The Women's Super League (WSL) returned this weekend and it certainly brought the action.
A north London derby in front of over 56,000 fans at Emirates Stadium saw the Gunners fly past Tottenham in a 5-0 thrashing. Down in west London, Chelsea scraped a late win over Everton thanks to a stellar finish from Lauren James.
In the east of London, West Ham United flexed their muscles over Brighton & Hove Albion to secure a 3-1 victory on home turf.
Leicester City flew past Aston Villa with ease, sending the Villians down into 11th place in the WSL league standings.
Manchester United survived an early scare after Crystal Palace opened the scoring, managing to get the job done with a 3-1 win at Leigh Sports Village.
Manchester City closed out Super Sunday in style, thrashing Liverpool 4-0 thanks to goals from Khadija Shaw, Jill Roord and Gracie Prior.
Here are six things we learned from WSL gameweek 14...
Gunners paint the town red
DERBY DAY DELIGHT 🤩 pic.twitter.com/xTzTTGM4az
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 16, 2025
A five-star derby display saw Arsenal thrash Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 in front of 56,000 fans at Emirates Stadium. Despite an evenly-contested opening ten minutes, the Gunners were able to rip Spurs of any dignity that they may have had left.
An early own goal from Clare Hunt set the tone for a woeful afternoon in the Spurs camp, before Mariona Caldentey doubled Arsenal's advantage in the opening half. The Gunners came out hungry for even more blood after the break, as Frida Maanum and Alessia Russo both sunk in the knife with a goal each.
The hosts refused to loosen their jaws down to the very last second, as Emily Fox sent a star-spangled banger into the top corner from 30 yards out.
A perfect day for fans in red was made even more special when Chloe Kelly took to the field, making her return to N5 after nearly seven years away.
Chelsea remain unbeaten despite unconvincing display
WE ALWAYS FIND A WAY! ✊#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ZcAndMSaNT
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 16, 2025
We have seen this story play out a few times this season, Chelsea struggle to look convincing, but still managed to get the job done. Everton were able to take the lead at Kingsmeadow thanks to a beautiful finish from January acquisition Kelly Gago, but it wouldn't take long for the Blues to equalise through Mayra Ramirez.
Everton were up for the fight in west-London, challenging the league leaders up until the very last minute. Brian Sorensen's side looked composed in possession and water-tight in defence. However, a moment of Lauren James magic was all that Chelsea needed to steal a late victory under the feet of the Toffees.
Give James a second on the ball, and she will punish. A brilliant bottom corner finish from outside of the box sent Everton back to Merseyside with little to show for their valiant efforts. As for Chelsea, although the performance was nothing to call home about, they continue to do what winners do best and get results over the line.
Bunny Shaw has her say in brilliant City showing
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) February 16, 2025
Manchester City made light work of Liverpool in a 4-0 thrashing at Joie Stadium. Liverpool's Leanne Kiernan nearly gave the visitors the lead early on before brilliant goalkeeping from Ayaka Yamashita saved the Cityzens at the death. From then on, it was one-way traffic in favour of the Sky Blues.
The player of the match was none other than Khadija Shaw, who belted home two brilliant goals to provide her side with the script for the victory. The celebration that followed was all the more important, as Shaw stood with her head bowed and her right hand raised.
The Black Power salute is one commonly attributed to sport, and was gestured by Shaw as a means of standing up to the vile abuse she has recently received from online perpetrators. The striker was subject to racist and mysoginistic discrimination following City's WSL loss to Arsenal, and has since taken time away from the game because of it.
Following her superb performance, Shaw was given a standing ovation by the home fans as she was substituted from the ground in the 90th minute.
Elisabeth Terland extends her electric form as United beat Palace
Job done! ➕3️⃣#MUWomen
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) February 16, 2025
Strikers all across the league were shining bright in gameweek 14, and Elisabeth Terland was certainly no exception to the rule. The Norwegian forward's brace was enough to put United ahead after the side conceded an early goal to Crystal Palace at Leigh Sports Village.
After a slow start in Manchester following her move from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, Terland's brace against the Eagles brings her tally to four goals in three games, increasing her total goals and assists to 11. She now ranks third in the WSL for combined goals and assists, trailing only Shaw and Mary Fowler, who each have 12.
Sorry Spurs seem to be regressing
Full-time at the Emirates. pic.twitter.com/VHvHBd3M5R
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) February 16, 2025
After a historic 2023/24 season that saw Tottenham Hotspur march all the way to Wembley Stadium, the new campaign has shown nothing but a shell of what the side once were. Sunday's north London derby demolition was a dreadful depiction of a team that were once giving their fans something to be excited about again.
Lazy in defence and sloppy in possession, Tottenham were the masters of their own downfall. The opening goal painted the picture perfectly, as Anna Csiki belted the ball neck-height to Hayley Raso, who slipped and coughed up possession before Kyra Cooney-Cross's ball into the area deflected off of Clare Hunt for an own goal.
The string of play said everything you need to know about the fight left in this Spurs side. Csiki's ball was lazy, Raso's refusal to stand back up and fight to regain possession was tiresome, and Hunt's unlucky touch sunk the knife in even further.
Robert Vilahamn has lost the reigns on a side he was once orchestrating with passion, and Arsenal tore them to shreds.
West Ham United deserve their praise
Three goals, three points ⚒️#BarclaysWSL pic.twitter.com/0pb4imegGU
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) February 16, 2025
In what was certainly the shock result of the weekend, West Ham United flew past Brighton & Hove Albion to secure a 3-1 victory at Chigwell Construction Stadium. Goals from Shekiera Martinez, Riko Ueki and Viviane Asseyi were enough to send the Seagulls back to Brighton with their wings clipped.
After surviving relegation amidst a tough and turbulent 2023/24 season, West Ham are finally finding their groove under Rehanne Skinner. The head coach was given little time to make squad adjustments upon her arrival at the club in 2023, having been given the position just days before the transfer window closed.
The January window that followed made a real impact, securing the signature of captain Katrina Gorry and stringing together some important wins in order to survive the drop. Now that Skinner has had more time to work with the squad in front of her, West Ham are beginning to forge a true playing identity.
A valiant effort saw them fall out of the Subway Women's League Cup at the semi-final stage, beaten by Chelsea by a narrow 2-0 margin. They may have suffered defeat, but there were plenty of positives to be drawn from the performance against the league giants. Sunday's victory over a strong Brighton side now puts the Irons just four points away from fifth place, when many once had them pinned as relegation favourites.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Six Takeaways From Women's Super League Gameweek 14.
