Shaw Hits 100. Carney Waltzes Into Final. Festive Fave Finds

December 15, 2025

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

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

This week: What do Bunny Shaw, Karen Carney and our Festive Fave Finds all have in common? They’re all massive show-stoppers. Enjoy!

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

City Cruise, Spurs Collapse, Leicester Alive

PA Images

Another big weekend for Man City as Khadija “Bunny” Shaw put in a huge performance and hit four in their 6-1 demolition of Aston Villa, sailing past 100 goals for the club and sending Andrée Jeglertz’s side into the winter break six points clear at the top.​

Chelsea steadied the ship after last week’s Everton shock with a routine 3-0 win at Brighton, keeping themselves in touch, while Leicester nicked a gritty 1-0 over London City Lionesses to give their survival bid a much-needed bump.​

And in Leigh, Spurs found a whole new way to suffer, somehow turning a 3-0 lead into a 3-3 draw against Manchester United, undone by a late Ella Toone strike and a Fridolina Rolfö brace in stoppage time that keeps United just ahead of them in the table.

TOP STRIKES & SAVES

  1. Honoka Hayashi’s equaliser was an edge-of-the-box beauty.

  2. Riko Ueki climbed above the Liverpool defence to put West Ham ahead

  3. Aoba Fujino was on fire again for City (and can we talk about that Miedema assist!!)

  4. This Sam Kerr x Alyssa Thompson combo was perfect

  5. Beth England’s header masterclass 

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Bunny Shaw’s 100th Man City goal

RESULTS: WSL MATCHDAY 20
AS IT STANDS
🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

✨ Former Lioness and football pundit Karen Carney is through to the Strictly Come Dancing final, topping the semi-final leaderboard with partner Carlos Gu to set up a shot at the Glitterball trophy next weekend.

⚔️ Bristol City Women’s takeover by Mercury13 has been formally approved, with former FA/FAW executive Lowri Roberts coming in as interim CEO to lead their push from WSL2 back into the WSL.​

🚨 A 42-year-old man has pleaded guilty to stalking Liverpool’s Marie Hobinger, admitting repeated sexually explicit messages and turning up at a game; he’ll be sentenced in January.​

💔 Spurs and England winger Jessica Naz has suffered the second ACL injury of her career, this time to her right knee, ruling her out for the rest of the 2025–26 season after being injured against Aston Villa.​

🏟️ Arsenal will play the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup on home soil in 2026, with semi‑finals at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium and the third‑place play‑off and final at Emirates Stadium.

💸 The NWSL has signed off a new “High Impact Player” mechanism letting clubs spend up to $1m over the cap on select stars, with eligibility tied to on‑pitch performance, awards, international minutes and commercial pull.​ Read more

📊 Swiss executive Tatjana Haenni has been appointed CEO of RB Leipzig, becoming the first woman to lead a Bundesliga club, with responsibility across the men’s and women’s teams.

🌍 Spain is pulling away at the top of December’s FIFA rankings, with the USA still second, Germany climbing into third and England holding steady in fourth.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

→ Former Lioness Jill Scott: ‘Self-doubt is something that I’ve had throughout my career…it never really went away’ – via PA Media

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Transfer Round-up

Everton: PSG are in talks to sign Everton forward Kelly Gago, who’s valued at around £500k after five goals in 12 games so far.

London City Lionesses: Isobel Goodwin has extended with London City Lionesses to 2028, a big win for their long-term WSL-domination project.​

Man City: Rebecca Knaak has signed a new deal with Manchester City until 2028, locking in a versatile left-sided defender who’s become key cover and competition for Alex Greenwood.​

Man United: They’re stepping up recruitment with the Champions League in mind, targeting Sweden right-back Hanna Lundkvist and Bayern striker Lea Schüller as priority January signings.​ They’ve also been linked with Gago.

Spurs: Drew Spence has signed a new long-term Spurs deal, while the club are favourites to take Japan forward Maika Hamano on loan from Chelsea in January to boost their attacking options.​

Gotham FC: Midge Purce has signed a new deal with Gotham FC through 2026, keeping one of their title-winning cornerstones in New Jersey for the next phase of their NWSL push.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

Baller FC presents: Women’s Champions League
17 December, 20:00, The Volley Old Street, EC1V 9NR
OH Leuven vs Arsenal, and Wolfsburg vs Chelsea

FIFA Women's Champions Cup final
Tickets are now on sale for the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup third-place play-off and final at Emirates Stadium on 1 February 2026, with one ticket covering both games. Pre-sale opened today, general sale is 10:00, 17 December. You can buy directly via Arsenal’s site here.

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 (GMT)

Women’s Champions League, League Phase
Wednesday 17 December

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

  • OH Leuven vs Arsenal (20:00, Disney+)

  • Wolfsburg vs Chelsea (20:00, Disney+)

Women’s League Cup QF
Sunday 21 December

  • Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (13:00, WSL Youtube)

  • Liverpool vs Chelsea (13:00, WSL Youtube)

  • Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur (13:00, WSL Youtube)

  • West Ham United vs Manchester City (13:00, WSL Youtube)

👀 FESTIVE FAVE FINDS

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? No problem…

Sidelines Candles, yes, the candles that smell like your favourite player… slightly weird, but we’re going with it. Shop the full candle range here

The 2026 WSL sticker book is out, and finally features WSL2 teams too. More stickers, less filler, what's not to love? Available now

Everyone Watches Women's Sports™ Nike by TOGETHXR Straight Fit T-Shirt – Nice little discount via Foudys

The Football History of the England Women's Team Book: For the nostalgic fans out there – relive the glory of the Lionesses told through authentic newspaper reports. Order asap for Xmas delivery

Baller FC Soccerdaddy hat - A must-have for any fan. Grab yours here 

Pitch Invasion: Women's International Football – Special edition print celebrating 120 of the best players in the world. Buy yours here

Top Trumps England Women’s Football Stars – A perfect stocking filler

The Future Is More Women On The Pitch Tote Bag – From our faves, Club Level Collective

See you next week!

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