Tag: Women’s Super League

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WSL

Ashleigh Neville Still Scoring for Spurs

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Photo: Leicester City Women

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Leicester City

12:00 KO

11th January 2026

Tottenham Hotspur

Starting XI: Kop (GK), Nildén, Gaupset, England (C), Holdt, Rybrink, Vinberg, Hunt, Spence, Summanen, Koga

Goal scorers: Neville 40’ (OG)

Subs used: Hamano 64’, Thomas 72’

Leicester City

Starting XI: Clark (GK), Kees, Tierney (C), van Egmond, Ale, Mayling, Cain, McLoughlin, O’Brien, Neville, Swaby

Subs used: Mouchon 68’, Goodwin 74’, Jansson 74’, Ayane 90+1’

Tottenham Hotspur kicked off 2026 by hosting Leicester City at home for their first WSL fixture of the year. Both sides have made some interesting signings so far this January window. Tottenham started Norwegian international Signe Gaupset, but kept the rest on the bench, including Chelsea’s Hamano who is currently with Spurs on loan. Leicester, on the other hand, made quite the statement by starting Ashleigh Neville this afternoon. Neville left Spurs to sign for Leicester just three days ago, after over a decade at the club, and she is already back on what was her home turf, just in a different shirt. 

Leicester kicked off the first half but struggled to hold on to that possession throughout the opening minutes of the match. 

An early throw in from the Foxes’ Skipper Tierney saw an opportunity for the visitors but it was seemingly wasted as Spurs dominated their box. It wasn’t long before another lapse in judgement, when Leicester again lost possession in a dangerous area of the pitch, mere yards from goal, but the hosts couldn’t turn it into a shot. After facing significant pressure in their own half, the Foxes reversed and made a run for goal. A ball from new signing Mayling was well delivered to Van Egmond, but Kop deflected it. 

“There’s only one Ashleigh Neville” was heard from the stands, as she took a shot against her former club that ended up off target. It was a seemingly warm reception for the ex-Spurs fan favourite. 

Cain then took a shot against Kop. Whilst it appeared already off target, Kop pushed it further out past the post just to be sure. “Lize Kop Kop Kop”, the home fans sang in response. 

As the first half wound down, there was more excitement for the home fans. A ball driven by skipper England left Holdt 1v1 with Clark, but the ball hit the woodwork. 

The excitement continued with a corner from Summanen that ended in commotion in the box. An own goal from the Foxes was the verdict, off the head of none other than Neville. Not the impression she wanted to make against her former club surely. Spurs went into the break 1-0 up after one minute of added time. 

Tottenham opened the second half with dominance and confidence. England drove the ball to the visitors’ end, passed to Vinberg to take the shot that was then blocked by the Foxes. England and Vinberg continued to link up to press forward and had the possibility to look threatening, especially when they included Spurs newcomer Gaupset to heighten the press. Foxes forward Swaby denied them of any further chances.

There was a short stoppage in play as O’Brien received attention from medics, but she returned to the pitch a few minutes later.

As the second half ploughed on, it was time for another Spurs debut. Hamano entered the pitch in the 64thminute in place of fellow January signing Gaupset. Hamano has seen much success in her time at Chelsea; she looked a good fit with Martin Ho’s strengthening side. Leicester then also switched things around by bringing on Mouchon to replace Cain.

Leicester tried to be threatening in the box, the rebound driven by Neville who must have been on a quest for redemption, but it amounted to nothing, and the hosts regained possession pretty swiftly. 

They made another change then, bringing on Thomas to replace Vinberg. More substitutions then for Leicester as new signing Jansson came on to replace McLoughlin and Goodwin took the place of van Egmond.

In the 82nd minute, Tierney was shown the yellow card after committing a foul. The subsequent free kick was taken by Summamen and the chances that followed seemed promising. England delivered the ball to Hunt who was not only offside but hit the post anyway. There were many loud sighs from the home fans. You could definitely see an improvement in Spurs, under the leadership of Ho. They were able to create more chances in front of goal but still struggled to make anything meaningful out of them. There was another chance again in the 90th minute, it looked super exciting for the home fans. Thomas drove the ball, passed to an open England who, under pressure, passed to Koga and then the chance was gone. 

