Six Takeaways From Women's Super League Gameweek 12 | OneFootball

The Women's Super League (WSL) returned at the weekend bringing with it one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season—a London derby.

Chelsea's nail-biting 1–0 victory over Arsenal saw them turn London blue after a last-minute penalty decision saw winger Guro Reiten play the hero at Stamford Bridge.

Similarly in the south of London it was almost too close to call, but a 94th minute free kick from Tottenham's Olivia Holdt helped them scrape a 3–2 victory over a relegation-threatened Crystal Palace side.

Elsewhere, Leicester City picked up a rare win at the King Power Stadium, defeating Liverpool 2–1 on home turf, and West Ham United's 2–0 win was enough to get the job done against Everton.

Manchester City managed to secure a 4–2 victory over Aston Villa despite conceding in the opening stages, but it was Vivianne Miedema that stole the show. Manchester United, meanwhile, were able to finish off Super Sunday in style, thrashing Brighton & Hove Albion at Leigh Sports Village.

Here are six things we learned from WSL gameweek 12:

Chelsea within touching distance of a sixth straight title

It wasn't the prettiest of victories, but the Blues got the job done in the London derby thanks to a late spot kick from Reiten. The penalty decision left much to be contested, but referee Emily Heaslip was not going to let Arsenal's Kim Little off the hook for her sliding challenge on Lauren James.

Chelsea's bench holds an unfathomable amount of talent. The Gunners were on the wrong side of possession as the clock ran down, and when James, Reiten and Aggie Beever-Jones were seen waiting in the wings, it was hard to gather the courage to bounce-back. Chelsea's manager Sonia Bompastor executed her substitutions with precision, knowing when and where to make changes in order to snuff out Arsenal's spirits.

Even when they look far from their best, the Blues continue to find a way. Now seven points clear at the top of the WSL standings, it may take a miracle to stop Chelsea from reaching a sixth consecutive league title—and we are only half way through the 2024–25 campaign.

Arsenal need to be more aggressive in the transfer market

The battle at Stamford Bridge felt like a game of two halves. Despite the Blues coming out of the gates with pace, it was the Gunners who looked the more likely to hit the scoreboard in the opening half. Although after the halftime break, Chelsea controlled the tempo up until the very last moments. On paper, the game may have been decided by a penalty, but it was squad depth that concluded the result.

Lia Wälti wasn't fit to start for the Gunners, meaning Little had to ride out an entire 90 minutes against an ever-pressing Blues midfield. Arsenal concluded the game with Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo playing down the wings, after an early injury to Caitlin Foord forced the striker and midfielder to push wide.

As for Chelsea, Bompastor was able to bring on James, Reiten, Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano— four players who would be safe starters in almost every other team in the league. An ACL injury sustained to Kadeisha Buchanan at the end of 2024 left Chelsea with a gap in defense, so the club opted to make a world-record bid in order to secure Naomi Girma.

This aggressive determination in the transfer market is why Chelsea have been so good for so long. Whilst the Blues snap up the best talent in the world at every available moment, including the arrival of Girma, Arsenal show a tiresome complacency to compete in the transfer window. Those higher up don't seem bothered when it comes to making title-winning moves, and that transpired in an unfavorable way at Stamford Bridge.

Crystal Palace stare down relegation

Whilst a top-of-the-table clash was played out in west London, another London derby took place down south. Last-place Crystal Palace took Tottenham Hotspur to the death, before a clinical direct free kick from Holdt cemented a 3–2 win for Spurs.

The loss at home means that Palace sit four points deep in the relegation zone, now losing sight on Leicester City. Laura Kaminski's side had the faith of the fans that they would stay up this season, but that possibility is looking all the more unlikely as the clock runs down.

Wins for the Foxes and West Ham mean that the relegation battle is becoming less of a race, and more of a solo walk.

Manchester United are not to be discounted

Manchester United bounced back from a midweek derby defeat to smash Brighton & Hove Albion, 3–0, at Leigh Sports Village. Midfielder Ella Toone opened the scoring in under two minutes, marking her fifth goal in three games since returning from injury.

The Seagulls looked toothless in the opening half as United dominated the flow of play—a very stark contrast to the 1–1 draw played out between the sides at the beginning of the season. United exploited Brighton's lackuster defense with authority, proving themselves to be a real attacking threat going forward.

Arsenal's loss and City's turbulent form means that Marc Skinner's side have silently leapt into second place in the WSL standings, now seven points from Chelsea at the top. With the Gunners and City set to face each other next week, United are handed a golden opportunity to make themselves Chelsea's one true opponent in the title race.

Vivianne Miedema back to her best

Travelling fans were treated to a showing of vintage Miedema at Villa Park as Man City stole a 4–2 victory away from Aston Villa. The Dutch striker has endured a turbulent start to her career in sky blue, having undergone surgery in the closing stages of 2024. Back at her best however, Miedema found the equalizer before netting a second to sign off on a player-of-the-match performance in Birmingham.

Hunting down a poor back pass from the Villa defense, Miedema's one-touch finish was enough to bring City back to level terms. The second goal came in miraculous fashion as she curled a strike from distance into the top-left corner with ease.

Knowing Tottenham's Beth England was hunting down her record for most goals in the WSL, Miedema showed fans that she is far from done.

England's top flight welcomes world's best in Girma

Stamford Bridge roared out in euphoria as Chelsea unveiled their newest signing just 10 minutes before the London derby kicked off. A video montage played out on the big screens as Girma walked out onto the pitch wearing blue.

Chelsea are believed to have payed a world-record fee of $1 million to the San Diego Wave for Girma's acquisition, nearly doubling the record-breaking sum the club payed for Mayra Ramírez this time last year.

If anyone is worth that sort of price tag, it's Girma. The USWNT center back has proven herself at the highest level, playing an instrumental part in the nation's gold medal success at the Paris Olympics. The 24-year-old has been plying her trade in the National Women's Soccer League since 2022, signing for the Wave following her graduation from Stanford University.

If the Blues aren't already making their league opponents look inferior, they sure will now with a talent as rich as Girma in their ranks.