Women's Super League

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Everton manager Brian Sorensen had an informal chat with incoming executive chairman Marc Watts following Thursday's takeover by the Friedkin Group.

Sorensen was joined by Everton Women chief executive Alan McTavish as Watts emphasised the importance of the women's team.

They met at the training ground and Watts later addressed all staff in a wider meeting, discussing their ambitions for the future.

Among the things Watts discussed was a desire to bring stability and support for the club and he pointed to the Friedkin Group's record at Roma Women.

It comes on the same day Everton signed France forward Kelly Gago for an undisclosed fee from Nantes - their first recruit under new ownership.

We have had 10 rounds of fixtures in the Women's Super League this season and as usual Chelsea are leading the way.

Former England defender Anita Asante has chosen her team of the season so far and explains the reasons behind her selection.

Feel free to comment with your own XI here.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Lack of finances and an inability to help an ongoing injury crisis have left Everton in a precarious position in the Women's Super League for the past two seasons.

But the Friedkin Group's takeover of the club, announced earlier on Thursday, could spark a rebuild as manager Brian Sorensen hopes to add depth to his squad in the January transfer window.

Sources close to Everton say the club have a list of targets they hope to act upon with the takeover complete.

Among them is a potential £100,000 bid for Arsenal midfielder Kathrine Kuhl, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Everton between January and May 2024.

Players and staff are expected to meet with representatives from the Friedkin Group to discuss ambitions for the women's team.

There are already plans for both the men's and the women's first teams to visit the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the new year.

Occasional WSL matches are also expected to be held there once the move is complete, as has happened at Goodison Park.

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa midfielder Missy Bo Kearns will be sidelined for four weeks after having a "planned operation" on her foot.

The club said it was not a serious injury and she was expected to return in mid-January.

The Women's Super League season has now paused for the winter break and Villa's next match is their FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Bristol Rovers on 12 January.

Kearns has made nine appearances for Villa, including seven starts, since joining the club from Liverpool in August.

Image source, Getty Images

The Women's Super League has reached the mid-way point with defending champions Chelsea leading the way above Manchester City and Arsenal.

Crystal Palace sit bottom of the table in their first campaign in the top flight with Leicester just one point above.

Let's take a look at some of Opta's key stats from the season so far.

• Chelsea's six-point advantage over second place Manchester City is the biggest gap between the top two at the winter break since 2017-18.

• Chelsea's tally of 28 points after 10 games so far this season (W9 D1) is the best by a team at this stage in the WSL.

• Manchester United have conceded just three goals in the WSL, with only eventual champions City in 2016 (2) leaking fewer goals after 10 games.

• Excluding the current top-three sides in the WSL, Brighton rank first for average possession (53.2%), passes made (4,917) and open-play sequences of 10+ passes (105).

• Arsenal are unbeaten in their six WSL games under Renee Slegers (W5 D1) with the Gunners currently on the longest winning run in the top-flight with four.

• Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor is unbeaten in her 10 WSL games in charge (W9 D1), the joint-longest unbeaten start to a manager's career in the competition (also David Parker in 2011).

• City's Khadija Shaw is the only player to hit double figures for goal involvements in the WSL this season (9 goals, 1 assist), with her nine goals more than three teams have managed overall this term (Leicester – 3, Everton – 6, Crystal Palace – 8).

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Nikita Parris says that one of the keys to her fast start to life on the south coast is manager Dario Vidosic.

"One thing that has really clicked between me and Brighton is the manager, how he is and how he sees football," Parris told BBC Sport.

"Every day I'm learning something new individually and he's working with us and that's what helps us collectively," she added.

At the halfway stage of the WSL season, the Seagulls sit in fifth, just four points off the Champions League places.

Parris has been integral to that form, scoring three goals and assisting a further two in eight starts, most notably an equaliser against former club Manchester United in October.

"It hasn't all been perfect, some games we've got the results and other games we've got the performances, but not the result and that's what usually happens when you're on a journey, with a new team, a new style of play and a new manager," she said.

"Ultimately the end goal is to get both the results and the performances consistently and that's what we want to work towards."

