GW5: Things Are Heating Up One Month Into The Season

We're now one month into the 2025/26 Barclays WSL season, and it's fair to say things are really starting to heat up as the league table begins to take shape. The leading questions as we head further into the season: Can Chelsea retain their unbeaten streak? Will Arsenal continue to fall down the rankings? And, could Tottenham be a genuine title contender?

Here are some of the key moments from GW5:

MAN UNITED V CHELSEA (1–1)

Across 16 previous WSL fixtures, United have never managed to beat Chelsea – with just two previous draws, victory eventually went to neither, another draw added to the list. However, that’s not to say it was an uneventful 90 minutes of football as the two sides leading the WSL came face to face.

Both sides set out to present their star strikers, with Aggie Beever-Jones and Elisabeth Terland making the starting XI’s for Chelsea and United respectively. Although, it was Wieke Kaptein (9th minute) and Anna Sandberg (20th minute) that decided the outcome of this tense meeting, both with stellar goals.

Whilst Chelsea remain undefeated into the 25/26 season, their performances have lacked consistency, and this was one of those games, allowing United to spot their weaknesses and take advantage. Though, this is not to suggest that United were not themselves simply playing great ball, and while the scoreline may have not dictated a clear victor, United were certainly the stronger of the two. The London side were rattled, so much so head coach Sonia Bompastor got booked for her reaction to a foul on Macario.

Chelsea may continue to lead the league table into October, but it’s clear they will face more powerful opponents as the season progresses. Furthermore, it’s clear that United, with the notable recent signings of Jess Park and Fridolina Rolfö, are a squad to keep a close eye on.

MAN CITY V ARSENAL (3–2)

If you ever needed proof of Leah Williamson’s impact on the Arsenal squad that she vice captain’s, then look no further than this defeat against Manchester City – the third game in a row that the Gunners have dropped points. While they may not have topped the 24/25 league, an unexpected UWCL victory, and glorious Euro tournament by many of the team’s players, put hope into the hearts of many Arsenal fans. However, things are frankly not going their way. The only real difference to their team? The exclusion of Williamson due to injury.

On the flip side, this is proving to be a powerful season for Manchester City who have only lost one fixture this season, the opening game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. The surprising signing of Grace Clinton from rivals Manchester United has proven in their favour, with the England international already making her mark. Dutch defender Kerstin Casparij is also proving her mettle, picking up yet another Barclays Player of the Match award of the season so far following this 3–2 victory at the Joie Stadium.

While they did not have a sparkling performance overall, Arsenal did manage to produce two spectacular goals courtesy of Mariona Caldentey and Chloe Kelly, the latter facing her former of which she left in quite a furore at the top of the year. The striker’s goal in the 83rd minute was met with deafening boos. Now, the UWCL champions must switch their focus to their game against OL Lyonnes…

TOTTENHAM V BRIGHTON (1–0)

With Brighton and Hove Albion on a three game winning streak, and with Tottenham performing significantly stronger than last season, this was inevitably going to be a tight game. And for the most part, it was. Both sides showed up with particularly sturdy defences, deflecting chance after chance respectively. However, it was a 25th minute goal from Cathinka Tandberg, assisted by Jess Naz, that placed Spurs into the lead and ultimately gave them three points at home.

Spurs now find themselves third in the WSL league table, an impressive feat considering their recent nine month no-win drought. It’s now clear that the fresh leadership of Martin Ho is to thank – this week, they also added Lawrence Shamieh to their coaching staff, a poach from Manchester United. The squad’s mentality is strong, with Ho sharing with us post match, “I demand a lot from them physically. We’re showing not even half of the potential this group has got.”

As for Brighton, this was a frustrating game where opportunities were continually created, yet never converted. Whether that is down to a poor attack, or simply an impressive Spurs defence, is up for debate. Also up for debate are potential missed penalties for the Seagulls. As head coach Dario Vidošić told us at full time, “I thought we were a little hard done by with a couple penalty decisions…We’re all a bit in disbelief, I’ll be asking for an explanation.”

OTHER GAMES ACROSS THE WEEKEND

Leicester V Everton
1-1

West Ham V Aston Villa
0-2

London City V Liverpool
1–0