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• Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Nassr: Bergwijn nets last-gasp winner for leaders

  Steven Bergwijn's last-gasp winner earned Al-Ittihad a huge victory in their quest for the Saudi Pro League title, beating Al-Nassr 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday. 

  Karim Benzema had given the hosts a 55th-minute lead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled two minutes later, but Bergwijn struck the decisive blow in second half stoppage time. 

  In a tepid opening 45 minutes, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Bergwijn and Benzema going closest for the hosts, but unable to trouble Bento. 

  However, Al-Ittihad got themselves in front shortly after the break when Muhannad Al Shanqiti picked out Benzema, with the Frenchman on hand to tuck the ball home.

  But the hosts' joy was short-lived after Angelo saw his effort cleared off the line by Danilo Pereira, before the Brazilian laid the ball back to Ronaldo to level the scoring. 

  With the game looking to end all square, Al-Ittihad stole the three points at the death as Bergwijn cut inside before curling a right-footed effort into the far-left corner. 

  The result moved Al-Ittihad three points clear at the summit, though Al-Hilal can go level with them with a win over Al-Raed on Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, stayed in fourth. 

  Data Debrief: Bergwijn bursts Ronaldo's bubble

  Al-Ittihad have often been second best in their encounters with Al-Nassr, but they earned an impressive victory against Ronaldo's side, though it may not have been deserved. 

  They managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.66 from their 11 shots compared to Al-Nassr's 1.2 from the same number of attempts. 

  Benzema also ended his goal drought against Al-Nassr, having failed to score against them in his previous game against them. The former Madrid striker ended the game with a team-high xG of 0.36, while also having more shots (seven) and touches in the opposition box (four) than any of his team-mates. 

  Al-Ittihad have now won their last nine league matches, their second-longest streak in the competition after 10 wins between October 2021 and February 2022, while also triumphing in their eighth-straight home match in the Pro League. 

• WSL story so far: Chelsea make historic start, Brighton the surprise package

  We are now more than a third of the way through the 2024-25 Women’s Super League season, with the competition resuming this week following the international break.

  All 12 teams are scheduled to play in a super Sunday card of fixtures that includes leaders Chelsea facing surprise package Brighton and Hove Albion, while Manchester United take on rivals Liverpool.

  With eight matches played by every team so far, it appears a good time to dive into how things are shaping up and analyse how the rest of the campaign could pan out. 

  Who is tipped by the Opta supercomputer to lift the WSL trophy, who is most likely to face the drop and which players lead the Golden Boot race? Let’s get stuck in.

  Chelsea chasing invincible status?

  If there were any doubts about the transition from Emma Hayes to Sonia Bompastor at Chelsea, then those early fears have been emphatically laid to rest. 

  Bompastor has won all 12 of her matches in charge of Chelsea in all competitions, making the most successful start by a WSL manager in their maiden season. 

  She is the first ever manager to win their first eight games in charge of a team in the WSL and will be confident of making it nine in a row against Brighton.

  Chelsea are just the second team (after Arsenal – first nine in 2018-19) to win their first eight games of a WSL campaign. Bompastor’s side have been ruthless, with the Blues having already scored 26 goals in the league – an average of 3.25 per match and 10 more than second-best Manchester City (16). 

  They have also had 321 touches in the opponent’s box (nine more than any other team), and 138 shots (five more than any other side), while conceding just three goals and keeping six clean sheets.

  Guru Reiten has been the standout Chelsea star and is having a stellar season. Only Khadija Shaw (seven) has scored more goals in the WSL this term than Reiten (six).

  Reiten made her 100th WSL appearance last time out in a win over Man Utd, marking the occasion with the winner from the penalty spot. She has recorded 67 goal contributions in the competition (35 goals, 32 assists).

   

  Reiten has also been Chelsea’s most creative player, having crafted 17 chances – the third-highest total in the league behind Lauren Hemp (26) and Katie McCabe (21). 

  No player in Chelsea’s squad has had more shots than Reiten (21), who has a shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) of 50%. 

