West Ham may have triumphed over Crystal Palace at Victoria Road, but the WSL newcomers appear far from doomed to relegation. Palace seized an early two-goal lead in the blustery conditions before the Hammers mounted a comeback. By halftime, the score was 3-2 in favor of the home team, and it ended 5-2 at full time. Rehanne Skinner expressed her belief that Palace won't face the drop, a sentiment that Laura Kaminski found encouraging. Although the south London side sits at the bottom, they are closely bunched, separated from Leicester only by goal difference and just five points adrift of sixth place. "The team that was promoted last year [Bristol City] demonstrated the challenging gap," Kaminski noted. "We're in the mix, and before Christmas, we've already matched the points they accumulated throughout last season." Indeed, Palace has five points, just one shy of the six Bristol managed last season. The chasm between the WSL and Championship is significant, but Palace has laid the groundwork for a squad capable of bridging that gap.
Bethany England regained her scoring touch to steer Tottenham to their first league victory in a month. The Spurs captain led by example and could have scored more than twice as her team secured a crucial 2-1 win over resilient Everton, propelling them to sixth place. England missed several trademark headers before breaking the deadlock for the hosts, reverting to her more conventional and effective center-forward role. Tottenham fired 26 shots in total, with eight on target and 12 blocked—a testament to the creativity that has sometimes been lacking this season. They were denied a more comfortable victory by the stellar goalkeeping of Courtney Brosnan, who delivered another standout performance.
Liverpool manager Matt Beard admitted to taking a risk with his team's formation that didn't pay off, as his injury-plagued side suffered a 4-0 loss to Manchester United. Beard opted for a back four instead of the usual five defenders, explaining, "We went with the 4-3-3 today, feeling it was the best approach given the personnel available. In a 5-3-2, we dominate defensively, but we haven't been creating enough offensively this year, so it was a gamble that backfired. We need to rectify this because we can't keep conceding goals like we have been." Beard also lamented having "one of the smallest squads in the division" and stated, "We can only work with the resources we have, budget-wise," while revealing that Austrian midfielder Marie Höbinger has joined the absentee list for "four-to-six weeks" due to a groin tear.
Gareth Taylor lauded Khadija Shaw as a "complete" striker following Manchester City's 4-0 victory over Leicester. Shaw netted twice at the Joie Stadium, extending her lead to three goals ahead of Chelsea's Guro Reiten in the WSL golden boot race. Her first goal was a well-placed header into the bottom-right corner, and her second was another headed effort at the half-hour mark. Goals from Jess Park and Mary Fowler sealed the win for City, but Shaw was the standout performer for Taylor. "Bunny does what she does," the manager said. "She's the complete striker. She contributes so much without scoring, and then her goals are the icing on the cake."
The form of central strikers was a key theme of the weekend, with Alessia Russo being a prominent figure. After failing to score in her first five WSL games this season, the Arsenal forward now ranks fourth in the goalscoring charts, having netted four in her last four league games. Her brace in the Gunners' comfortable 4-0 win over Aston Villa showcased the England international at her instinctive best—a looping header followed by a sweetly struck finish in the final 30 seconds. Her goals, along with strikes from Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius, helped Arsenal climb to third in the table as they continue their unbeaten streak under interim manager Renée Slegers.
Sonia Bompastor has only been at the helm of Chelsea for five months, but she is already surpassing records set by her predecessor, Emma Hayes. Chelsea's flawless season continued with a thrilling 4-2 win over Brighton on Sunday. Goals from Sjoeke Nüsken, Aggie Beever-Jones, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd extended the Blues' winning streak to 13 across all competitions under the new manager, eclipsing the club record of 12 set by Hayes during the 2021-22 campaign. Bompastor remarked, "Sometimes we have to focus on the win, but in terms of performance, maintaining the good energy to win games. There are three games left until the end of the year. We need to ensure everyone is available in the squad and we maintain that energy."
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