London City gelling, Man City flying as WSL pauses after five weeks
After five frantic weeks, the Women’s Super League pauses for a two-week break, with London City and Manchester City standing out during the competition’s opening phase.
For the first time this decade the established order in the WSL looks under threat, with London City Lionesses, Tottenham and Liverpool all expressing ambitions to climb the table; after five games London City appear the most convincing. Sunday’s 6-1 win at Spurs showcased manager Eder Maestre’s depth and summer recruitment, with two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas — signed from Barcelona — scoring twice and teammates Kadidiatou Diani and Danielle van de Donk also prominent. "This kind of win can be a game-changer," Maestre said. Spurs’ heavy home defeat serves as a reality check while Liverpool’s narrow away losses to both Manchester clubs, exacerbated by the absence of Vivien Endemann against United, highlighted a comparative lack of squad depth.
Defending champions Manchester City have won all five league games, scoring 16 goals, and their comeback victory over Arsenal represented their best start to a season since the 2017-18 campaign opened with seven straight wins. That run has reinforced City’s position as the team to beat and, the article argues, has likely ended Arsenal’s title hopes this early in the season.
City’s form has been underpinned by key individuals and summer business: Khadija Shaw’s contract renewal and her five league goals, Lauren Hemp’s four goals and two assists, and the additions of Beth Mead, Carlotta Wamser and Niamh Charles. Chelsea are emerging as City's closest rivals after responding to an opening-day draw with four consecutive wins without conceding, although boss Sonia Bompastor wants improved clinical finishing. Arsenal sit 10 points behind the leaders, and manager Renee Slegers conceded on Sunday: "At the moment, we are not in the conversation."
Manchester United’s season began amid upheaval following Eva Olid’s arrival from Hearts and initial defeats by London City and Chelsea, with the club framing this year as a transition. Recent form has improved: Saturday’s 1-0 win over Liverpool was United’s fourth straight victory in all competitions, with 18 goals scored in that sequence. Olid said: "I am so happy for the players - they deserve it. We have started to click in a lot of things and they fight for each other. "But there is still a lot to improve. We created chances, but our last pass and our finishing needs to be better." Summer signing Andrea Medina has been noted as a major positive on the left wing, her contribution considered more pronounced than a single goal suggests.
The WSL has expanded from 12 to 14 teams with three promoted from WSL 2, producing mixed early returns. Crystal Palace have six points from five games and moved to eighth after drawing at Aston Villa on Sunday, while promoted Birmingham have two points, one of which came against Crystal Palace. France forward Oceane Hurtre sits as joint top scorer with five goals from five games and scored against Everton in the defeat on Sunday; defender Neve Herron said the Blues were "second to everything" after that game. Charlton occupy the bottom spot with zero points, 15 goals conceded and only two scored, and goalkeeper and captain Sophie Whitehouse said after the 5-1 loss to Brighton: "It just wasn't good enough. "It's a tough league. The jump up is so big. You can't make any mistakes."
Attendance figures at some of the biggest fixtures have fallen compared with recent seasons: Chelsea hosted Arsenal on 27 September with 36% fewer at Stamford Bridge than in January this year, Liverpool against Everton at Anfield was 19% down on last season (that Merseyside derby having been the first game of the 2025-26 season), and three Saturdays ago Arsenal’s 17:30 kick-off against Manchester United drew 29,853 fans compared with 37,627 for a lunchtime meeting last season. The Manchester City v Arsenal game was moved from the Joie Stadium to the Etihad Stadium and "definitely had more than the 4,300 who attended the game last season," although official figures have yet to be released. Nevertheless, while this is a small sample size, paying customers is a potential trend to monitor as the WSL wrestles with the continued challenge of the schedule.
The league now observes a two-week break; when play resumes Manchester United travel to bottom side Charlton, before facing Manchester City the following weekend.
