Roundup of the final nine matchweeks of the 2022-23 WSL season, which saw title and relegation scraps go the distance.
Chelsea and Manchester United tussled for the title right until the very end, with Emma Hayes’ Blues forced to become hunters for much of the run-in amidst threats of Arsenal and Manchester City trying to muscle in on the title race.
Several teams meanwhile fought for their lives as the battle for survival also went the distance until the final day.
Now, here is a roundup of the 2022-23 WSL run-in covering matchweeks 14 to 22 plus the final standings.
Week 14
Alessia Russo’s hat-trick fired league leaders, Man Utd to a 5-1 home victory against rock-bottom Leicester, with Leah Galton and Lucia Garcia also finding the net for the Red Devils.
Goals from Guro Reiten, Jess Carter and Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd saw Chelsea defeat Brighton 3-1 to stay one point behind Man Utd.
Khadija Shaw’s hat-trick saw Manchester City defeat Tottenham 3-1 at the Academy Stadium.
Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord both found the net with quick-fire goals in the space of six minutes as Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-0 at Meadow Park.
Kenza Dali’s fifth minute goal and Megan Finnigan’s own-goal saw fifth-placed Aston Villa move two points clear of sixth-placed Everton, following a 2-0 away win against the Toffees.
Rachel Rowe’s late winner saw Reading beat West Ham 2-1 at home after Charlie Wellings’ opening goal was cancelled out by Viviane Asseyi, as all three goals were scored in the last 24 minutes.
Week 15
Chelsea moved top of the WSL after Sam Kerr struck a clinical 23rd minute winner to defeat Man Utd in a tightly-fought contest at Kingsmeadow.
Man City consequently moved level on points with their cross-city rivals after Shaw struck a 89th minute winner in a 2-1 win at Brighton, having initially seen her opening goal cancelled out by Elisabeth Terland’s equalising goal.
First-half goals from Kim Little and Frida Maanum fired Arsenal to an eventual 4-0 home win against Reading, as Emma Mukandi scored a 47th minute own goal before Leah Williamson wrapped up the Gunners’ comfortable win.
Rachel Daly and Jordan Nobbs fired fifth-placed Aston Villa to a 2-1 win at West Ham, despite Asseyi denying the Villains a clean sheet with a 79th minute consolatory goal for the Hammers.
Missy Bo Kearns’s 35th minute winner completed Liverpool’s comeback 2-1 win at home to Tottenham, after Emma Koivisto had cancelled out Rosella Ayane’s 17th minute opening goal just four minutes later.
Rock-bottom Leicester snatched a goalless draw at home to Everton.
Week 16
First-half goals from Filippa Angeldahl and Lauren Hemp saw Man City stun league leaders – Chelsea 2-0 at the Academy Stadium, with the Cityzens consequently moving above Emma Hayes’ Blues into second.
Man Utd though moved top from their neighbours on goal difference after Garcia’s brace helped them to a 4-0 second-half win against West Ham at Old Trafford, in which Katie Zelem opened the scoring with a penalty whilst Hayley Ladd added their third goal.
Foord scored twice as Arsenal triumphed 5-1 away to North London rivals – Tottenham, with Blackstenius, Little and Maanum also on the scoresheet for the Gunners, during which Bethany England had netted a 39th minute penalty for Spurs.
Villa continued an unlikely top-four push with a 5-0 win at home to rock-bottom Leicester, as Daly and Alisha Lehmann both scored twice after Dali had opened the scoring with a sixth-minute 20 yard strike.
Emma Harries’ second-half brace cancelled out Veatriki Sarri’s first-half double as Reading came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Brighton.
Katie Stengel’s 40th minute strike cancelled out Gabby George’s curled goal as Liverpool fought back to draw 1-1 away to Everton, in front of 22,161 fans in the first Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park.
Week 17
Leah Galton’s brace plus second-half goals from Rachel Williams and Garcia saw Manchester United win 4-0 away at Brighton, which ensured the Red Devils remained top.
Goals from Jelena Cankovic, Reiten and Kerr saw Chelsea sit a single point behind Utd in second, following a 3-0 win away at Aston Villa.
Comeback second-half goals from Maanum and Katie McCabe saw Arsenal beat Man City 2-1 to move above the Cityzens, who had led through Shaw’s fifth-minute goal.
Aggie Beever-Jones struck a 94th minute winner in a 2-1 victory for Everton at home to Tottenham, after Nicoline Sorensen’s fourth-minute goal for the hosts had been cancelled out by Eveliina Summanen.
Carrie Jones’ injury-time winner saw Leicester defeat Reading 2-1 to move off the foot of the table, after Sam Tierney’s opening goal had been cancelled out by the Royals’ Wellings.
West Ham held Liverpool to a goalless draw as both teams edged closer towards safety.
Week 18
Russo’s pullback strike in first-half injury time ensured a narrow home win for league leaders, Man Utd over Arsenal – who lost England captain, Leah Williamson to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
Second-placed Chelsea weren’t in action in Weeks 18 nor 19 due to their involvement in an eventual Women’s Champions League semi-final exit against Barcelona.
Man City consequently climbed to second with a 6-2 home win over West Ham, in which Chloe Kelly scored twice for the Cityzens, whilst Laura Coombs, Shaw, Steph Houghton and Mary Fowler all found the net too for the hosts.
Daly scored twice as fifth-placed Aston Villa fought their way to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Tottenham, in which Summanen found the net twice for the North London club in a thrilling contest.
Elisabeth Terland netted three goals across two matches as Brighton first beat Everton 3-2 in a rearranged midweek clash, before the Seagulls lost 2-1 at the Toffees’ Merseyside rivals – Liverpool days later.
