Women's Super League

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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It's safe to say the 2024-25 Women's Super League campaign has been a frustrating one for Leicester City as they find themselves in the middle of a relegation scrap.

But Sunday's win - only their second of the campaign - against Liverpool could prove to be a turning point in the Foxes' season.

They had to do it the hard way after going behind inside three minutes to an Olivia Smith goal before captain Janice Cayman and Missy Goodwin struck later in the first half to secure the comeback victory.

The result not only moved them four points clear of bottom side Crystal Palace, who lost 3-2 to Tottenham earlier in the day, but also gives them some much-needed momentum heading into an important set of fixtures.

Up next for Amandine Miquel's side in the WSL are games against Everton and Aston Villa - two sides who sit only one point above them.

A first start of the season for forward Shannon O'Brien following her knee surgery is also a welcome sign for Leicester, who had only scored three goals in the league before Sunday.

With an uptick in form and key players returning from injury, Miquel's side will now hope to make up places in the table in what could be a crucial juncture of their 2024-25 season.

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Liverpool boss Matt Beard blamed his players for the way in which they "lost control" in their 2-1 defeat to Leicester City.

The Reds had taken an early lead through Olivia Smith, but goals from Sam Tierney and Missy Goodwin sealed Leicester's second league win of the season.

Beard's side have now lost five of their past six WSL matches and sit in seventh place in the table.

"Obviously a good start [to the match] but then I thought we lost control of the game after that, which is frustrating," Beard told Liverpoolfc.com, external

"It's tough when you're playing teams, like Leicester, that are fighting for their lives.

"I said before the game to the players, they are fighting for everything, so we've got to make sure we outfight them and outwork them – and I don't think we did that in the first half.

"I thought we controlled the second half completely. We just needed a little bit more composure in certain moments at certain times."

One bright spot for Beard was the performance of midfielder Julia Bartel, who made her debut as a second-half substitute having joined Liverpool on loan from Chelsea earlier this month.

"Julia is a fantastic player, she's so comfortable on the ball [and] she's a little bit feisty as well, which we like," Beard added.

"She would have come on last week [against Brighton] but unfortunately Hannah Silcock hurt her knee.

"We've had to patiently build her up because she's not played many minutes for Chelsea – it's only really been [with] the Spanish youth national team. She's going to be a good addition for us."

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Amandine Miquel says the return of forward Shannon O'Brien in Leicester's 2-1 win over Liverpool was a "big boost" for the remainder of the campaign.

O'Brien made her first start of the WSL season against the Reds having initially been eased back to into action with appearances from the bench following knee surgery last year.

"We are getting players back. Shannon couldn't start the last time and now she can," said Foxes boss Miquel

"It's not a secret that the more options we have the better it is to rotate because at some point when you only have 15 players available you get tired.

"It's a big boost the fact that Shannon played a few more minutes today. Hopefully now we are going to have a few more options if we don't get any more injuries."

Miquel was pleased Leicester had something to show for their endeavour against Liverpool after being on the wrong end of a narrow defeat to Spurs last time out.

"It was important because we felt like we deserved something from last week's performance," added the 40-year-old Frenchwoman.

"Sometimes you play well and don't get anything. So for us it was important.

"We told each other to play well but also to get something because at the end of the season if we play well and get no points it isn't working.

"We are trying to keep both. Playing well and getting results."

Ciara Fleming
BBC Sport journalist

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Brian Sorensen will have liked plenty of what he saw from his Everton side on Sunday afternoon, but he will have been left with a very familiar feeling of frustration as they fell to yet another avoidable defeat.

The Toffees dominated possession 54.8% to West Ham's 45.2%, registered an expected goals ratio of 2.19 to West Ham's 1.77, and had five more shots at goal than their hosts.

However they failed to beat their opponents in the area that matters most: goals.

As Kelly Gago and Katja Snoejis missed golden chances to open the scoring inside the opening quarter of an hour, West Ham striker Shekiera Martinez had one chance and grabbed it.

Then Viviane Asseyi slammed home her penalty to give West Ham a two-goal cushion.

While the visitors remained in the contest, in reality the second goal sealed West Ham's win. Everton have yet to come from behind to win this season.

In fact they have scored more than one goal on just one occasion, their shock 2-1 win over Manchester City before the winter break.

Their only other victory this season was also by a one goal margin, their 1-0 Merseyside derby victory in November.

Everton's four point gap to the relegation spot remained in tact as Crystal Palace also lost on Sunday. However if goals continue to be a problem it may only be a matter of time before the division's newcomers overtake them.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea were already strong favourites to retain their WSL title following Manchester City's defeat by rivals Manchester United last weekend but it feels like they have one hand on the trophy now.

A 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge was enough to see them pull nine points clear at the top.

It is a gap that is perhaps more damaging for their rivals psychologically, and not just mathematically.

