WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

The five-minute read for dedicated-ish fans of women’s football.

This week: Chelsea lost their heads and what little remained of their title hopes, Arsenal cut things fine against Corinthians, and a legend of the game retired. Enjoy.

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

⚽ WSL ROUND-UP

Kerolin Inspires Chelsea Demolition Job

Manchester City’s 5-1 hammering of Chelsea felt like the final nail in the reigning champions’ coffin. Kerolin’s hat-trick and City’s cool, clinical, composure leaves them 12 points clear and within grasp of their first WSL title in ten years. Yes, ten years. With only 8 games to go, City are firmly in control, and could be crowned Champions within weeks.

Elsewhere, Brighton–London City and Everton–Villa kept the mid-table scrap lively, but everything this weekend revolved around that Etihad statement win and just how impossible an upset to City’s title hopes looks now.

RESULTS: WSL MATCHDAY 14 of 22

• Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 London City Lionesses (Highlights)

• Everton 2-1 Aston Villa (Highlights)

• Manchester United 3-1 Liverpool (Highlights)

• West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Highlights)

• Manchester City 5-1 Chelsea (Highlights)

AS IT STANDS

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

1. Freya Godfrey – Unpicked Brighton’s defence.

2. Vinberg and Holdt – Has Spurs been feeding these two rocket fuel?

3. Lisa Naalsund  – Lovely little link up with Jess Park

4. Ebony Salmon – Why you should never give Salmon time and space on the ball

5. Martina Fernandez helped Everton to their first home win with two headers

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Kerolin’s hatrick summed up Man City’s dominance at Stamford Bridge. Her cheeky lob was our favourite.

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

🦁 England has confirmed their opening World Cup 2027 qualifier against Ukraine will be played in Antalya, Türkiye, on Tuesday 3 March. They’ll return to Nottingham to face Iceland at the City Ground on 7 March. Ticket info to follow.

🇺🇸 Crystal Dunn has announced her retirement from professional football, calling time on a career that brought a World Cup, an Olympic bronze and over 150 USWNT caps as she steps away at 33 “at peace and deeply fulfilled”

​🏆 Sarina Wiegman has received the Football Writers’ Association Tribute Award, recognised for leading England to back-to-back EURO titles and raising the profile of the women’s game on and off the pitch.

📉 WSL Football has reported an £8.2m loss in its first year running the top two tiers, with revenues of £17.4m and an interest-free Premier League loan covering the deficit, but projections suggesting the league structure could turn a profit as new TV and sponsorship deals bed in.

💸 Transfer spending in women’s football hit a record £20.7m in 2025, up 83.6% on 2024, with England the biggest spender at £7.9m and London City Lionesses’ world‑record move for Grace Geyoro topping FIFA’s list of fees.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

If you noticed Kynisca branding at the Champions Cup yesterday, then you might be wondering how Kang’s company could possibly be a FIFA sponsor without some kind of conflict of interest. We certainly did. This piece from Tom Garry is essential reading…

Michele Kang’s largesse for women’s football leaves Fifa open to bias claims – The Guardian

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Transfer Round-up

West Ham have doubled down on Norwegian defensive talent as coach Rita Guiarino continues her shrewd January shopping spree. Full-back Ylinn Tennebø has joined from Vålerenga on a two-and-a-half-year deal, while centre-back Tuva Hansen arrives from Bayern Munich to wear the No5 shirt and add Champions League experience to the Hammers’ defence.

Sofia Jakobsson has swapped London for a record payday in Mexico. The Sweden international has mutually terminated her deal with London City Lionesses after a disappointing season, plagued by injury and low minutes, and signed for Toluca, where she’s reported to become the highest-paid Swedish women’s player ever.

Liverpool forward Leanne Kiernan has dropped down to the WSL2 joining Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the 2025-26 season. In some ways, this one was a bit of a surprise, but with the recent influx of players in the January window it’s likely her best bet for regular minutes.

Everton are boosting their attack and have recalled Spain forward Inma Gabarro  early from her Sevilla loan after four goals in Liga F. Arsenal’s Laila Harbert, 19, also arrives on loan for the rest of the season, bringing England youth pedigree and much-needed creativity in midfield.

And finally, Chasity Grant has signed a new contract at Aston Villa, she’s a talent the club were keen to lock down long-term.

RUMOUR HAS IT:

• Katie McCabe is likely leave Arsenal this summer. She’s linked to NWSL and WSL clubs.

• Chelsea have had a bid for PSG centre midfielder, Jennifer Echegini, rejected.

• Ona Batlle has been linked heavily to Arsenal. Her contract at Barca ends in the summer.

👟 KIT DROP

La Reina, the queen of football, Alexia Putellas, has unveiled her Nike player-edition Phantom 6 — and it’s long overdue. The colour palette reflects her bold, powerful, creative game, while details like her number 11 run through the design, giving it a clear personal stamp. Flip the boot and you’ll spot her new Nike logo, (take a closer look and you’ll spot that number 11 again). Beyond the symbolism, it’s packed with Nike’s latest tech for close control, traction and confidence on the ball. Shop the boot

Guinness 0.0 x Bristol City Women: Guinness is back on football shirts for the first time in 30 years — and the timing couldn’t be better. Landing at the tail end of Dry January, Bristol City Women’s new front-of-shirt sponsor feels like a partnership that understands its audience. Guinness 0.0 has quietly become the go-to pint for low- and no-drinking fans, tapping into a shifting drinking culture and the women’s game’s wider cultural pull. This one feels like a really smooth deal. Shop the shirt

​🏆 ​FIFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS CUP

Arsenal Wins $2.3 Million Prize Pot

Final: Arsenal 3-2 Corinthians (Highlights)
Third-place-playoff: Gotham 4-0 AS FAR (Highlights)

We’ll admit it: we weren’t expecting much from the Women’s Champions Cup, but in the end, from Wednesday’s semis to Sunday’s final, it was actually really fun.

Arsenal eased past AS FAR while Corinthians beat Gotham to set up a Europe-vs-South-America showdown that gave us everything we wanted – there was chaos, big saves, big dives, and raw emotion.

Arsenal led three times in a 3-2 extra-time win, with Corinthians dragging it to added time via a last‑gasp penalty and VAR check before Caitlin Foord settled it in the 104th minute.

And the Corinthians fans? Unreal. They bounced for the full 120 minutes, turning a rainy night in north London into a little pocket of São Paulo. If their vibes haven’t convinced you that you need to be at next year's Brazil World Cup, then I don’t know what else to say.

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Your what-not-to-miss viewing guide (BST)

WSL Matchday 15 of 22
Saturday 7 February

• Leicester City vs Man United (12:00, Sky Sports)

Sunday 8 February

• Arsenal vs Man City (12:00, Sky Showcase)

• Liverpool vs Aston Villa (12:00, Sky Sports+)

• London City Lionesses vs Everton (12:00, Sky Sports+, WSL Youtube)

• West Ham United vs Brighton (12:00, Sky Sports+, WSL Youtube)

• Tottenham vs Chelsea (14:25, BBC Two, iPlayer, WSL Youtube)

👀 FAVE FINDS

Alyssa Thompson is the latest young talent to feature in the FC 26 ‘Future Stars’ list. Check out how to take advantage of Future Stars in your squad here.

See you next week!

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