieces still hurting West Ham at Manchester United

West Ham’s narrow 2-1 defeat at Manchester United contained both encouragement and familiar frustration. Historically, trips to United had been chastening occasions, with the Hammers having lost all five previous league visits by a combined score of 17-0. This time they were competitive, only to be undone again by their Achilles heel.

Dominique Janssen’s superb free kick decided the contest and added to a worrying trend. West Ham have now let in seven goals from set plays in their 10 Women’s Super League matches, the highest figure in the division. For a team trying to climb away from danger, that vulnerability around dead balls remains a glaring problem.

Manager Rehanne Skinner took heart from several aspects of the display, pointing out that the team felt genuine disappointment at leaving empty handed, which she viewed as evidence of growing confidence and belief. Yet with a crucial meeting against Liverpool up next, the margins for error on defensive details are tightening fast.

Liverpool compete hard but need backing in January

Liverpool sit at the bottom of the table with two draws and no wins from nine matches, a position that naturally raises concerns about their top flight status. Performances, though, have suggested there is more quality in the side than the results show.

A spirited 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend followed back to back draws against Brighton and Chelsea, outings in which Liverpool showed structure, intensity and flashes of attacking threat. Manager Gareth Taylor has praised the squad’s attitude, describing his players as humble, eager to learn and keen to improve.

Taylor has spoken candidly about the challenge of stepping into a club with limited resources after working at Manchester City. He says he usually refuses to shift from his preferred playing style and philosophy, but feels he has had to make compromises because he does not yet have the personnel to fully execute his ideas. What he wants now are multiple signings to add depth and quality, placing the onus on the board to invest during the next window.

Nnadozie anchors Brighton’s improving defence

At the other end of the table, Brighton’s 1-0 win away to London City Lionesses owed much to another outstanding performance from goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who is rapidly emerging as one of the standout arrivals of the campaign.

Before that match, the Nigeria international already shared the highest number of saves in the league, 42, alongside Leicester’s Janina Leitzig, and her save percentage of 80.8% was bettered only by Hannah Hampton. Nnadozie plays with an aggressive, front foot style that occasionally leads to nervy moments, but her reflexes and positioning have repeatedly bailed Brighton out.

She made five further stops in Bromley to frustrate London City, helping a back line that spent long spells under pressure but ultimately did not crack, with the hosts also guilty of wasteful finishing. Brighton now have the joint fourth best defensive record in the Women’s Super League, a marked improvement on previous seasons.

The settled partnership between centre backs Caitlin Hayes and Moeka Minami has underpinned that shift, giving the Seagulls a reliable platform in front of their new keeper. With Nnadozie in this form and the defensive unit growing in cohesion, Brighton look far better equipped to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.