Sonia Bompastor, Alessia Russo and the biggest winners and losers of the 2024-25 Women's Super League season

Replacing Emma Hayes after her incredible 12-year stint in charge of Chelsea was never going to be easy for any manager, and yet Sonia Bompastor has made it look so. The former Lyon boss spoke before the season about how, while she couldn't improve on the Blues' position in the league, as reigning champions, she knew they could aim for another title and to break records. That's exactly what they have done.

By clinching the WSL trophy with two games to spare, Chelsea won the competition earlier than any other team has managed before; by avoiding defeat to Liverpool on the final day, they became the first side in the league's 22-game era to go unbeaten; and by finding a late winner in that last outing, they broke their own record for most points in a season and matched the record for the most wins.

"It's been the smoothest transition I've ever experienced," Millie Bright told Sky Sports on Saturday. "From the first day she came in, [Bompastor] excited us." That's a huge credit to the coach and her staff, who could yet lead the Blues to just a second-ever treble next week with victory in the FA Cup final. It's been quite the first season.

When Manchester City opted to make a change in the dugout just five days before their League Cup final clash with Chelsea, it felt like a massive risk. Head coach Gareth Taylor had been under pressure at various points in his tenure, and some criticisms of him were valid, but there was surely little that his replacement, former boss Nick Cushing, could do with this squad given the injury crisis it was enduring.

Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood both missed several months after having knee surgeries in November and December, respectively, and only returned in the final few weeks of the campaign; Vivianne Miedema had a knee surgery of her own in October and, after returning to some promising form in the New Year, had her season ended early after picking up a problem on international duty; while star striker Khadija Shaw had a spell on the sidelines before Christmas and then didn't play again after that League Cup final in mid-March.

Then there is Risa Shimizu, who missed the whole season; Rebecca Knaak, who joined in January and then was out for two months with a hamstring injury; Mary Fowler, who sustained an ACL injury in April; plus Aoba Fujino, Ayaka Yamashita, Jill Roord and so many more who had to miss notable time.

But City opted for a managerial change at a surprising time, ahead of a four-game series with reigning WSL champions Chelsea across three competitions. Cushing had to come in and deliver immediately, working with a group that was massively depleted and featured only one or two names he had previously coached. It seemed highly unlikely to work and, in the end, it didn't.

Would Taylor have fared better? That's a hypothetical we'll never know the answer to. One thing is for sure, though: He could not have fared worse.

There has never been much doubt that Alessia Russo is a fantastic all-round footballer. With a wonderful ability to hold the ball up and link play, the questions around her have instead been related to the goal-scoring instincts needed to be a top No.9. This season, she has answered those in her most impressive fashion to date, sharing the WSL Golden Boot with Man City star Khadija Shaw after equalling her best-ever return of 12 goals in the competition.

It feels like a really significant season in the Arsenal striker's development. She looks more assured than ever in front of goal, posting some of her most clinical statistics in areas aside from the actual strikes themselves, and that has also helped propel the Gunners into the Champions League final which will take place at the end of the month.

Can Russo go up another level yet? Former head coach Jonas Eidevall previously shared his belief that she could be a 20-goal striker. Russo has hit that mark in all competitions to contribute to a strong season for Arsenalm and there is reason to believe she can progress further to remain among the WSL's deadliest centre-forwards, based on what she has shown this past year.

Chelsea have had a remarkable season. On Saturday, the Blues lifted their sixth-successive WSL title, doing so after becoming the first team in the competition's 22-game era to go unbeaten all season and having broken their own record for the most points accrued in a single campaign. But missing from all of that on-pitch success has been Sam Kerr.

The Australia star suffering a devastating ACL injury in January of last year while Chelsea were away on a warm weather training camp. It's an injury that is all too common in the women's game and can often be more complicated for some unfortunate players, with Catarina Macario, Kerr's club-mate, enduring almost two years on the sidelines after her own ACL tear.

Kerr's case has been similarly tough. While there was hope that she could be back to contribute to the second half of the Blues' season, she's still yet to return to action at all. Success has still come Chelsea's way in spades this year, but Kerr will have found it hard to watch them lose another Champions League semi-final to Barcelona, knowing she could've made a difference if fit, and even if there might not have been much else that could've gone right for her team in the WSL, the league has still been deprived of the joy of watching one of the world's best for far too long. It's not just Chelsea fans that will hope to see her back as soon as possible.