Hanna Bennison, Katja Snoeijs and Sorensen all struck in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win for Everton away to Reading, during which the Royals had built a two-goal lead through Justine Vanhaevermaet.
Week 19
Millie Turner’s 93rd minute header saw Man Utd complete a 3-2 comeback from twice behind at Aston Villa, in which the Villains’ Daly scored twice to put Villla ahead but Galton and Parris pegged back the scoring for Marc Skinner’s Red Devils.
Kelly, Shaw, Hemp and Houghton all found the net in a 4-1 victory for second-placed Man City at home to Reading.
Bethany England’s brace saw Tottenham eventually snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton, after the Seagulls twice led through goals from Terland and Lee Geum-min.
Leicester moved out of the relegation spot at Reading’s expense after cruising to a 4-0 home win over Liverpool, in which Josie Green, Jones, Ashleigh Plumptre and Missy Goodwin all found the net.
Arsenal joined Chelsea in skipping this matchweek due to their Women’s Champions League involvement, which ultimately saw them lose to Wolfsburg in extra-time.
Week 20
Galton, Russo and Parris all scored in a routine 3-0 win for leaders, Man Utd at home to Tottenham, in which Galton assisted in Russo’s goal.
Kerr scored twice across two matches as Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-1 in a rearranged midweek clash then defeated Everton 7-0 in a pair of home wins, which saw Emma Hayes’ Blues reclaim second place.
Pernille Harder then scored twice whilst Reiten, Erin Cuthbert, Lauren James and Cankovic found the net in a 6-0 home win over Leicester to move to within one point of Man Utd, in Chelsea’s second rearranged midweek match of this extended matchweek.
Man City slipped to third after Missy Bo Kearns struck a 47th minute winner in a shock defeat at Liverpool, after Natasha Dowie had put the Reds in front in the 16th minute only for Hemp to pull City level minutes later.
Maanum’s curled 64th minute winner saw Arsenal edge past Leicester in a close contest at Meadow Park, before she found the net in a 4-0 away win in a rearranged trip to Brighton during which Blackstenius scored twice and Victoria Pelova completed their victory.
Daly produced a hat-trick plus assisted in Lehmann and Kirsty Hanson’s goals as Aston Villa thrashed rock-bottom Reading 5-0 away at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Kayleigh Green’s 57th minute header saw Brighton scrape past West Ham in a tightly fought contest.
Week 21
Niamh Charles, Harder, Sophie Ingle and Cuthbert all found the net as Chelsea hammered West Ham 4-0 to move top in their final rearranged fixtures, before Reiten and Magdalena Eriksson struck in a 2-0 win which ended Arsenal’s title ambitions.
Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners though stayed third after having thrashed ten-women Everton 4-1 in a rearranged clash, in which Foord scored twice in the first-half before the Toffees’ Beever-Jones was red carded for a reckless foul on Lia Walti.
Garcia’s injury-time strike meanwhile saw Man Utd take the title fight to the final day following a 2-1 victory over Man City, in which Hayley Ladd’s second-minute stunner was cancelled out by Angeldahl after City’s Ellie Roebuck was red carded for a foul on Parris.
Hanson’s brace and Daly’s strike saw fifth-placed Villa held to a 3-3 draw at home to Liverpool in an entertaining contest, in which the visitors came from behind to lead twice.
Leicester missed the chance to secure survival as Sophie Howard’s own-goal and Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s penalty secured a 2-1 away win for West Ham, despite Hannah Cain’s consolatory penalty for the Foxes after Ruby Mace was sent off after a second booking.
Reading consequently kept their survival hopes alive despite suffering a 4-1 loss at Tottenham who secured safety, courtesy of England’s brace and goals from Celin Bizet plus Kit Graham.
Bennison netted a 91st minute winner for Everton in a 2-1 win at home to Brighton, in which Snoeijs’ opening goal was cancelled out by Katie Robinson’s chipped effort.
Week 22
Kerr’s brace coupled with Reiten’s strike saw Chelsea cruise to their sixth WSL title (seventh including 2017 WSL Spring Series) with a 3-0 win away at Reading, which in-turn relegated the Royals to the Championship.
Man Utd were forced to settle for second after Garcia’s strike proved enough to beat Liverpool in a 1-0 win at Prenton Park.
Arsenal clung on to third place despite suffering a first WSL defeat against Aston Villa as Daly and Lehmann struck for the visiting Villains, in which Daly clinched the 2022-23 WSL Golden Boot as top scorer with 22 league goals this season.
Man City therefore missed out on Europe on goal difference after Shaw’s brace and Hemp’s 60th minute goal proved enough for a 3-2 home win against Everton.
17 year-old Ava Baker secured survival for Leicester with a 73rd minute winner, which saw the Foxes win away at Brighton and consequently moved above the Seagulls into 10th place on goal difference.
Tottenham snatched a 2-2 draw at London rivals – West Ham after England struck twice either side of Emma Snerle’s equaliser and Kit Graham’s own-goal which had put the Hammers in front at half-time from behind.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | Goal Difference |
| 1 | Chelsea | 22 | 58 | +51 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 22 | 56 | +44 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 22 | 47 | +33 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 22 | 47 | +25 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 22 | 37 | +10 |
| 6 | Everton | 22 | 30 | -7 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 22 | 23 | -15 |
| 8 | West Ham | 22 | 21 | -21 |
| 9 | Tottenham | 22 | 18 | -16 |
| 10 | Leicester | 22 | 16 | -33 |
| 11 | Brighton | 22 | 16 | -37 |
| 12 | Reading | 22 | 11 | -34 |
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