7 minutes were added. As the additional time began, Ayane came on for the Foxes to replace O’Brien. 7 minutes could be ample time to find an equaliser for some sides, but this Leicester squad were just putting out fires where they could. Neville was then shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 

Tottenham took the 3 points, interestingly, with thanks to that own goal from Neville. An own goal against your former club that bumps them up to 4th in the table. Who would have thought?

Photo from GETTY IMAGES
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WSL

WSL- RETURNING WEEKEND PREVIEW AND HOW TO WATCH

Photo: Chelsea FC Women

The Barclays Women’s Super League is back! The last round of fixtures before the winter break took place on the weekend of the 13th and 14th of December and saw Manchester City go into the break six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table.

Here is your rundown of fixtures to come this weekend and how to watch them.

In a blockbuster fixture at the Emirates. It’s Arsenal who take on Manchester United on Saturday, January 10th, with kick-off in this one at 12:30PM. Arsenal will be hoping to continue their run of good form and currently sit in third place on twenty-two points, whilst the Red Devils are hot on their tails in fourth, sitting on twenty-one. They’ll be hoping to improve on their dramatic three-all draw against Tottenham Hotspur just before the winter break. The game is available to watch on all Sky Sports football channels.

On the blue side of London, they’ll be hoping to cut the gap at the top of the table, as they host fellow London rivals West Ham United on January 11th at Kingsmeadow. West Ham, on the other hand, will be looking for a bright start under new manager Rita Guarino following the sacking of Rehanne Skinner. This one kicks off at 12:00 and is available to stream on Sky Sports + or Sky Sports Mix.

Carrying on in London, a high-flying Spurs side take on an improving Leicester City side down at the Betwright Stadium. With plenty of new signings more than likely to feature in this one, it makes an interesting one to call, as Tottenham will want to continue their push for the European places, only sitting two points behind Arsenal in 3rd and one point behind Manchester United in fourth. Again, this one kicks off at 12:00 PM on Sunday, January 11th, and is available to watch on the Sky Sports + app.

Moving up to the Northwest now, and Manchester City are looking to extend their gap at the top of the table ahead of Chelsea. They take on Everton at the Joie Stadium; having thumped Aston Villa prior to the winter break, they sit top of the table, SIX points clear of Chelsea. With a win over Everton, they could make it eleven WSL games unbeaten, whereas Everton will be looking for a crucial three points to take them further away from the bottom two of the league. The game to be played on January 11th again kicks off at 12:00 PM and is being streamed across all Sky Sports platforms.

Finally, Liverpool will be looking still for their first win of the season as they take on London City Lionesses. LCL will be looking to start strong under their newly appointed boss, Eder Maestre, following the sacking of Jocelyn Precheur after a run of poor results.

With the later kick-off of 14:30 PM on January 11th, you’ll be able to watch this one live from St Helens Stadium on the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online.

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WSL

Manchester City duo swoop two Barclays WSL December awards.

Photo: @ManCityWomen on X

It was a successful December both on and off the pitch for Manchester City as they extended the gap at the top of the table over Chelsea to six points. Off the pitch, striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and manager Andree Jeglertz secured the Barclays WSL player and manager of the month awards, respectively.

Jeglertz oversaw two league games in December, one away to Leicester City and the other against Aston Villa at the Joie Stadium.

In his first league game of the festive period, City faced an early trip to the King Power Stadium with kickoff at 12:00PM on Sunday the 8th of December. After a tense first half, City were able to break the deadlock through none other than Bunny Shaw, who capitalised on a failed Leicester clearance. She got her second not long after taking her to ninety-nine goals as a City player before Kerolin Nicoli got the third, marking her return from injury in incredible fashion. Jeglertz said he was “delighted by the belief in City’s principles”, as this kept his side on top of the table.

Moving onto the final league game of December, City were set to face Aston Villa at the Joie. Unlike the previous game, Jeglertz’s side went ahead on the thirty-seven-minute mark, and it was Bunny Shaw writing her name into the history books, scoring her 100th goal as a Manchester City player, becoming the first player in the club’s professional era to do so, and becoming the club’s all-time goal scorer. The Citizens went on to run rampage with the full-time score reading six goals to Aston Villa’s one, extending the gap at the top to an incredible six points.

