Alessia Russo, Phallon Tullis-Joyce & GOAL's Women's Super League Team of the 2024-25 Season

There are several goalkeepers in the WSL who have had strong seasons this year. Courtney Brosnan has impressed between the sticks for Everton, while Kinga Szemik has also caught the eye during her first season in England with West Ham. However, it's Phallon Tullis-Joyce who earns the starting spot in this XI after stepping up to the plate brilliantly at Manchester United.

The American had big shoes to fill after Mary Earps' departure in the summer, and she's done that exceptionally well, with her now one clean sheet off the England star's record for the most in a single WSL season. Those 13 in 21 games have been enough to put her in pole position to win the Golden Glove, too.

Of course, that is also due to a great defence in front of her, but the stats do a great job of supporting the eye test and identifying the particular role Tullis-Joyce has played in United's solidity. Her expected goals against stat stands at 20.88, but she has only actually conceded 12. That's a remarkable differential - and her save percentage is also the highest in the division of goalkeepers to have played more than two games. She's been incredible.

When you think about this incredible Chelsea team, one which has now won six-successive WSL titles, it's usually the attacking depth that comes to mind - or at least it has been over the years, with names like Kerr, Lauren James, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder regularly grabbing the headlines throughout this dynasty. In Sonia Bompastor's first season in charge of the Blues, though, it has been their qualities in defence that has stood out.

Lucy Bronze, signed by Bompastor in the summer, is one of those who has thrived in an extremely reliable and consistent back four. Ranking among Chelsea's top three players for aerial duels won, blocks made and possession won, while leading the way in interceptions, the England full-back has been excellent in the WSL this season. That she sits just outside the WSL's top 10 when it comes to chances created, despite not taking set-pieces and sometimes moving into a centre-back role, offers a look at the renowned attacking elements she has brought to the table, too.

Arsenal's Emily Fox, Manchester United's Jayde Riviere and Manchester City's Kerstin Casparij all deserve honourable mentions here for how well they have performed throughout a season that has been particularly fruitful for right-backs, but it is Bronze who sneaks ahead to secure this spot.

Next up in the Chelsea defensive roll call is Nathalie Bjorn, whose first full season at the Blues has been superb. Identified by Emma Hayes as someone who could step up to another level when she was signed from Everton in January 2024, the Sweden international has justified that assessment this term, even if her performances have gone under the radar at times.

"She’s been incredible for us," Millie Bright, her centre-back partner, said last month. "She is a vital part of the dressing room, she keeps everyone together and sometimes goes unnoticed a little bit as well. It’s so easy to play alongside her, she gives everyone that confidence. She is such a team player. As long as the team performs and wins that’s all she cares about."

Thanks to Bjorn's excellent defensive work, the Chelsea have done exactly that, picking up that sixth-successive WSL title because of the strong foundation laid by a top-class back line.

Arguably the most impressive piece of that Chelsea defence has been Bright, who has returned to her very best level this season after a couple of campaigns that have been hindered by injuries. It's not been easy to be a centre-back for the Blues this term, either. Injuries to Kadeisha Buchanan, Maelys Mpome and Naomi Girma have often left Bright and Bjorn as Bompastor's only two options in that position, giving them a heavier workload than anticipated, but both have performed admirably despite that.

"It's always positive when one of your leaders, and the main leader in Chelsea, is performing at that level," the Blues' boss said of Bright earlier this season. "I think she just sets the tone for everyone else and as a captain, she shows the example."

Sandy Baltimore is unlucky not to complete this defence and make it an entirely Chelsea affair, but Katie McCabe just edges ahead after being consistently superb and almost ever-present for an Arsenal side that recovered spectacularly from a tricky start to the campaign and finished second in the league.

No one in the WSL has created more chances than McCabe this season, which speaks wonders of her brilliance from set-pieces and her constantly good final product in open play, as well as her ability to get forward in such a committed manner to support the attack. But don't let that detract from what she offers in defence. The Ireland captain also ranks third for tackles won in this Arsenal team and second for interceptions made. McCabe may often play like a second winger, but it is certainly as one who honours her defensive duties.

It's been a wonderful season for West Ham, who were right in relegation danger at the midway point of the campaign, but now sit seventh in the WSL standings. Plenty has been made of Shekiera Martinez's impact in that turnaround, after the Germany youth international was recalled from a loan spell in January and has gone on to score nine goals in 10 games, but there are other players who deserve big praise too. One of them is Katrina Gorry.