Someone else who came into this WSL season with big shoes to fill was Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The 28-year-old spent last season as the back-up to Mary Earps at Manchester United, and when the England star opted to move on in the summer, Skinner turned to the American to be the club's new No.1.

It was a level up that came with plenty of pressure, not just because of Earps' performances in that role previously, but also the size of the club and its ambitions. Yet, Tullis-Joyce walks away from this season having earned her share of the Golden Glove after racking up 13 clean sheets, level with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton.

For most of the WSL season, United had the very best defensive record in the division, with it only bumped down to being second to the champions after a final day 4-3 thriller against Arsenal. A huge part of that was down to the solid and consistent back line, another was down to the pressing and hard work of those in front of it, and it was rounded out by Tullis-Joyce's wonderful shot-stopping.

She hasn't been without error this year, and has admitted herself that there are some moments she "cringes" at when she watches them back. But Tullis-Joyce has been the best goalkeeper in the WSL in her first proper season in it. It's fair to say she's filled Earps' shoes brilliantly.

It's incredible that Arsenal have turned their season around like they have. On Saturday, the Gunners beat Manchester United to secure second place in the WSL, which enters them into Champions League qualifying at a much more preferable date and stage than third place does, and later this month they will compete in the final of that competition after stunning eight-time winners Lyon in the semi-finals. Yet, they had won just two of their last seven games when Jonas Eidevall left his head coach role back in October.

A poor start in the league, with just one victory from their first four, left them in a difficult position from the get-go when it came to a title race and qualifying for Europe, while a diabolical 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich on the continent made them look like anything but European contenders. That Renee Slegers has been able to steer the ship back on course, then, is not only something that means she deserves all the praise she is getting, it's also something that prompts big questions of Eidevall.

After all, Slegers has done this during the season, with one January transfer window. She's not made sweeping changes but rather small tweaks that have re-energised and revitalised a team that her predecessor crafted. There were some concerns that, having been Eidevall's assistant, she may be too similar to improve Arsenal enough to turn her interim boss tag into a permanent one. She did it, though, leaving many to question why Eidevall was unable to inspire similar results.

Last year, Manchester United endured a mixed season. At Wembley, exactly 12 months ago, the Red Devils won the FA Cup, delivering a first major trophy for the women's team. However, it came amid a WSL campaign which only returned a fifth-placed finish, the club's worst since entering the top-flight back in 2019.

"We don't like to admit it but it does mask over the issues we've had," striker Rachel Williams said after that cup triumph. But, she added: "That's football. Teams go through transition. You have a good year, you have a dip. Next year we might just come back bigger, better and stronger." That's exactly what they did.

Next week, United will be back in that FA Cup final for a third year in a row, looking to avenge defeat to Chelsea in 2023 by beating them in 2025. But they go there having also performed in the league, securing a Champions League spot that evaded them last term. When head coach Marc Skinner was given a one-year extension last summer, it raised some eyebrows, given the disappointment at not qualifying for a competition this team is aiming to be in every season. But he has repaid the club's faith now, earning himself a new contract in the process.

Shaw can't seem to catch a break lately. Last year, a foot injury meant she had to watch from the sidelines as Man City's title challenge unravelled in remarkable fashion, with them going from pole position on the penultimate weekend to second-place come the final day. This year, she endured similar misfortune, not kicking a ball after the League Cup final defeat in mid-March due to a hamstring issue.

Shaw was part of the City side that lost that game, then she missed both legs of their Champions League quarter-final loss to Chelsea and a costly defeat to the Blues in the league, which left their push for European qualification hanging by a thread. Absent as dropped points against Everton and Manchester United - from 2-0 up, no less - confirmed City would not be in the Champions League next season, Shaw was also helpless as her Golden Boot had to be shared with Russo, rather than her winning it outright for back-to-back seasons.

There's no doubt that the 28-year-old will be back with a real fire in her belly next year, but it will have hurt not to have been able to contribute more to City's aims - all of which they fell short of.

