General
There’s been so many games to watch across the weekend, spanning from Friday night under the lights to Sunday afternoon, around the same time you’re tucking into your roast.
We know it’s hard to keep up sometimes, so we’ve put together some of our favourite heart-warming moments, so you stay to up to date with the action.
Jill Roord returns from injury
Manchester City midfielder Jill Roord returned from injury yesterday, stepping onto the pitch for the first time in 249 days.
Roord sustained an ACL injury in January 2024 and has been sidelined since then. But this weekend, she replaced Vivianne Miedema in the 80th minute against Brighton to a huge round of applause from both sets of fans.
After the game, Roord paid special thanks to the medical team for all their help in getting her back to what she loves doing most.
Clinton’s 100% scoring record
There’s been a lot of hype around 21-year-old Grace Clinton since she was loaned to Tottenham Hotspur last season. This season, she returned to her parent club Manchester United and in two games has shown why she deserves to be back in the fold.
As starts to the season go, things could not have been better for Clinton who has scored in both WSL matches. Last weekend, she scored against West Ham (53rd minute). This weekend she scored the team’s only goal against Everton in the 4th minute, securing three points. And what a goal it was…
Chelsea v Man Utd postponed to allow for Champions League preparation
Scheduling is one of the hottest topics in women’s football. Time and time again we hear (understandable) complaints from players and clubs about how little preparation they have for games when three fixtures come within the same week.
The conversation becomes even more charged given the spate of recent ACL injuries, with overloading thought to be at least one of the factors in this career-halting injury.
But the WSL has spiced things up this year and given a huge nod to the approach they will be taking going forwards – putting player welfare front and centre.
The Chelsea v Manchester United WSL fixture scheduled for 6th October has been postponed to give Chelsea players enough time to prepare for their Real Madrid UEFA Women’s Champions League group-stage game on the 8th October.
It’s not ideal for those fans who may have already made plans or spent money to attend the fixture, but it’s a welcome move to ensure the UWCL stays as competitive as possible and that every effort is taken to ensure injuries are reduced.
Olivia Smith gets on the score sheet
Twenty-year-old Smith was one of Liverpool’s hottest signings this year. She was also a record-breaker. Liverpool sealed her transfer from Portugese side Sporting Lisbon for almost €250,000 (£210k).
The forward has started for Liverpool in both games this season. First against Leicester last weekend (1-1) and this weekend against West Ham (1-1).
Smith made her mark this weekend with a beautiful debut goal…
Smith was unfortunate not to be selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics squad but she’ll be working towards building a few excellent WSL seasons to secure her spot for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. In the meantime, she’s showing Liverpool why she was worth her fee.
Click here for more on Olivia Smith: https://shesaballer.co.uk/wsl-young-ballers-on-the-rise/
Millie Bright’s one year captaincy anniversary
The 31-year-old captain celebrated her one year anniversary as Blues captain this weekend. Bright took over the reigns from Magda Erikkson who left Chelsea to join Bayern Munich in summer 2023.
Bright, who also celebrated her ten year anniversary with Chelsea this season, has overseen a hugely successful time for the club. This year, she captained the club to a 7th WSL title and has helped the team overcome the turbulence of Emma Hayes’ departure.
Chelsea have made a strong start to the season, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in the opening game and Crystal Palace 7-0 on Friday. There’s a long way to go but Bright is well-versed in long seasons, determination and maintaining high standards.