Only Tottenham full-back Ashleigh Neville has won more tackles than Gorry across the entire division, while it is just Man City's Yui Hasegawa who ranks ahead of her in the possession won column. Those stats serve well to underline the hard work, grit and tireless energy the Australia international has brought to the table to help West Ham really kick on.

"The way she plays in midfield, she helps us to build the style of football we want in an attacking sense," head coach Rehanne Skinner told Optus Sport back in the summer. "She's smart on the ball and looks for opportunities to play forward and exploit other teams, but you can see the way she works hard. She'll battle for everything from the start to the end. To be honest, that's what West Ham is about. She epitomises that."

Gorry has certainly lived up to that billing in a tremendous individual and team season.

It's easy to make a case for Mariona Caldentey to have been the best player in the WSL this season. There are others who deserve to be in that conversation as well, with Bright certainly one of them, but the Spaniard has been sublime since signing from Barcelona last summer.

Whether as a left winger or a central midfielder, Caldentey has been an incredible asset in attack, creating the third-most chances across the division to lead Arsenal in assists while also bagging seven goals of her own. When in that deeper role, it's hard not to be mesmerised by how wonderfully the World Cup winner dictates play too, with no one sending more successful passes into the final third.

But what Caldentey doesn't get enough credit for is her work off the ball. She ranks in the WSL's top five for tackles won and possession won, mixing it with defenders and holding midfielders at the top of those columns, while leading the way for how often she has regained possession in the final third. Her work rate is immense.

When Grace Clinton returned to Manchester United ahead of this season, after a terrific loan spell at Tottenham, there was a lot of excitement among fans about the potential of her replicating that form with her parent club, but also questions over just how she would fit into the team. After all, Clinton's best position is in the No.10 role that Ella Toone has had nailed down for several years at the club now. Fortunately, it's worked out quite nicely over the last few months in particular.

In the first half of the season, Clinton was given free rein in the position once an injury sidelined Toone for several months - and she thrived, scoring huge match-winning goals to boost United's chances of returning to the Champions League. Since her England team-mate's return, the pair have developed their working relationship in that midfield steadily, too, so that both have been able to make a real positive impact to complete that quest for European football.

Clinton's most eye-catching contributions have come in attack, namely in the form of eight goals and more chances created than any other United player. But she is another who impresses with her defensive work, ranking among the league's top three for possession won.

Perhaps one of the biggest questions going into this summer's transfer window is whether or not Liverpool can keep hold of Olivia Smith, as the 20-year-old's first season in the WSL has been absolutely fantastic. It's not been an easy year for the Reds in general, with injuries hitting the squad hard and head coach Matt Beard departing the club in February. Yet, Smith has constantly impressed, scoring seven goals in a team that has managed just 22 in total.

Though electric in a front two under Beard, the forward has arguably been even better since interim boss Amber Whiteley moved her to wide role in March. Indeed, her two-goal performance against Manchester United, which secured a first-ever win at Anfield for Liverpool's women's team, supports that theory. Whether Smith will be lighting matches up in the club's famous red next season, though, depends on their ability to fend off suitors in the coming months.

It's been a wonderful season of progress for Alessia Russo. The Arsenal striker has long been excellent in many departments, especially with her ability to hold the ball up, link build-up play and press the opposing defence. While keeping a high level in those areas, she is now starting to take huge strides as a goal-scorer, improving her finishing to the point that she is in contention to win this season's WSL Golden Boot.

There were some strong contenders for Russo's place in this team; Khadija Shaw racked up 12 goals, putting her joint-top of the scoring charts with the England striker, despite playing just 14 games due to injury, while Martinez's impact at West Ham since debuting in January has been remarkable. But Russo's contributions across the entire season for Arsenal have regularly made her a stand-out player and she deserves the plaudits coming her way.

It's not been a good year for Manchester City. There have been a number of reasons for that and injuries have been a major one, with the likes of Shaw, Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Miedema among those to spend significant time on the sidelines throughout the 2024-25 campaign. Sadly, Mary Fowler is set for a spell of her own out of action, having torn her ACL in the final few weeks of the season. However, before that dreadful news, the 22-year-old had done a remarkable job of stepping up amid the absence of key names.

Registering six goals and a division-leading seven assists in 17 WSL appearances - just 12 of those starts - her consistent creativity and goal threat helped keep City's chances of success alive for much longer than one might've imagined. She'll be a huge miss next term.