Ameé Ruszkai

Sandy Baltimore's sublime strike set Chelsea on their way to an important victory in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as the Blues bounced back from last week's shock defeat to Everton with a 3-0 success at Brighton. It was vital that Sonia Bompastor's side got the win here, to prevent Manchester City from further extending their lead at the top of the table, and they did exactly that, to stay six points behind the Cityzens as the WSL hits its winter break.

For a long time, it has felt like Chelsea's dominance of the Women's Super League would never end. Since the Blues were crowned champions of England for a third time back on June 5, 2020, they have yet to relinquish their crown, spending over 2000 days as the holders of the trophy thanks to six successive triumphs. This season, however, it looks like their incredible run could finally be stopped.

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has explained the thinking behind leaving the Lionesses duo of Ella Toone and Jess Park on the bench for Wednesday's Champions League defeat to eight-time winners Lyon. Although already assured of a play-off berth, the Red Devils needed a positive result to improve their seeding and to push for automatic qualification. Skinner's starting XI raised plenty of questions before his side were given a 3-0 thumping.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce's surprising error proved costly for Manchester United on Wednesday as their hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League quarter-finals were dealt a real blow in a 3-0 loss to Lyon. The United States goalkeeper failed to make what looked set to be a comfortable save from Tabitha Chawinga's header with just 12 minutes on the clock and the Red Devils couldn't get back on level terms, with Lyon dominating the game and wrapping things up late on when Melchie Dumornay's stunning brace sealed all three points.

Millie Bright had one of the best seasons of her career in 2024-25. Sporting the captain's armband, the Chelsea star guided the club to an incredible domestic treble in which they didn't lose a single game in the Women's Super League, FA Cup or League Cup, lifting all three trophies and breaking plenty of records along the way. In the last few weeks, though, as the Blues have endured a surprising run of just one win in five games, the former Lionesses defender has found herself on the outside looking in.

Beth Mead's early strike secured a vital Champions League victory for Arsenal on Tuesday, as the reigning European champions saw off Twente in a narrow but comfortable 1-0 win. It's a scoreline that doesn't reflect the dominance the Gunners enjoyed as they crept up the league-phase standings, moving to within one point of automatic qualification for the knockout rounds with one game left to play, while securing at least a play-off berth.

Things haven't been easy for Manchester United as of late. The Red Devils went into Sunday's clash with West Ham having lost three of their last four games in all competitions, a run that has seen them fall well behind the pace in the Women's Super League title race and weakened their incredibly strong position in the Champions League, ahead of two very tough final games in the league phase, starting with the hosting of eight-time winners Lyon on Wednesday. The return of Phallon Tullis-Joyce, then, could not have been better timed.

Chelsea's record-breaking unbeaten run in the Women's Super League came to a shock end on Sunday as Everton, who came into the game with just one victory in the competition this season, stunned the defending champions, winning 1-0 to deal Sonia Bompastor her first defeat as Blues boss. There were just 12 minutes on the clock when Honoka Hayashi broke the deadlock for the visiting side, giving Chelsea plenty of time to respond, but the hosts couldn't do so as their 34-game unbeaten streak in the WSL was snapped.

Dominique Janssen's sublime free-kick allowed Manchester United to avoid a first-ever three-game losing streak in the Women's Super League on Sunday, with a hard-fought and important 2-1 win over West Ham seeing them bounce back from losses to Aston Villa and Man City. The Red Devils, who have lost significant ground in the title race over the last few weeks, needed to get back on track here and they did exactly that, despite Shekiera Martinez's stunning overhead kick getting the Hammers back on level terms for a while in the second half.

It was all looking so good for Manchester United at the start of this season. Into the Women's Champions League proper for the first time and unbeaten through their first seven games of the new Women's Super League campaign, the Red Devils were flying. But as Marc Skinner's side return to action after the final international break of the year, they're looking to avoid a fourth defeat in just five games.

England's Lionesses have learned the location of their next European Championship title defence after UEFA announced the hosts of Euro 2029 on Wednesday. Poland, Germany and a joint-effort from Denmark and Sweden were the three official bids submitted for the next edition of the tournament, which will see Sarina Wiegman's side go for a third successive continental crown after triumphs in England in 2022 and in Switzerland in 2025.

England's incredibly memorable 2025 is now in the books after the Lionesses closed out their 'homecoming' series on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Ghana. Sarina Wiegman's side have been taking their European Championship trophy around the country over the last couple of months, showing off the silverware while entertaining the fans who celebrated its return home as excitedly as the players themselves. They've certainly done the latter as of late, bouncing back from defeat to Brazil to finish the year with three successive wins.

Lucia Kendall's fairytale goal helped the Lionesses see off Ghana on Tuesday night, with one of England's most exciting young prospects scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win and doing so at St Mary's Stadium, home of the Southampton side she represented for 10 memorable years. It was with the Saints that Kendall broke into senior football and when she made her international debut in October, she became the club's first ever Lioness, so it was fitting that she would find the back of the net on her return to a special venue.

A complete guide to England women's year, including how to watch games live and more

Lionesses star Chloe Kelly limped off with an injury in England's clash with Ghana on Tuesday night, casting doubt over her availability moving forward as Arsenal prepare to enter a very important part of their season. The Gunners have two huge Champions League games coming up this month, as the holders bid to qualify for the knockout stages, but they could well have to take on those challenges without Kelly.

It's hard to overstate the degree to which Chloe Kelly captured the attention of a nation this past summer. Her pivotal performances in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the 2025 European Championship helped drive England on to a second successive continental crown while also catapulting her name into the limelight like never before, even surpassing the levels achieved after her extra-time goal won Euro 2022. Yet, fans tuning into the Women's Super League this season hoping to see Kelly's magic in action for Arsenal, will have been disappointed.

A complete guide to the United States' year, including fixtures in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup

Georgia Stanway went home with the match ball on Saturday after bagging a hat-trick in England's record-breaking 8-0 win over China, one just short of a record defeat for the 1999 Women's World Cup finalists. A dominant display, which had the European champions 3-0 up inside just 16 minutes, returned the Lionesses' biggest ever win at Wembley Stadium, surpassing the 6-0 thumping dealt out to Portugal back in May.