Women’s Super League: Why title race is still open despite Manchester…

Women’s Super League: Why title race is still open despite Manchester…

Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter analyses the big speaking factors from the latest Women’s Super League matches, bringing you nearer to the key tales at the coronary heart of the women’s game.

Title race over? Think again

“We know the title race is probably gone,” conceded Sonia Bompastor after Chelsea misplaced to Arsenal on Saturday. A frank admission from the Blues boss, however not one thing we now have not heard before. Bompastor’s concession evokes an fascinating sense of deja vu.

Back when Emma Hayes told us the WSL title was Manchester City’s in her farewell season in 2023/24, everybody believed her assertion to be true. She is a compelling character, in addition to, it was May and Chelsea had fallen six factors behind leaders City with two games left to play.

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Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has said ‘the title race is gone’

Plausibly, City had been victors in ready. But this is Chelsea, eight-time champions, and they’re properly versed in the best way to stage a comeback. Bompastor is aware of that just in addition to Hayes did when she pipped City to that specific title on aim distinction.

Bompastor’s rhetoric is intelligent and deliberate. Inside the partitions of Cobham there will probably be no acceptance that the title is gone, only the willpower to wrestle again management by any means. To enable outsiders to consider Chelsea have admitted defeat, though, is a useful play ahead of next weekend’s pivotal assembly with the league leaders. The thoughts games have began.

Remember we’re only in January and nothing is determined despite Andree Jeglertz’s facet taking a commanding nine-point lead into Sunday’s showdown at the Etihad. It was only 5 days in the past that Chelsea dumped City out of the League Cup. This saga has loads of legs yet.

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Highlights from Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Chelsea

Since the start of last season in games between the conventional top 4, Chelsea common 2.1 factors per game – City’s report for the same interval is 0.9, they usually face Chelsea and Arsenal in consecutive weekends to start February. A nine-point cushion may very well be decreased to just three in a short time.

Of course, for all this surmising, it is price pointing out that Chelsea have been approach off their best all season. Their 34-game unbeaten league run was ended by Tenth-placed Everton last month, with struggles in entrance of aim a constant theme. In defeat to Arsenal they wasted 5 big possibilities, touchdown just one in all 18 efforts heading in the right direction, and have underperformed against their xG complete by an element of 4.89 – the worst ratio of any facet in the league.

But don’t be deceived. Chelsea don’t suppose their race is run and nor ought to frontrunners Manchester City. Sunday’s conflict will probably be telling.

Hanson at coronary heart of Arroyo’s strategy

Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson is giving every WSL ahead a run for his or her cash this season. Her latest strike against Manchester United may need been in useless however was a reminder of the expertise being honed by head coach Natalia Arroyo.

After going 33 consecutive appearances without scoring between May 2023 and March 2025, Hanson has since netted 10 occasions in 16 outings; only Bunny Shaw (13) and Shekiera Martinez (11) have scored more during that run.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Arroyo’s appointment at Villa Park and Hanson’s upturn neatly coincides. Her transformation has been vital, permitting Villa to press and counter in the systematic fashion of Arroyo’s design.

It is no shock Hanson is one in all only two gamers in the league (alongside Everton’s Ornella Vignola) to score more than as soon as from a fast break this time period, nor is it accidentally that each her and team-mate Ebony Salmon rank top for complete variety of fast breaks (six each).

Such a tactical shift fits Hanson’s directness and ability to progress the ball shortly, stretching defences in methods that make Villa more unpredictable. She had 10 touches in the opposition box against Man Utd, the joint-most of any participant across the WSL weekend, and is making an impression in the final third more persistently, scoring in three of Villa’s 4 wins to date.

Lucky No 13 for Liverpool

At the thirteenth time of asking, Liverpool have landed a first win of the season. The result will probably be a reduction for under-pressure boss Gareth Taylor, albeit two targets after the 93rd minute is hardly a stress-free option to win a soccer match. Still, Taylor is in no place to grouse.

The fascinating takeaway is how they did it, conceding more possession to Tottenham however successful the xG battle by a higher margin than they’ve all season. Not precisely an ideal advert for Taylor’s ball-centric blueprint.

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Highlights from Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Tottenham

Liverpool made 132 fewer passes than Spurs, however performed a higher-than-usual share of lengthy balls, yielding 35 touches in the opposition box to the guests’ 11 – no facet managed more all weekend, nor may any team top their xG worth (2.03).

Food for thought, then. Surely less possessional dominance in favour of better top-end menace is the only option to transfer off the foot of the desk? Taylor may need to simply accept that, for now, substance is vastly more useful than his most popular fashion.

Read the last WSL column

Last time’s column analysed the methods Taylor needed to adapt his fashion to choose up factors for Liverpool and the new strategy making Manchester City tick.

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