6 key takeaways from WSL Gameweek 11

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

Football under lights on Friday night saw Liverpool draw Brighton in a 2-1 win, before Meryside rivals Everton were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa at Walton Hall Park.

Super Sunday brought all the action, like Chelsea extended their gap at the top of the league thanks to a 5-0 demolition away to West Ham United. London rivals Arsenal he followed suit, thrashing Crystal Palace in a 5-0 win at Meadow Park.

An uneventful game in the English capital saw Tottenham Hotspur beat Leicester City 1-0, all thanks to an unlucky own goal from Janine Leitzig.

All eyes were then on the Etihad Stadium as the Manchester giants locked horns. It was United who would eventually claim the city’s bragging rights, and Ella Toone became the hero of the hat-trick.

90 min they looked at six key takeaways from Game Week 11 WSL…

It was a night to remember for Toone as United claimed Manchester bragging rights in a 4-2 win over their city rivals. The midfielder’s 14th-minute opener set the tone for the night, rounding off its finish to silence the fans inside the Etihad.

Not only did the 25-year-old score her first goal against City despite playing in 10 WSL derbies, she also made history by scoring a hat-trick in just 46 minutes.

In what was a theatrical night for United, the Cityzens will be hoping to erase any memory of the game. Two horrendous mistakes by Khiara Keating set up Toone’s second and third, and countless defensive problems left City with their jaws glued to the floor.

Marc Skinner will enjoy the win, leapfrogging City into third place in the WSL standings, now level on points with second-placed Arsenal. Despite the fans counting them out, United are still in contention to mix things up at the top of the table.

Alessia Russo once again joined Arsenal’s top scorers list. It may have been an attempt to stick the knife into the injured Crystal Palace, but the goal marks the striker’s seventh in six successive league games. The 25-year-old is becoming 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, Russo is now just two goals behind Khadija Shaw in the Golden Boot tally. With the City powerhouse sidelined through injury, Russo cannot be overlooked in the race to overtake her in the scoring charts.

Arsenal must now turn their attention to crucial away games against Chelsea and City, where we will see if Russo can score for the Gunners on the biggest stage.

Apart from running away from national league side Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, Man City have gone three consecutive games without a point. A toothless 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 patching up holes in this City for a few seasons now, but she wasn’t the only player the team missed badly in the last clash. Alex Greenwood’s absence could be felt a mile away and Lauren Hemp’s absence proved costly.

Injuries can’t really be used as an excuse when the team’s starting lineup still includes Vivianne Miedema, Jess Park, Jill Roord and Mary Fowler. However, the problem for City is not the attack.

Gareth Taylor continues to rely too much on superstars to fix his broken line, and United have exposed those problems in ruthless fashion. The Cityzens brought in defender Rebecca Knaak at the start of the transfer window, but her role in the derby proved they have barely moved on from Alanna Kennedy.

Rumored to be in talks with Brazilian winger Carolina, City should probably rethink their wage distribution and increase their defensive depth. Kerstin Casparij was discovered, and Leila Ouahabi was too easily defeated for speed. If they are to get back into the race as title contenders, City must look to shore up their defensive woes.

With a seven-point lead at the top of the WSL league table, Sonia Bompastor’s Blues are leading their race. A 5-0 defeat of West Ham United at the Chigwell Construction Stadium now means Chelsea are 10 goals clear of second-placed Arsenal’s goal difference.

Catarina Macario opened the scoring with a superb volley that slotted into the top left corner, setting the tone for the rest of Chelsea’s afternoon. Goals from Erin Cuthbert, Aggie Beever-Jones and Sandy Baltimore were enough to put the Irons adrift, before an Amber Tysiak own goal rubbed salt in the wound.

Bompastor was left with very successful shoes to fill when she took over from successor Emma Hayes, but the French boss has yet to lose a game. Chelsea now enter the halfway point of the season without defeat and with 31 points to their name.

At this stage, it could be a miracle if any other team wants to knock them out of the race for a sixth straight WSL title.

It’s an amazing statistic to discover when you realize that United, Arsenal and Chelsea have scored more goals in Gameweek 11 than Leicester City have all season. Another narrow 1-0 defeat saw the Foxes go down in London after an unlucky own goal from goalkeeper Leitzig.

Amandine Miquel’s side are currently 11th in the league table and are just two points clear of Crystal Palace in the drop zone. With the Eagles awaiting the return of their top scorer Elise Hughes in 2023/24, now is the time for the Foxes to start firing.

With several injuries hampering their performances, Leicester must be aggressive in the transfer window if they are to avoid relegation this season. Miquel’s side will be boosted by the return of exciting striker Jutta Rantala, but if our injury luck has told us anything it’s that they can’t rely on one name to save them from the drop.

Defense hasn’t been an obvious problem so far, holding both Chelsea and Arsenal to 1-1 and 1-0 respectively. The side lacks creativity up front and that will be detrimental to their campaign if they can’t find a solution in January.

Olivia Smith signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2024 and has 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 pace before her shot was buried in the post.

Despite the fact that in the 2023/2024 season set out to win fourth place, the Reds got off to a wrong start in the current season. Matt Beard begged for one of his players to show some inspiration, and Smith certainly responded.

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

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