Everton, the Unlikely Giant Killers, Take a Bow

December 08, 2025

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

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

This week was a week of finallys… Chelsea’s unbeaten run was finally ended, Joey Barton was finally sentenced, and Sarina Wiegman finally played around with her starting lineup. Enjoy!

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Everton, the Unlikely Giant Killers, Take a Bow

Credit: Alamy

The WSL returned after the international break and wasted no time shaking things up. Everton broke Chelsea’s unbeaten streak, a run that goes back all the way to May 2024! Meanwhile, City gave themselves some buffer at the top, and Arsenal clung on late against Liverpool thanks to Blackstenius. The questions hanging over the Gunners aren’t going away, though.

  1. Honoka Hayashi ended Chelsea’s unbeaten run

  2. Beata Olsson caught Arsenal sleeping with a beautifully composed finish

  3. Beth England pulled back a goal with a crucial header in the first of our two Spurs picks.

  4. Olivia Holdt smashed it in to secure Spurs’ comeback. 

  5. Domique Janssen fired in a perfect free kick.

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Olivia Smith weaving her way through three defenders to set herself up for this beauty.

RESULTS: WSL MATCHDAY 10
AS IT STANDS
🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

🟥 Crystal Palace’s Ruesha Littlejohn has been given a five‑match ban after an FA panel ruled the standard three‑game suspension “clearly insufficient” for her neck‑tackle on Leicester’s Hannah Cain.​

🚨 Joey Barton has been handed a suspended three-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to sending offensive social media messages about women footballers Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.

🇺🇸 The Trinity Rodman contract drama continues. A proposed four-year, more-than-$1m‑a‑year deal with Washington Spirit has been vetoed by the NWSL, with the players’ union filing a grievance and her agent hinting she could move outside the league.​

🇩🇪 It’s all going on in Germany. First, they were announced as Euro 2029 hosts, then a day later, all 14 Women’s Bundesliga clubs voted to break away from the DFB from 2027, and set up their own association.​ Read more

🧠 Michelle Kang is relentless. She’s just launched the Kang Women’s Institute, which will tackle the women’s football health gap, funding research into female‑specific injuries, training loads and medical care.​ Read more

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

→ An investigation into online abuse targeting players and managers in the Premier League and WSL - The BBC (video)

→ The 100 best female footballers in the world 2025 – The Guardian

🌍 INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

🇪🇸 Spain retained the Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 win over Germany in Madrid, Clàudia Pina scoring twice and Vicky López adding another as the world champions stepped up in the second half after a nervy, goalless first leg.​

🦁 England wrapped up 2025 with a 2-0 win over Ghana in Southampton, Lucia Kendall scoring her first Lionesses goal before Alessia Russo buried a stoppage-time penalty. Wiegman used the friendly to rotate her squad, with seven changes to her starting lineup and extended minutes for fringe players

⚠️ [Arsenal fan trigger warning] Jonas Eidevall’s San Diego Wave FC pocketed the $2m prize at World Sevens Football in Florida, beating Tigres UANL 3-0 in the final after going unbeaten through three days of 7v7 chaos.

👟 KIT DROP

This 2026 kit launch is obviously timed for the men’s World Cup, but honestly, who cares? Templated, neon keeper kits have bored us to tears for years, but Nike’s Hollywood Keepers line rips up the rulebook with loud, 90s‑style patterns for England, Nigeria and co. This is exactly how a goalkeeper shirt should be, and it’s got us feeling all nostalgic.​ Available now

We’ve been big fans of the Tiempo for years, but less in love with the last few editions. The new Tiempo Maestro finally freshens things up: a Techleather upper, sleeker shaping, and a metallic rose‑gold / bronze launch colourway that feels very “modern classic”. Available from 22 Jan.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

Baller FC WSL Sundays
From 12:00, Sunday 14 December
Signature Brew, Haggerston, E8 4EA

Classic Football Shirts Christmas Quiz London
20:00-22:00, 18 December
Max team size 6, 18+
17 Commercial Street, London E1 6NE
Tickets

The Power of Volunteering: Why football needs you
Women in Football Webinar with the FA
20 January 2026 - Online (Zoom)
More info

Is there a women’s football event happening near you? Give us a heads-up

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

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

Women’s Champions League, League Phase
Tuesday 9 December

  • Arsenal vs FC Twente (20:00, Disney+)

Wednesday 10 December

  • Chelsea vs Roma (20:00, Disney+)

  • Manchester United vs Lyon (20:00, Disney+)

Women’s Super League
Thursday 11 December

  • Aston Villa vs Liverpool (19:00, Sky Sports)

Saturday 13 December

  • Everton vs Arsenal (12:00, Sky Sports Mix)

Sunday 14 December

  • Brighton vs Chelsea (11:55, Sky Showcase - free)

  • Leicester City vs London City Lionesses (11:55, Sky Sports, WSL YouTube)

  • Manchester City vs Aston Villa (11:55, Sky Sports Mix) 

  • West Ham United Women v Liverpool (11:55, Sky Sports, WSL YouTube) 

  • Manchester United Women v Tottenham Hotspur (14:30, BBC Two, iPlayer)

👀 FAVE FINDS

Manchester United forward, Celin Bizet Dønnu and husband Aron have announced they’re having a baby. 

For the football boot nerds and card collectors, Pro:Direct has resurrected its iconic BootBible as trading cards. The 50-card Series 1 packs mix current-season styles with “Legends” and “Hype Drops” and come free with boot orders over £40, or £3 each. Order yours here

The title race isn’t the only thing hotting up: WSL Football’s energy partner British Gas has launched a one-year fixed tariff exclusively for WSL and WSL2 fans, promising to come in under the January price cap and landing just as the heating goes on.​ Get your energy quote here

See you next week!

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