As much of the game continues on tenterhooks, women’s football has also been affected by the recent Covid-19 case surge.
Last weekend’s English fixtures were due to be the last before a short Christmas break, however, they were hampered by an outbreak across a number of teams with only three of the six matches in the FAWSL able to go ahead.
Chelsea’s game against West Ham United was already in the public eye after it had become known that a number of their players were unwell after the Champions League exit against Wolfsburg through the week.
The team confirmed that there had been more positive cases as the team tested ahead of their final domestic fixture of the year.
Sunday’s @BarclaysFAWSL match against West Ham has been postponed.
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 17, 2021
Meanwhile, Manchester City against Reading and Arsenal versus Brighton & Hove Albion were also postponed by the FA as the weekend arrived.
Of the games that went ahead, the encounter that carried the most interest saw the bottom two sides meet for the first time this season as Birmingham City travelled along the M6 to close rivals Leicester City. With neither side having yet earned their first win, the game was almost played like a cup final.
The home side ran out victorious in the end at the King Power Stadium, as the game ended 2-0 to Leicester thanks to goals from Scotland defender Sophie Howard and Sam Tierney.
The newly-promoted side celebrated their first ever win in the top flight at full-time, which also takes them off the bottom of the table for the first time since the opening weekend.
Whilst the two teams will likely be fighting between themselves to decide who survives relegation, Aston Villa are within seven points and could be vulnerable if both sides can chase them over the second half of the season.
What a performance from #MUWomen 🔴👏
Three clean sheets in a row ✅✅✅ pic.twitter.com/jJ6MDj3ua3
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) December 20, 2021
Villa were on the back of another heavy defeat on the same day, as on-form Manchester United put five goals past them without reply.
Ella Toone and Katie Zelem put United 2-0 up after 15 minutes, before second-half goals from Martha Thomas, Lucy Staniforth and another from Toone sealed an emphatic end to United’s 2021.
It is the sixth defeat in seven games for Carla Ward’s side and the Christmas break will be a period of important reflection as her side need to find a way to limit goals being conceded and to get points on the board.
The final game of the weekend also saw a home win, as Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 to finish the year in third spot. Jessica Naz scored the only goal, as her thunderous strike seemed to catch goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan off guard.
Arsenal finish the year on top of the WSL with their four-point cushion intact. Chelsea are closest in the chasing pack, with Spurs narrowing that gap to just one point after their win, and both sides will meet each other in the opening game in the New Year on January 7.
Gunners land challenging tie
With the Champions League group stages complete, the draw for the quarter-finals took place on Monday.
All teams in the hat were big-names and so there is now plenty of added anticipation as all sides know their fate.
Arsenal have been drawn against German champions Wolfsburg, who knocked out their London rivals Chelsea in the last round with a resounding 4-0 rout.
Despite both London clubs suffering defeat in the last group game, the Christmas break should eliminate the fatigue that a few English clubs seemed to be suffering as the year closed out.
Nonetheless, the tie is a challenging one and the German sides have a renowned reputation in the competition. Wolfsburg have twice won the top prize, lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2014.
The draw also decides the route to the final and should Arsenal progress they have the likely chance of meeting Barcelona. The Spanish champions have been drawn against their domestic rivals Real Madrid and, after already beating Arsenal 4-0 and 4-1 in group stage, they will be a daunting task should the teams meet again.
In the other half of the draw, Juventus are the only newcomers to this stage in the competition, and they will face another formidable side in Lyon.
Bayern Munich will go head-to-head with PSG, before the winners will face each other in the semi-final.
The first quarter-final games will take place on March 22-23 with the second leg the following week.
Early moves in the transfer market
The transfer window has already opened in the WSL and Reading and Chelsea have been first to open their wallets.
Reading have signed Danish midfielder Sanne Troelsgaard from Swedish side FC Rosengard, while Chelsea have announced the arrival of 20-year-old Russian left-back Alsu Abdullina from Lokomotiv Moscow.
Historically, the window has not been as busy with most sides budgeting in summer, but it will likely be busier this time around as the WSL continues to accelerate in stature.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are looking to appoint a head of women’s and girls football. The newly-advertised position is another sign of their increased commitment to the women’s game.
