Stina Blackstenius was the late hero as Arsenal secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Everton in the Women's Super League. Scoring deep into stoppage time, the Swedish striker broke the deadlock to help the Gunners reach 48 points. They now leapfrog rivals Chelsea, who sit on 46 points, boosting their Champions League hopes behind title winners Manchester City heading into the final game of the season.
Sam Kerr moved into the history books as Chelsea tightened their grip on a Champions League spot in the WSL table with a ruthless 4-1 victory over Everton. The Australian striker was in scintillating form at Goodison Park with two goals, proving exactly why she remains the focal point of the Blues' attack under Sonia Bompastor.
The Women's Asian Cup began on March 1, kickstarting a month that was set to see two of the major tournaments in the women's game take place, with the Africa Cup of Nations to follow on March 17. Incredibly, the latter was postponed just 12 days before it was due to start, but the impact the Asian Cup will have on the continuing club competitions will still be fascinating, as teams across the women's game say goodbye to some of their best players for a few weeks.
Arsenal captain Leah Williamson returned to action for the first time in four months following a knee injury. The 28-year-old sustained the issue during the Lionesses' Euro 2025 final triumph over Spain and has not featured since then. However, she is back playing after coming off the bench in the Gunners' 3-1 Women's Super League win at Everton on Saturday.
Alessia Russo marked her 100th Women's Super League appearance in style with a goal and an impressive showing as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners over Everton on Saturday at Goodison Park. Katie McCabe and Olivia Smith were also on target in a dominant win for the Gunners, who received another boost as Lionesses star Leah Williamson made her long-awaited return from injury late on in the game.
Sonia Bompastor has rued Chelsea's 'frustrating' loss to Everton on Sunday, a result that leaves the club falling behind Manchester City in the WSL title race. Chelsea have now failed to win their last three league matches following a 1-0 home defeat, despite dominating at Kingsmeadow as the Blues again failed to find the breakthrough as they fell to a narrow loss.
Manchester United came from behind to win in convincing fashion as Everton were put to the sword 4-1 in the first Women's Super League fixture to take place at Hill Dickinson Stadium, largely thanks to goals by Melvine Malard and substitute Jess Park. The Toffees had taken the lead in the first half through Honoka Hayashi, but Malard equalised before Hikaru Kitagawa put through her own net to turn the game around. It would then be Park who sealed the day with two strikes off the bench.
Everton might not have had any players in the Lionesses’ squad as they lifted the European Championship title this past summer but the Toffees’ influence on England’s success was certainly significant. Chloe Kelly, who made her breakthrough on Merseyside, was the most prominent example, after reprising her role as a national hero on more than one occasion. However, it is the more recent cases of Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park that have helped Everton carve out a glowing, and growing, reputation as the place to be right now if you are an aspiring Lioness.
Everton Women have pulled off one of the boldest moves of the summer, breaking their transfer record to prise Ruby Mace away from Leicester City. While the club haven't disclosed the exact figure, reports speculate that the deal dwarfs the £100,000 bid Everton saw turned down earlier in the window. The Toffees were determined to get their player, and under ambitious new ownership, they’ve finally landed their marquee signing.
Everton have become the latest Premier League club to sell their women’s team to a sister company in a move designed to boost transfer funds and stay compliant with Profitability and Sustainability Rules. The deal, reportedly worth around £60 million, mirrors recent strategies undertaken by Chelsea and Aston Villa to avoid breaching the league’s PSR guidelines.