She added: "I've adapted to life really well down here, faster than I did at Arsenal. I really feel comfortable and happy and that's testament to the club and the players."

The decision by Aston Villa interim boss Shaun Goater to restore midfielder Kenza Dali to a more central position played a crucial role in their win over West Ham, according to former England midfielder Fara Williams.

France's Dali scored and provided an assist in her side's 3-1 victory on Sunday in their first Women's Super League match since the departure of Robert de Pauw.

"I've been surprised in recent weeks that Kenza Dali hasn't had many minutes in this Aston Villa team, given the qualities that she has," Williams told the Women's Football Show.

"When she has played, she has played in an unnatural position in wide areas.

"We have seen today that when you put her in a position that she is comfortable, she can really have impact and have an effect on the game.

"Overall her performance in her natural position – she really lifted that team and created much more chances for Aston Villa."

For more analysis watch the Women's Football Show, where you can catch all the highlights from the weekend's six matches.

Manchester United moved within a point of neighbours Man City in second with a narrow away win at bottom of the table Crystal Palace.

Here is what the managers said after the game.

Crystal Palace boss Laura Kaminski: "We could have gotten more out of the game today, so it's another point dropped for us. I've never seen this team defend or play like that against a world-class side.

"At the end, I was saying that some people have been here for 10 years, while we've been here for 10 games. I feel like now the tide has to start turning in our favour.

On pressure at the bottom of the table after positive results for Everton and Leicester: "Those results could have happened at any point in the season. No one can predict what will happen, and that's what makes this league so special. Anything can happen on any day. One day, that tide will turn for us too."

Manchester United boss Mark Skinner: "We had to win this game. We're now joint third, just a point off City in second, and into the Continental Cup quarterfinals for the first time in two years. It's been a good end to this part of the season, but now we need to push on in the new year."

On Grace Clinton's influence on the side: "She's absolutely vital. What I loved about her performance today was her tenacity. Before the game, we said this match would be won on transitions.

"The conditions didn't favour build-up play, but we knew we could capitalise on transition moments. Grace did exactly that—she was aggressive, pressed hard, and finished beautifully."

Arsenal closed the gap on their Women's Super League title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City with a hard-fought victory over Liverpool. Here is what the managers said after the game.

Liverpool head coach Matt Beard: "We're frustrated with the result. We put a lot into the performance today. I think if you look at the goal we lost the game on, from our end, our standards in both boxes, generally set plays are really good, to lose it on that is frustrating.

"I said to them we've had a lot thrown at us in the first half of the season, the injury situation we've had, decisions go against us so to finish off on a committed performance like that, albeit not the result we wanted - a positive we can take into the new year."

On their recent performances: "The players deserve a lot of credit for having to go through changes week in week out. We can look back on this as a big learning curve and make sure we don't repeat the same injury issues that we've had and have a fully fit squad to choose from because when we do have a fully fit squad to choose from, nine times out of 10 we win games."

Interim Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers: "I think we give them the game they want and we should have dictated what the game would look like. I think we did the business today. We kept a clean sheet, won with one goal and got the three points which was most important today."

On title rivals dropping points: "We can't control what the other teams do. We saw the results and I think the girls saw Chelsea yesterday and they got some extra motivation out of that but still it doesn't mean anything. I don't think you should get dragged away in those emotions. It's still about what we can do, very happy with everything in our control we did today, we took the three points."

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United entered the Women's Super League winter break with three points, just about.

Their narrow 1-0 win away at Crystal Palace should have been more but United's lack of firepower almost came back to haunt them.

Marc Skinner has come in for criticism this season from some sections of the United support for their conservative style of play that has seen them draw three of their 10 games.

United have netted just 16 times so far this term with Chelsea scoring 31, Manchester City have 10 less than the WSL leaders and Arsenal have managed four more than United.

The visitors were firmly in control of the match and registered 14 shots but only three of them were on target.

If it was not for a poor defensive mix-up from Palace in the last kick of the first half, Skinner's side may not have found the net at all.

Despite the lack of goals, United find themselves in fourth place, just a point adrift of City in second and have a Champions League spot firmly in their sights when the season resumes in January.

The main reason for this is their incredible defensive record with just three goals conceded. To put that into perspective, league leaders Chelsea have conceded six.