For the award Andree was up against Arsenal boss Renee Slegers. However, with his side securing all six points available to them, scoring nine and only conceding one, and extending the club’s unbeaten run to ten WSL games, he scooped up his third consecutive award, following victories in October and November too.

Striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw had a December to remember. In both games during the festive season, she played consecutive full matches.

In the opening December game – she got her ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth goals in a tough trip to the King Power against Leicester. She was instrumental and even grabbed herself an assist for Kerolin Nicoli’s goal to round off a three-nil win.

It was the Aston Villa game that really secured things for Shaw; she scored her 100th and 103rd goals in sky blue, putting four past the Villains in a six-one victory in a memorable game for the Jamaican international.

Shaw was nominated alongside teammate Vivianne Miedema, Everton’s Honoka Hayashi, Tottenham Hotspur’s Olivia Holdt, Liverpool’s Beata Olsson and Arsenal’s Olivia Smith.

Congratulations to both on their respective awards!

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WSL

The WSL transfer window so far

PHOTO: @SPURSWOMEN ON X

The Barclays Women’s Super League cohort of teams have spent no time at all reinforcing their sides, with ten players already signed in the first three days since the window opened on January second. 

Here is your rundown of all the new faces in the league so far.

Starting with Arsenal, they have chosen to start their January rebuild by signing nineteen-year-old Swedish right back Smilla Holmberg. The teenager joins them on a long-term contract from current Damallsvenskan champions BK Häcken. During the 2025 season, Holmberg racked up an impressive six goals and four assists whilst featuring in all twenty-six league games.

Moving onto Liverpool, who currently sit in the relegation zone, they have started by bringing in Swedish right back Alice Bergström, a league winner from BK Häcken who, at just twenty-two years old, has already racked up an impressive one hundred and forty nine senior club appearances for four different clubs across Sweden. Last season she featured in twenty-five games for the Champions, managing an impressive eleven G/A in all competitions from right back, a strong addition to a struggling Liverpool side. 

On the red side of Manchester, they have moved quickly, with both their newest additions being confirmed in late December. In their attacking department, they have a significant boost in signing Lea Schüller. The 28-year-old joins from current Frauen-Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich Having featured in sixteen games in all competitions, she’s netted a tidy eight goals and four assists already this season, and the Red Devils will be hoping this form continues as they continue to battle for a top three spot in the league come the end of the season.

Further to this, they have bolstered their defence by acquiring the services of twenty-three year old Swedish international Hanna Lundkvist following her departure from San Diego Wave earlier in December. 

In the Leicester camp, they have strengthened in the defensive department by confirming the signing of twenty-nine-year-old Emma Jansson from FC Rosengård in the Damallsvenskan. During the 2025 season, she made twenty-four appearances, scoring four goals and notching two assists in a season which saw Rosengård stay up on the final day of the season.

And finally, the last team heavily involved in the transfer market so far is Tottenham Hotspur, who have completed the signings of five new players. The first signing they confirmed was young Norwegian talent Signe Gaupset, who excelled this season for SK Brann, as in twenty-six games she scored an astonishing fifteen goals and accumulated fourteen assists, making her one of the most sought-after talents going into January, and Spurs were the winners of her signature.

Adding to their already impressive defence this season, they have secured both Hannah Wijk and Julie Blakstad from BK Häcken and Hammarby, respectively. Wijk secured one assist last season and was part of the title-winning BK Häcken side, and Blakstad, who featured for a significant chunk of the season at left back last season, recorded an immense fifteen goals and six assists in twenty-six games, earning her Hammarby’s player of the season award. 

Back in the attacking department, Spurs have acquired yet another Swedish champion in attacking midfielder Matilda Nildén, who in twenty-five league games secured one goal and five assists; however, in this transfer to Tottenham, she joins her older sister Amanda, who joined the club in June of 2024.

Finally, in a cross-London move, WSL champion Maika Hamano joins Spurs on a loan deal lasting until the end of the season, having only featured for the Blues four times so far.

Categories
WSL

Everton victorious against Chelsea in Sonia Bompastor’s first league defeat in the WSL

Via @chelseaFCW on twitter
Via @chelseaFCW on twitter

Chelsea FC:

Starting XI: Peng (GK), Carpenter, Girma, Bronze, Baltimore, Walsh ©, Hamano, James, Thompson, Macario, Beever-Jones

Subs: Sam Kerr (56’), Sjoeke Nusken (56’), Rytting-Kaneryd (65’), Wieke Kaptein (75’)

Everton:

Starting XI: Brosnan (GK)(C), Kitagawa, Fernandez, Mace, Ishikawa, Momiki, Payne, Vignola, Gago

Subs: Karen Holmgaard (56’)

Chelsea FC looked to extend their unbeaten streak in the league this Sunday with their final home game of the year taking place against Everton. The Merseyside team sat in tenth place going into the match, having picked up just five points in the league, a stark contrast to Chelsea’s 21.

It goes without question that Chelsea have seemed to hit a sore run of form as of late with a draw against both Liverpool and Arsenal, and with midfield staple, Erin Cuthbert out on concussion protocol, would they be able to get back to their winning ways and avoid a third consecutive draw?

Chelsea took kick off through Aggie Beever-Jones with a dominant spell of posession, proving threatening from the off. With five minutes played, Everton had failed to make an impression outside of their own half.

In the sixth minute, it looked like Catarina Macario had found the opener, the ball gliding across the goal line but hitting the far post in the final moment.

With Lauren James earning her first start of the season, Chelsea’s speed on either wing proved an issue for Everton’s backline with their defence often looking leaky.

However in the 11th minute, Honoka Hayashi opened the scoring, Chelsea’s defence failing to communicate in the counter attack, leaving an open goal for the visitors.

Just five minutes later, Everton looked through on goal once again, this time at the feet of Hiraku Kitagawa however, the shot was put well wide of the goal.

In the 21st minute, Lauren James pinged the ball across to Ellie Carpenter, the right back earning a corner as a result. However with suspected foul play from a blues player in the box, Everton earned themselves a freekick.

At the half way point, Chelsea had earned themselves several more chances in the attacking third however failed to create a final product.

In the 32nd minute Maika Hamano dispossed Everton’s Vignola, giving Alyssa Thompson a clear run on goal. The resulting ball was however kept out by Courtney Brosnan once again.

Minute 36 saw yet another ball from Sandy Baltimore sore past Chelsea’s attack, another chance lost.

In the dying stages of the first half, Alyssa Thompson’s counter attack led to a corner for Chelsea, and with Kitagawa recieiving treatment, Chelsea had the chance to pull one back. Everton’s backline however, proved their solidity, clearing the ball from the off.

With five minutes of injury time added, Chelsea had a lot of work to do to even the playing field ahead of the second half.

Zero changes were made ahead of the second half, both teams keeping the same XI as kick off.

Chelsea once again looked threatening in the opening stages of the second half, dominating in possession and persistently pushing through on goal.

In the 56th minute, Lauren James and Catarina Macario were replaced by Sam Kerr and Sjoeke Nusken, as well as Clare Wheeler making way for Karen Holmgaard.

With 30 minutes on the clock, Ellie Carpenter shot from range, the ball going pelting over the goal and out of the stadium. 

Another chance came in the 62nd minute, Sam Kerr’s header proving just too strong to curve back in on goal.

In the 65th minute, another change in Chelsea’s attack meant that Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd was replacing Aggie Beever-Jones on the wing.

Just a minute later, Everton made a triple substitution, Toni Payne and Ornella Vignola and Yuka Momiki being replaced by Katie Robinson, Rosa van Gool and Katja Snoeijs.

A relatively quiet ten minutes saw Wieke Kaptein replace Maika Hamano in midfield in the 75th minute.

Chelsea saw several more opportunities within the attacking third in the latter stages of the second half, however just couldn’t seem to find the finishing product.

Minute 84 saw the final change of the game, young gun Issy Hobson replace Hikaru Kitagawa. 

With five minutes of injury time added, Chelsea pushed for the leveller, however with yet another injury in Everton’s defence, time was running out.

It looked as though Chelsea had completed their mission in the 92nd minute with the ball looking to cross the line before Brosnan got a glove to it in the final moment.

With Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore standing over the ball for the final set piece of the game, the team looked set to find the equaliser however, the ball hit the post, Chelsea failing to score for the first time this season.

Full time saw Chelsea fail to pick up a point for the first time this season, a worrying display for the blues at home. The toffee’s on the other hand earned just their second win in the league this season, and their first win against Chelsea since 2020.