Chelsea have not lost a game in any competition this season so it is unlikely they will slip up now, not with a gap this big and not having wrapped up the last five successive league titles.

Buoyed by the return of Lauren James from injury, and a second successive WSL start for Catarina Macario, Chelsea's depth proved the difference against Arsenal as it so often has.

Substitute Guro Reiten delivered the goods from the penalty spot after the returning James produced a moment of magic, weaving through Arsenal's defence to earn Chelsea a spot kick.

Now Chelsea's ambitions are even bigger - to win a quadruple and go unbeaten throughout the entire season - and so far they have swept aside any competition.

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

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There is nothing better in football than a last-minute winner.

One scored by a new signing on debut, in a game that you look to have thrown away, it is that much more special.

Olivia Holdt's 95th-minute free-kick at Crystal Palace is certainly one that Tottenham fans and players alike can savour.

Of course, having been 2-0 up at half-time against the bottom side in Women's Super League, Spurs will know that there really should have been no need for such a dramatic ending.

Manager Robert Vilahamn will no doubt go over the issues that allowed Palace to draw level in the second half with his team in the days to come.

But the moment Holdt's curling strike hit the back of the net, those Spurs frustrations melted to nothingness, replaced by elation at snatching victory at the last.

Spurs have aspirations of closing the gap to the top four in the second half of the campaign and these it is this sort of win that might give them the momentum to do so.

As for Holdt, you only have to look at the Denmark midfielder's record at Rosengard - and Hjorring before that - to see that she has an eye for goal.

But however many she goes on to score for Tottenham, it is going to be hard to top her first. She could not have asked for a more perfect start.

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Stamford Bridge welcomed its biggest crowd for a WSL match as 34,302 saw Chelsea claim a 1-0 win over Arsenal. Here is what the managers of both clubs had to say after the game

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor: "I'm really pleased with the result. As you could see in the game, it was really fine margins. These performances are on the edge. It can go one way or the other way but it went our way which I'm really pleased with.

"If you analyse our performance, it was a tough game. We didn't control everything in the game but were able to score the goal that gave us a great result. We just think we want to take it game by game, making sure we make the right decisions to bring great results. We are far away yet to have won something. We have not won anything yet so need to keep the right mentality.

"It was a perfect afternoon in terms of that announcement [of Naomi Girma signing] and the result. I'm really pleased to have Naomi with us. She is a very talented player. She will bring a lot of quality to the squad, even though it is already very talented. Having Naomi will bring more options for me because I can play a back three or a back four defensive system so I think it's good."

Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers: "We played some really good football at times. What was lacking was the goals. We created one or two chances that were good enough chances to score from. You know you won't get much against Chelsea. Next time we need to be more clinical. We knew it would be very tight today with small margins and details that matter.

"We're improving as a team. How we handle different phases of the game, we do that better and better. Psychologically we are in a state where we can stay in the game no matter what happens in the game and I think that is important in top games like this so I'm very happy with that development. We could have been more clinical with the chances. We are disappointed with the loss.

"There is 10 points now between us so it's a much bigger mountain to climb so we are very aware of that. We had our slips at the start of the season and you never know when other teams are going to slip. We will keep on playing our games and winning our games, that is all we can do. You never know what the future holds."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Girma's talents are no secret and she is widely regarded as one of the best female footballers.

Former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, now the USA manager, said last year Girma was the world's best centre-back and she will no doubt be pleased to see her old club scoop her up.

Having enjoyed a taste of silverware with the USA and San Diego, Girma arrives in England with ambitions to win more trophies, particularly in the Champions League, and is believed to have had discussions with Hayes about what to expect from Chelsea.

Lyon offered higher wages and were prepared to match the transfer fee that Chelsea eventually had accepted by San Diego, but Girma's preference was always to join the Blues.

It is manager Bompastor's most significant signing to date and the club believe Girma will take them one step closer to a first European title.

The long-term deal agreed is also a statement of intent from Chelsea – that they are able to attract the world's best talents and, hopefully, keep them.

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist at Villa Park

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An unsurprising outcome, but the journey there was anything but straightforward for Manchester City in an exciting game.

For the second successive week, a match featuring City ends 4-2 - but this time Gareth Taylor's team are on the winning end of the score line.

While the defensive errors which cost them against Manchester United were absent here, they were still too easily cut open twice by Villa.

But at the other end City are looking sharp again as Vivianne Miedema returns to full fitness, Jess Park continues to grow and Khadija Shaw picks up valuable minutes.

For Villa, they have the difficult task of following this game with the visit of champions Chelsea next weekend.

Their new manager Natalia Arroyo will be in place by then. What tweaks she can make to stem the Blue tide remains to be seen.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Chelsea forward Lauren James could make her first appearance in the Women's Super League in over three months after overcoming injury and illness.

