WSL derbies: A season of surprises
Chelsea sealed the WSL title on the last day of the season… but who was the best of the London teams?
Chelsea sealed the Women’s Super League (WSL) title on goal difference on the last day of the season, ensuring that Emma Hayes signed off in style.
But, I hear you cry, who was the best of the London teams?
It will come as no surprise to find out that Chelsea are the Queens of London for 2023-24. The Blues bounced back from a 4-1 humiliation at the Emirates Stadium in December to win all the rest of their derbies and finish comfortably ahead of their rivals.
Arsenal, meanwhile, can point to shock defeats to Spurs and West Ham - the first time either of those sides have beaten Arsenal in a competitive women’s game - as a big part of the reason their title challenge fell away.
Spurs will most likely see this as further proof of their progress in recent years. They reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, too, and despite being thumped 4-0 by Manchester United there are signs that Spurs will be stronger next year.
Women’s Championship
Next season will see five teams from the capital competing in the WSL, after Crystal Palace won the Women’s Championship on the last day of the season, pipping Charlton Athletic by a single point.1
The Eagles were led by star forward Elise Hughes, who ended the season as the division’s top scorer with 16 goals in 21 games.
Special mention too for Araya Dennis, who joined Palace on loan from Arsenal at the start of the season and made an immediate impression with this tidy finish to help beat Birmingham City.
She followed it up with an absolute screamer against Charlton Athetic - a strike that was later recognised as the league’s Goal of the Season. And rightly so. Pick that one out.
Don’t get too excited, Arsenal fans. Dennis signed her first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur in February.
It means that, all being well, there will be 10 London derbies in the WSL in the 2024-25 season, more than in any other season since the foundation of the league. In fact, it’s more London teams in the top tier of the women’s game than there have ever been, as far as I can tell.2
The only time Crystal Palace have faced Arsenal in any competition was in the fifth round of the FA Cup in 2020-21, and it was a rather one-sided affair.
Noelle Maritz scored twice, Kim Little netted a penalty, and there were goals too for Beth Mead, Daniëlle van de Donk, Jordan Nobbs, Vivianne Miedema, Jill Roord and Katie McCabe, as manager Joe Montemurro oversaw a 9-0 win in his last game as Arsenal boss.
Vivianne Miedema
One final thing about this season. There’s no doubt that the departure of Dutch superstar Vivianne Miedema from Arsenal this summer has split opinion.
The club decided not to offer a new contract to a player who remains the WSL’s all-time top scorer and is still only 27 years old. I’ve seen all over social media the strength of feeling about her departure, and it’s safe to say it’s not a popular decision.
Miedema is a superb footballer and will undoubtedly find her form again elsewhere. It will likely hurt Arsenal, though, as the current rumour is that Manchester City are considering signing her.
I’ve loved watching her as an Arsenal player, but there’s nothing I can add on top of this superb tribute from Arseblog’s Tim Stillman.
Instead, I’ll leave you with this - one of the greatest individual performances I’ve ever seen, as Vivianne Miedema scored or set up 10 of the 11 goals Arsenal put past Bristol Academy in December 2019.
Thanks for everything, Viv.
At the time of writing this is dependent on Palace getting a WSL license.
I’ve got data going back to 1992-93, and there have only ever been maximum four London teams in the various iterations of the top women’s league.