6 key takeaways from WSL Gameweek 11

The Women’s Super League (WSL) returned from its winter break at the weekend and it was worth the wait.

Friday Night Football Under the Lights saw Liverpool beat Brighton 2-1, before Merseyside rivals Everton held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Walton Hall Park.

Super Sunday brought all the events, e.g Chelsea It widened its gap at the top of the league standings thanks to its 5-0 defeat away to West Ham United. London rivals Arsenal They followed suit, beating Crystal Palace 5-0 at Meadow Park.

A quiet match in the English capital saw Tottenham Hotspur beat Leicester City 1-0, all thanks to an unfortunate goal from Janina Letzig.

All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium as the Manchester giants battled it out. It was united Who would eventually claim bragging rights for the city, with Ella Toone emerging as the hat-trick hero.

90min We’ve taken a look at the six key lessons from Week 11 of the game WSL…

It was a memorable evening for Tony, as United claimed Manchester bragging rights with a 4-2 win over their city rivals. The midfielder’s opening goal in the 14th minute would set the tone for the match, as he scored to silence the crowd inside the Etihad Stadium.

And the 25-year-old didn’t just score her first own goal city Although she participated in 10 Champions League derbies, she also wrote her name in history by completing a hat-trick in just 46 minutes.

In what was a night of theatrics for United, the Citizens will be hoping to erase any memory of the match. Two horrific errors from Keating’s options put Toon second and third, and countless defensive problems left City with their jaws glued to the floor.

Mark Skinner will relish this win, as City jumped to third place in the WSL standings, and are now level on points with second-placed Arsenal. Despite being left out by fans, United are still in good contention to mix things up at the top of the table.

Alessia Russo ended up scoring for Arsenal once again. This may have been an attempt to stick the knife into a wounded Crystal Palace, but the goal marked the striker’s seventh in six consecutive league games. The 25-year-old has become everything Arsenal fans hoped for when they signed her in the summer of 2023.

Despite not scoring in the first five weeks of the league season, Rousseau is now just two goals behind Khadija Shaw in the Golden Boot tally. With City’s powerhouse sidelined by injury, there’s no ruling Rousseau out of the race to overtake her in the scoring pecking order.

Arsenal must now turn their attention towards crucial away games against Chelsea and City, and that is where we will see whether or not Rousseau can score for Arsenal in the biggest tournament.

Other than getting past National League side Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the Women’s FA Cup, Man City have gone three straight games without picking up a point. A poor performance against Everton before the Christmas break could have been excused by a long injury list, but what we saw on Sunday night was far worse than the defeat on Merseyside.

Shaw has been filling holes in City’s side for several seasons now, but she wasn’t the only player the team was sorely missing in their last encounter. Alex Greenwood’s absence could be felt a mile away, and Lauren Hemp’s omission was costly.

Injuries can’t really be used as an excuse when their starting lineup still includes the likes of Vivienne Miedema, Jess Park, Jill Roward and Mary Fowler. However, it is not the attack that is City’s problem.

Gareth Taylor still relies heavily on stars to fix his broken backline, and United have highlighted these issues in a harsh way. The Citizens welcomed defender Rebecca Knaack into the fold at the start of the transfer window, but her appearance in the derby proved they could barely measure up from the likes of Alana Kennedy.

He is rumored to be in talks with Brazilian winger Kerulin, and perhaps City should rethink their salary allocation and buy some defensive depth. Christine Casparig was found, and Laila Wahabi was easily beaten for speeding. If they are to put themselves back in the race as a title contender, City need to look to bolster their defensive woes.

Seven points off the top of the WSL table, Sonia Bombastor’s side are in a race of their own. A 5-0 thumping of West Ham United at Chigwell Construction Stadium now means Chelsea are 10 goals clear of second-placed Arsenal on goal difference.

Catarina Macario opened the scoring with a stunning shot that headed into the top left corner, setting the stage for the rest of the afternoon for Chelsea. Goals from Erin Cuthbert, Aggie Beaver-Jones and Sandy Baltimore were enough to leave the Irons’ heads hanging, before Amber Tysiak’s own goal rubbed salt in the wound.

Bombastur had a very successful position to fill when she took over as Emma Hayes’ successor, but the French coach has yet to lose a match. Chelsea now enters the middle of the season unbeaten, with 31 points.

At this point, it would take a miracle if any other team wanted to knock them out of the race for a sixth straight WSL title.

It’s a fascinating statistic to discover when you realize that United, Arsenal and Chelsea scored more goals in Week 11 than Leicester City did all season. Another narrow 1-0 defeat saw the London Foxes bow out after an unfortunate goal from goalkeeper Letzig.

Amandine Mikel’s side currently sits in 11th place in the league standings, just two points away from Crystal Palace in the relegation zone. With the Eagles waiting for the return of their top scorer for the 2023/24 season, Ellyse Hughes, it is now time for the Foxes to have a crack.

With several injuries hampering the team’s performance, Leicester will need to be aggressive in the transfer window if they want to avoid relegation this season. Mikel’s side will be bolstered by the return of exciting striker Jota Rantala, but if injury luck tells us anything it’s that they can’t rely on one name to save them from the drop.

Defense has not been a glaring issue so far, with Chelsea and Arsenal drawing 1-1 and 1-0 respectively. The team lacks creativity up front, and it will be detrimental to their campaign if they can’t find a solution in January.

Olivia Smith signed for Liverpool during the summer of 2024, and has quickly proven why she is one of the most exciting prospects in the women’s game. The Canadian’s goal against Brighton & Hove Albion was stunning, as she brought the Seagulls up to speed before curling her shot home.

Despite finishing fourth in the 2023/24 campaign, the Reds have made a false start to the current season. Matt Beard was calling on one of his players to show inspiration, and Smith certainly took the initiative.

If Beard’s Reds are to break into the top half of the WSL table any time soon, they will be counting on more magic from Smith.

Read the latest women’s football news, features and analysis