James suffered a calf issue in October and returned to action earlier this month, playing 46 minutes in Chelsea's Women's FA Cup win over Charlton.

However, she missed last weekend's 5-0 win against West Ham through illness, but is in contention to feature against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (12:30 GMT).

"LJ is back in the squad, she practiced normally this morning, so it's good news," Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said on Friday.

Chelsea face an Arsenal side under the leadership of Renee Slegers, who replaced former boss Jonas Eidevall on an interim basis before being appointed permanent manager.

There are now six female managers in the WSL, something that Bompastor feels is good for the growth of the game.

"In this league it's good to have women in charge," she said.

"I'm glad that Renee got the job. It's good for the women's game to have two big teams in England with female managers. It shows we habve the capacity and quality to be in those positions."

Here are the other key lines from Bompastor's news conference:

• Chelsea have no injury concerns other than the long-term absentees

• Bompastor congratulated on the work Slegers has already done at Arsenal: "They are in a good run. They look more confident on the pitch, you can see the difference."

• Bompastor said the players are excited to play in an 'electric' atmosphere in-front of over 30,000 fans at Stamford Bridge.

• The French coach isn't looking at the seven-point lead Chelsea have on Arsenal in second place: "We take it game-by-game and focus on how we play."

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Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn is confident that he will get new additions to his squad before the transfer window closes on 30 January.

Spurs have signed Netherlands goalkeeper Lize Kop from Leicester and Denmark midfielder Olivia Holdt from Rosengard for undisclosed fees.

Asked before Tottenham's trip to Crystal Palace in the Women's Super League on Sunday (14:00 GMT) if he expects more arrivals, Vilahamn replied: "probably."

Vilahamn wants Spurs - sixth in the Women's Super League table and eight points behind fourth-place Manchester City - to close the gap between themselves and the top four, but said they won't spend beyond their means.

"We don't just sign players, we want to sign players that benefit us. If you don't nail the right player in the right position then we don't just take anyone," Vilahamn said.

"I feel really backed by the club. We have the potential in this group to close the gap, but they [top four] sign new players and keep going.

"I strongly believe we are going to close that gap but it's a matter of time."

Here are the other key lines from Vilahamn's news conference:

• Vilahamn said that Holdt could make her debut but will be assessed on Saturday, while Amy James-Turner has started training but is being monitored every day.

• He added that China winger Wang Shuang could leave the club on loan having struggled for minutes.

• Vilahamn believes that Crystal Palace - bottom of the WSL - are "better than people expect."

• After a five-game unbeaten run ended against West Ham in the League Cup on Wednesday, Vilahamn wants his side to "play better football and be sharper in the technical things. I don't think anyone in the team is really happy with how we performed in all the games."

• Vilahamn said that striker Martha Thomas is "upgrading herself all the time" and is growing in self-confidence.

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Leicester City have signed Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark on a permanent deal from FC Twente.

The 23-year-old, who is preparing to represent Wales in their first major tournament at Euro 2025, is a replacement for goalkeeper Lize Kop, who left Leicester to join Tottenham last week.

Clark agreed terms on a two-year contract when she joined FC Twente from Bristol City in August but has struggled for regular game time in the Dutch league.

She becomes Leicester City's first signing of the January transfer window but manager Amandine Miquel hopes to continue adding to her squad.

Clark's international team-mate Esther Morgan has joined Sheffield United from Scottish Premier League side Hearts.

Morgan joined Hearts in 2023 after spells at Tottenham Hotspur, where she came through the club's academy, and loans at Leicester City, Coventry United and Sunderland.

"I'm delighted. It's a really exciting opportunity for myself and I just can't wait to get playing and get out with the girls now," Morgan said.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Arsenal's momentum was "not positive" the last time they faced Chelsea and suffered defeat at Emirates Stadium, says manager Renee Slegers.

Chelsea's 2-1 win in October was the last match under former manager Jonas Eidevall as he resigned a few days later.

Slegers, who was assistant manager at the time, says they now have "belief" and hope to show that in Sunday's crucial derby with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

"The momentum with us at that time was not positive. We came away from Munich with a loss and had to go straight into a home game against Chelsea," said Slegers.

"If you look at the stats, we actually did quite well in that game. But Chelsea won the game so we know the details we need to focus on.

"We have belief in what we are doing at the moment. We know what we want to do on Sunday. It will be exciting to see where we are at."

Here are more key lines from her news conference:

• Caitlin Foord was taken out of the squad and Lia Walti came off early in the match on Wednesday as precaution. Both players trained on Friday.

• Alessia Russo is enjoying her football and getting the best out of herself at the moment, says Slegers.

• The Dutchwoman understands there is a big rivalry between the two clubs but she is focused on Arsenal being as successful as they can be.

• She also says it is good to see "more opportunities" for female coaches like herself and Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor.