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

This week: Chelsea had their sandwich and ate it too in the Subway League Cup Final. City are showing signs of a wobble, Leicester are starting to look like they're in real trouble, and Guro Reiten left Chelsea in tears.

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

P.S. If you spot ^[JB] next to a word, head to the bottom of the email for a simple Jargon Buster explanation.

Chelsea won the League Cup again with a 2–0 win over Manchester United — scoring two goals United will want to forget.

Lauren James pounced on a loose back-pass from Janssen to open the scoring on 19 minutes; Beever-Jones prodded in a second from close range with 13 minutes left. Marc Skinner's post-match verdict that Chelsea's goals were "rubbish" maybe should have led with the fact that United's defending was even more rubbish.

The broader point stands though: Chelsea don't need to be good to win. They're clinical when it matters, and a fourth League Cup proves it. James, who signed a new deal until 2030 two days before the final, made her point about as clearly as possible.

🎥 Watch: Lauren James being Lauren James. Cool, calm, composed.

City's nine-point lead still looks decent, but they've now dropped points in two of their last three — and Arsenal, Chelsea and United all have games in hand^[JB]. The race for Champions League places is tightening too, with several teams within touching distance of the top three. Further down, Liverpool beat Leicester to open up a four-point gap between them — and Leicester's run of fixtures coming up makes grim reading. They look in real trouble.

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Olivia Smith tapped it home as London City gave a masterclass in how not to defend. P.S. The celebration.

⚖️ Eni Aluko has been awarded £339,000 in damages after winning her libel case against Joey Barton. The High Court heard he ran a "deliberately targeted campaign of vilification" across 48 posts — Aluko said the ordeal caused hair loss, tinnitus, and periods where she couldn't get out of bed. Barton was in custody for a separate alleged assault and didn't attend. Read more

🇮🇷 The Iranian players' asylum story has continued to develop. After being branded "wartime traitors" for refusing to sing the national anthem at the Asian Cup, seven players sought asylum in Australia — but most have since returned home, with families reportedly threatened if they stayed. Only three remain in Australia. FIFA and FIFPRO have faced criticism for failing to protect the players before the tournament even started. Read more

💷 WSL fans are turning matchdays into a proper day out — and spending more per head doing it than Premier League fans. New Barclays data shows WSL attendees spend £144.70 per fixture (excluding tickets) versus £138 at a Premier League game, with spending near WSL grounds up 11.7% since 2021-22. The kicker: 60% of fans say they'd attend more if games were played at the club's main ground — and eight of the 12 clubs still don't. Read more

→ As the WSL continues to grow, academy players risk being left behind — Ameé Ruszkai at The Athletic via Yahoo Sports.

→ How Newcastle are plotting a course to the WSL — via BBC Sport.

You know this moment. The goalkeeper goes down. The physio jogs on. Players drift towards the dugout for a quiet word with the manager. The clock ticks, the opposition lose their momentum. And we're all pretty certain there's nothing wrong with the goalkeeper. Peak time wasting. And it's infuriating when it's not your team doing it.

When did this start? Emma Hayes is often credited — unofficially — with popularising the tactic during her Chelsea years, as one of several ways to manage games in tight moments. Since then it's taken on a life of its own. Managers including Renée Slegers and Sonia Bompastor have complained about it publicly. IFAB (the International Football Association Board, which decides the laws of the game) acknowledged the problem and trials are already underway.

But the NWSL has lost patience… From the 2026 season, when a goalkeeper goes down, outfield players are prohibited from approaching the technical area — they must stay at the centre circle or their own half. The only exception is if the goalkeeper is actually substituted off. Breach it and you'll get a yellow card.

Will it work? It won't eliminate the tactic entirely (a goalkeeper can still take their time on the ground) but it cuts out the most brazen part of it: the team huddling around the manager for tactics while the keeper receives treatment. Whether the WSL follows suit will be worth watching.

Liverpool × Adidas x 1995-96 The latest in adidas's Bringback series, and it’s hard not to like it (especially that deep green colourway). Nostalgia kits are still flying off the shelves and this one will be no different. Available now

Arsenal × Places + Faces: Arsenal are the masters of the football-fashion collab and this one is no different. The standout piece is a black shirt covered in an all-over gothic red monogram, with a cannon and cherub detail instead of the regular crest — an unexpected combo that somehow works. Browse the collection

adidas Predator 94 Reverse: A reimaginating of one of football's most iconic silhouettes. The original 1994 Predator had a black upper with white stripes; this inverts it entirely: white base, black stripes, red accents, and what looks like shiny black faux-crocodile skin detailing. Available from 17 March.

The American women's league kicked off its 2026 season on Friday, and this is the biggest it's ever been — 16 teams, 30 matches each, two brand new expansion sides in Boston Legacy and Denver Summit. If you've never watched it, or dipped out for a while, this is the perfect moment to re-engage. Especially if you want to keep watching some familiar faces: Guro Reiten has just touched down at Gotham FC in New York, joining Jess Carter and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who WSL fans will know well from their Chelsea days.

The title picture is genuinely wide open. Kansas City Current are most analysts' pick to top the regular season table — they're the defending Shield holders and have Temwa Chawinga, last year's MVP, back fit after injury. Gotham are the reigning Championship winners (twice in three years, despite finishing eighth in the regular season last time) and with Reiten added to a squad already built around Rose Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw, they're the play-off threat everyone is watching. Washington Spirit have Trinity Rodman, one of the most electrifying players in the world, back for a full season and two successive Championship final losses to avenge.

The big off-pitch story is the "Rodman Rule" — a mechanism that lets clubs exceed the salary cap by up to $1m to retain exceptional talent, built specifically to keep Rodman at the Spirit. The players' union has filed a grievance against it. Whether it survives the season in its current form is anyone's guess.

How to watch from the UK: TNT Sports carries two matches per week. Everything else is on NWSL+ (free to stream).

England vs Spain — World Cup qualifier
Tuesday 14 April · 7pm BST · Wembley Stadium
The Lionesses host the world champions in a 2027 World Cup qualifier — a rematch of last summer's Euro final. One of the big home fixtures of the year. Buy tickets

Women's Football Fair 3
Sunday 17 May · 11am–4pm · Big Penny Social, London, E17 6AL
A day of football, community and good vibes — fans, culture, and loads of stalls from small women's football businesses. Get tickets

Adobe Women's FA Cup Final 2026
Sunday 31 May · kick-off TBC · Wembley Stadium
Earlybird tickets are on general sale now — from £15 for adults, £5 for juniors. Buy tickets

Girls United & South London Laces Quiz Night
Thursday 9 April · Doors 6:30pm · Rosy Hue, London, SE17 1GQ
A fundraiser quiz night for two grassroots clubs. £5 for adults, free for under-18s. Book here

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

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

Tuesday 17 March
Asian Cup - Semi-final

Wednesday 18 March
Asian Cup - Semi-final

WSL Matchday 17

Saturday 21 March
Asian Cup - Final

WSL Matchday 18

Sunday 22 March (WSL Matchday 18)

This week, Guro Reiten’s tearful farewell video got everyone reaching for a tissue. Watch here

Game in hand: When a team has played fewer matches than the teams around them in the table. Their points tally looks lower, but they have an extra game to play, and potentially extra points to pick up. A game in hand is only as useful as the result you get from it.

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