Steph Houghton: Chelsea's continued WSL dominance not surprising & why Man Utd are really impressive | OneFootball

WSL legend Steph Houghton says it is little surprise to see Chelsea again be the dominant force in the title race this season, on course for a sixth consecutive triumph even after bidding an emotional farewell to club icon Emma Hayes last May.

Chelsea have set the pace since the opening weekend of the 2024/25 campaign, winning nine WSL games on the bounce and transitioning fairly seamlessly into a new era under Sonia Bompastor.

The Blues remain unbeaten in the league, taking 44 points from a possible 48 to open an eight-point lead at the top – albeit having played game more than their nearest challengers. In all competitions, it's 23 wins from 25 games, with a perfect record so far in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, awaiting the final against Manchester City in the latter this coming weekend.

"I wouldn't say surprise," was Houghton's response when asked by 90min if there has been anything unexpected about Chelsea's continued dominance.

Summer recruitment was proactive and strong, while Bompastor – despite being new to English football – was a proven winner of elite calibre at former club Lyon.

"They started the season really well and on fire. I think with the new manager coming in, you get a bounce form that. Emma Hayes left a great legacy there, but also a great squad of players and Sonia has definitely come in and added to that," Houghton explained.

For a period last season, Chelsea looked as though the WSL title would finally slip from their grasp until a late surge took them back ahead of Manchester City, sealing things on the final day of the season. The hallmark of a great team is winning no matter what and it hasn't been flawless thrashings week after week, with six of 14 WSL victories coming by a one-goal margin.

"Chelsea have been known in the last few years for being really clinical and ruthless, and they've certainly done that this season," Houghton added.

After Manchester United slipped backwards into fifth place last season – their worst finish in the WSL to date – few would have expected them to be Chelsea's closest challengers in 2024/25. But even after several high profile departures last summer, strong recruitment and a rediscovered defensive solidity similar to what underpinned their 2022/23 title challenge, United have come storming back.

Victory in their game in hand against Liverpool on Friday night would reduce the gap to Chelsea to five points, with the pair also set to face each other at Leigh Sports Village next month.

"I've been impressed by Manchester United, and what really impressed me more is their defensive side of the game," Houghton, one of the best centre-backs in the world at her peak, said.

"They're continually keeping clean sheets, which is so important when you want to be near the top of the league. Obviously, they haven't had Champions League football this season, so you get the chance to prepare during the week a little bit more."

Houghton coached girls at a session at the Rushbrook Academy in Manchester / FA/Getty

90min met Houghton, who hung up her boots in 2024 after a stellar career with Sunderland, Arsenal, Manchester City and England, at Rushbrook Academy, a primary school in east Manchester, where she was helping to give young girls an early taste of football last Friday.

The event formed part of the FA's fourth annual Biggest Ever Football Session, the first major activation of the new Made For This Game campaign that aims to move beyond the existing success of Let Girls Play and unlock equal opportunities for women and girls in football.

"This is about females and young girls being involved in football, not just about sessions like today or being on the pitch, but the bigger picture of women being allowed to be part of football," Houghton explained, referencing all manner of different roles that exist in the sport.

"This is their game as well and whether that’s being a journalist, being in the boardroom, being a staff member, I think it's so important that females have a place in our game. Rightly so, because this game has come on so much in the last few years, especially in this country, and to see the girls here [in Manchester] today has been super special."

Since the FA launched Let Girls Play in 2021, there has been a 56% increase in the number of women and girls playing football, an 88% in the number of female coaches being developed, and a 113% growth in the number of female referees. Off the back of winning Euro 2022, the Lionesses successfully lobbied the UK government for equal access for girls to football in school.

The driving force behind Made For This Game is the idea that girls have moved beyond asking for permission to play, instead now empowering them to take up places in football they deserve to have.

But a study in 2022 revealed that almost half of girls (43%) who considered themselves 'sporty' in primary school disengage from sport after moving up to secondary school.

"The opportunities are great for girls to come and play football, to see what it's like, to make new friends. The thing is, we need to make sure that people can stay in the game as much as possible," Houghton explained, outlining a significant challenge that still lies ahead in that respect.

"It might not be on the pitch, it might be in a different capacity, which is even greater. The more that we can see that and promote it, it’s so important for the future of the game itself," Houghton said.

England's success on the pitch in recent years – the Lionesses have reached the semi-finals or better at every major tournament since 2015, including winning Euro 2022 and contesting the last World Cup final in 2023 – has been directly linked to the popularity boom of women's football.

For Houghton, the continues success of England is "important" with Euro 2025 on the horizon this coming summer, but the efforts to develop the growth of women's football in the country need to continue irrespective of what happens on the pitch in Switzerland and at future tournaments.

"I think we need to keep pushing it regardless of England's performances," she said.

"This is important for future generations and future Lionesses that we give them opportunities like this campaign to come and see what it's like.

"You never know, these girls that have never really played football before are going to come and get a taste, and think they can be involved in the game in the future."