There are so many reasons why there's been a real feel-good factor around Brighton this season. To start, after finishing a disappointing ninth last year, that fourth-from-bottom, new head coach Dario Vidosic has propelled the Seagulls into a brilliant fifth in just his first season in charge. Better yet, he's done that with an exciting brand of football which has not only entertained but also proved problematic for the league's best, with victory over Arsenal and draws against both Chelsea and Manchester United among the Seagulls' most impressive results this term.

That's a consequence of Vidosic's clever coaching and his ability to communicate instructions clearly, and it's also down to the smart business Brighton did in the summer window. Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris, two seasoned Lionesses, added quality and experience in spades; Michelle Agyemang was a shrewd signing from Arsenal whose loan spell certainly appeased all parties; while the likes of Kiko Seike, Rachel McLauchlan and Jelena Cankovic have all had caught the eye. Those additions have come together to complement the squad Vidosic inherited, with that clichéd but important blend of experience and youth creating excitement for the present and the future.

One only needs to look at the Lionesses' squad to see that Brighton's success is benefiting their individuals within, too. Parris' England recall after two-and-a-half-years in the international wilderness came in February, before she was joined by Seagulls team-mate Maisie Symonds for her first senior call-up in April. Then, midway through that camp, it was Agyemang who got her chance, and took it after just 41 seconds for her first Lionesses goal. It all goes back to what Vidosic and his side have accomplished this season.

Twelve months ago, Robert Vilahamn was the toast of the league. In his first season in charge of Tottenham, the Swede guided the club to their second-best WSL campaign and a first major final on the women's side, in the FA Cup. That he did it despite both of his prolific strikers, in Bethany England and Martha Thomas, having spells on the sidelines and rarely getting to play together meant there was real excitement about there being more potential to unlock, too.

This season has been quite different, however. Spurs finished second-from-bottom in the league, albeit 10 points clear of relegated Crystal Palace, and were knocked out of the FA Cup on their first outing in it. The losses of Grace Clinton, who returned to Manchester United after a fruitful loan in north London, and Celin Bizet, who followed Clinton to the Red Devils, didn't help, but Vilahamn's stock has certainly sunk.

"If you want highs you have to accept the lows," he said recently, before his team ended the campaign on a 10-game winless streak. "The thing is the environment - you can see the players are buying into it, so if you want to take it to the next level you need this. I hope this will be a benefit for next season."

It's not been an easy few years for Rehanne Skinner, nor West Ham. When Skinner's stint at Tottenham came to an end in March 2023, Spurs had lost all of their last nine league games and were embroiled in a relegation battle. Her first few months as West Ham boss at the start of the next season were tough, too. Indeed, when the winter break came in that 2023-24 campaign, Skinner had taken just five points from the last 57 available in the WSL, across her spells with the two London clubs.

These last six months, then, have featured quite the turnaround for both club and coach. After finishing second-from-bottom last term, the Hammers improved mightily this season to steer well clear of a relegation battle that threatened to engulf them at times before Christmas. It's something that Skinner, her players and her staff deserve huge credit for.

As a club with limited resources when compared to others in the WSL, it's the transfer business Skinner has overseen which deserves singling out in particular, with there more need for them to be shrewd in the market. Katrina Gorry, signed in January last season but only able to play a few games due to injury, has been one of the best midfielders in the league in her first full campaign at the club, while Shekiera Martinez's 10 goals in 12 games since debuting in January of this year has arguably made her the signing of the season.

One story that has dominated the women's football space in recent months has been the idea that the WSL could temporarily scrap relegation. In the end, that controversial proposal didn't go ahead, but while it was extremely unpopular, the fact remains that the league needs to do something to help bridge the gap to the Women's Championship.

In the 2023-24 season, Bristol City became the first newly-promoted team since Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2016 to be relegated from the WSL, but Crystal Palace repeated the trick this season to immediately return to the division they were crowned champions of just 12 months ago.

Like in the men's game - where the three newly-promoted teams have just been relegated from the Premier League for the second-successive season, despite it not happening since 1998 before that - a sizeable gap is emerging between the top two divisions. How is it addressed? That's what the Women's Professional Leagues Limited, which runs both, has to figure out.