When the league resumes in January, Ella Toone may be ready for action after a calf injury and United will need her firing on all cylinders.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Not many people would have predicted that Aston Villa would win just one of their opening nine WSL games this season, but could they use their 3-1 defeat of West Ham to fuel a revival?

Robert de Pauw paid for a wretched start to the campaign with his job, and under interim boss Shaun Goater the Villains have won two out of two.

Villa were fully deserving of the three points at Villa Park, as Adriana Leon repaid Goater's decision to give her just a second start of the season with a first-half brace.

Perhaps a more clinical team than West Ham would have pegged the home side back - Manuela Pavi and Seraina Piubel missed presentable opportunities - but Villa can take plenty of positives.

West Ham played well in spells but Rehanne Skinner's side simply do not have the kind of quality in defence that they have in attack.

Both sides have plenty to work on ahead of the second half of the season.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Just when it looked like Chelsea had left the door ajar for Manchester City to shake up the title race, Everton produced a superb performance and were deserved winners.

When a near-invincible title rival presents you with an opportunity to move within three points of them, you simply have to take it.

Lucy Hope and Honoka Hayashi scored the goals for Everton in the first half, but in truth their advantage should have been greater. A late Mary Fowler penalty was scant consolation.

City have had to deal with an increasingly long injury list, and to their credit have played well while doing so. But on Sunday Gareth Taylor's side lacked energy and bite in the final third and didn't ask enough questions of the Toffee's organised back line.

Some City fans will be experiencing a sense of deja vu. At the end of last season Chelsea appeared to throw the title away, only for City to collapse at home to Arsenal and allow Emma Hayes' side to win a fifth consecutive title.

The winter break has certainly come at a good time for City, with Lauren Hemp, Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema expected to return in the new year.

Unfortunately for City and indeed neutrals hoping for a WSL champion that isn't called Chelsea, Sonia Bompastor's side haven't even reached top gear yet.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Alessia Russo is in superb form.

With a simple finish against Liverpool the 25-year-old scored her sixth goal in five WSL games - and she later won a penalty although her team-mate Mariona Caldentey failed to convert.

Under previous manager Jonas Eidevall this season Russo scored just once, and that was in a 6-0 Champions League qualifier win over Rangers.

Russo is now flourishing in Renee Slegers' system.

As for Arsenal, well the final WSL weekend of 2024 fell in their favour.

On Saturday champions Chelsea were held by Leicester and on Sunday title rivals Manchester City were beaten by Everton.

With their 1-0 win over Liverpool, Arsenal kept in touch.

The winter break probably comes at a bad time for the Gunners who are one of the form teams in the WSL.

They started the season with just one win in four, but, thanks to Russo, have since won five of their past six in the league.

Manchester City missed the chance to close the gap on Women's Super League leaders Chelsea as Everton beat them in the league for the first time. Here is what the managers said after the game.

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor: "It is disappointing. I think we were a bit flat today. We looked like a team who have played quite a few games recently. We didn't seem to have much energy in team.

"I thought we were controlling the game for large parts but the first half especially we were giving away too many counter attacks, sometimes not being patient enough with our play.

"We suffered a little bit going the other way when Everton had chances and made the most of them but you'd still expect us to deal with that.

"In the second half we were chasing the game. Everton had got something to hold onto which makes it really difficult."

On injuries: "Any team would miss the likes of Viv [Miedema] Alex [Greenwood], Bunny Shaw. It's tough for us, no doubt about that. I'm sure Bunny today would have a say in that game but it is what it is, tough. The team are doing the best they can, they have done really well this season in that sense."

Everton manager Brian Sorensen on win: "Super, super important. We have a break now and we go on the break with beating City for the first time ever is of course a big result.

"Credit to the girls, they stuck to the plan, I think we could have been leading by more at half-time. Second half, we just needed to see the game out.

On his different game plan: "I said to the girls there was nothing to worry about because we know that we can send a team out to grind out a result and do a job. Do we want to play like this every week? No, but we also have to respect that Man City are a very, very good team and they dismantled Leicester last week, so you have to respect that. So we made a different approach… and it worked."