GW12: Has The Winter Break Made For Tired Legs?

It's 2026 and the Women's Super League is back up and running. With the second half of the season finally here, the leading storylines are well and truly taking shape. And just like any good movie, the halfway point usually swiftly leads into a conflict, challenge, or confrontation before the cinematic climax.

Basically, don't look away now. We're just getting to the good stuff.

ARSENAL V MANCHESTER UNITED (0–0)

A return from winter break, a time to reflect and refresh, does not automatically guarantee fresh legs and optimistic results upon the blow of the whistle. If anything, play is likely to be disjointed, lethargic, and scattered as squads work to regain their chemistry. The clash between Arsenal and Manchester United, the very first WSL game of 2026, was a classic example of this, resulting in a goalless draw.

The winter break has been overwhelmingly exciting for the Red Devils, who have dived head first into the transfer window making notable signings in Bayern Munich’s Lea Schüller and San Diego Wave’s Hanna Lundkvist, with both starting on the bench in this fixture. However, as head coach Marc Skinner walked into his 100th game in charge, he was without the influence of Ella Toone, Leah Galton, and Gabby George on the grass.

The home side has, so far, only made one signing during this window of change bringing in Smilla Holmberg from Hammarby. Perhaps more important to the North Londonders has been the extension of gaffer Renée Slegers’ contract through to 2029. While performance in the 2025/26 season has been mixed, clearly confidence in the Dutch leader remains.

Retaining a clean sheet in this match will come as a relief to Arsenal’s Anneke Borbe, with the German keeper finding herself the interim number one choice with both Daphne van Domselaar and Manuela Zinsberger unavailable. The lack of goals, however, will no doubt be a source of frustration for the wider squad who struggled to profit on numerous opportunities, with big chances presented by Alessia Russo and Kim Little respectively.

United too will be aggravated by their performance, especially as they found themselves a man down on pitch when Jayde Riviere was shown a red card in the second half. A yellow shown to keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce for time wasting reveals a potential reliance on strategic timeouts in order to leave with one point once the 90 minutes had elapsed.

With Arsenal sitting just one point ahead of United in the table, this fixture was a missed chance for both sides.

MANCHESTER CITY V EVERTON (2–0)

After ending Chelsea’s historic unbeaten streak in the WSL in December, Manchester City frankly have to thank Everton for their aid in bolstering City’s lead of the league. Although, that didn’t mean they would display that gratitude at the Joie Stadium in front of a crowd battered by the rain and the wind.

City’s storyline this season so far is best described in one word: consistent. Head coach Andrée Jeglertz, who joined the Manchester side following the 2025 EURO tournament where he coached Denmark, has been named Manager of the Month three times consecutively with his club taking just one loss in this competition under his tenure as boss. And remarkably, the winter break has not seemed to disrupt this power.

Aiming to increase their gap at the top of the table, City were inevitably going to be on the prowl for a solid three points and did so with goals from Kerolin and Vivanne Miedema. However, the Toffee’s didn’t necessarily make this easy for their opponents, with keeper Courtney Brosnan putting on yet another spectacular performance. Everton did themselves produce one goal from a corner although it did not stand, certainly creating some displeasure from manager Brian Sørensen and goal scorer Martina Fernández. The referee determined that Ruby Mace, now at Everton following her time at City, had impeded goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. Whether she did or not is up for debate.

Regardless, City have entered 2026 as the leaders of the WSL with a reasonable gap now building to Chelsea. However, getting into this position was only the start of the battle. Now they must fight to stay here if they wish to lift the trophy in May.

OTHER GAMES ACROSS THE WEEKEND

Chelsea V West Ham

5–0

Tottenham V Leicester City

1–0

Aston Villa V Brighton

2–1

Liverpool V London City

0–0