  The winger’s versatility has been key to Bompastor finding the best combination for her starting lineup. Mayra Ramirez, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Aggie Beever-Jones have all scored three league goals each for the Blues this season. Ramirez and Rytting Kaneryd are two of six players on five goal contributions in the WSL.

  Chelsea were tipped for WSL glory at the start of the season and are now even bigger favourites to win the title according to the Opta supercomputer, which hands them a massive 93% chance of retaining the crown. That is up from 59% at the start of the season.

  This Chelsea team is reminiscent of Vic Aker’s legendary Arsenal side, which delivered the quadruple in 2006-07 and went an incredible 108 league games undefeated between 2003 and 2009. 

  Whether Chelsea can join them in the history books by completing an unbeaten season remains to be seen, but Bompastor's team have all the ingredients to do something very special this term.

   

  City and Arsenal chasing

  Manchester City currently sit second with 19 points and will be demoralised to trail Chelsea by five at this early stage. 

  City made headlines earlier this season with a landmark Champions League win against holders Barcelona, but they have also been held to a draw by Arsenal and defeated by Chelsea. 

  Boss Gareth Taylor (currently 71) is one win away from equalling Nick Cushing (72) for the second-most wins by a manager in WSL history; only Joe Montemurro (76%) has a better win rate in the competition than the City boss' 74%, among those to take charge of 10 or more matches. 

  He will be desperate to further cement his legacy with a title, but City are already in danger of falling adrift. 

  Lauren Hemp’s recent injury is a major blow to their hopes. She has averaged 1.1 goal contributions per 90 this term in the WSL. She has scored twice, providing five assists – a league-high figure. Hemp has also created 26 chances, five more than any other player in the league (ahead of McCabe – 21). 

  Man City have the highest xG (17.3) in the WSL, though they have slightly underperformed, netting 16 times from 133 shots. A failure to match Chelsea's ruthlessness in front of goal cost them the title last season, and they are also behind the Blues' pace this term.

   

  Arsenal, meanwhile, experienced their worst-ever start to a WSL season, not getting a win on the board until Matchday 5 when they beat West Ham 2-0. The Gunners' poor start led to Jonas Eidevall leaving the club. 

  Since Eidevall departed in mid-October, Arsenal have won three of their four WSL matches and scored 11 goals, trailing only Chelsea (16) in that period, while their 8.2 xG in that timeframe is the third-highest in the competition.

  They have as many victories since Eidevall left as they managed in their final seven games under him (three wins, three draws, one loss).

  Interim boss Renee Slegers has turned things around and Arsenal have had 63 shots under her – the second-most in the WSL in that span – and registered a 17.5% conversion rate. Defensively, they have only given up opportunities worth 2.2 xG since the change of coach, keeping three clean sheets. 

  City are still deemed Chelsea's most likely challengers for the title, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 6.3% chance of topping the pile, but that is down massively from their 23.2% probability in pre-season.

  Arsenal’s hopes are now at a mere 0.6%, whereas they won the league in 16% of the pre-season simulations run by our predictive model.

  Seagulls flying high 

  The surprise name among the chasing pack is Brighton, who – perhaps aside from Bompastor's flying start at Chelsea – have been the story of the campaign to date.

  They were tipped to be relegated ahead of the season, with the supercomputer making them the favourites to go down (26.6%) – yet they now sit third and have a 52.7% probability of finishing in the top five, though our model hands them only a 0.2% chance of placing in the top three.

  Coach Dario Vidosic joined from Melbourne City in pre-season and has been a revelation, with some canny work in the transfer market paying off for the Seagulls.

  Experienced WSL campaigners Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris have both been excellent since joining. Kirby recently surpassed 100 goal contributions in the WSL, and the former Chelsea star has been involved in a team-leading 28 open-play shot-ending sequences this term.

   

  Parris has scored three league goals for Brighton and is just four goal contributions from reaching the 100 milestone herself.

  Kiko Seike is Brighton’s leading scorer, with her four goals coming from just 1.4 xG, showing the high level of her finishing this term. Indeed, of players to score at least twice in the WSL this season, only Tottenham’s Eveliina Summanen (50%) has a better shot conversion rate than Seike (36.4%).

  The Seagulls, however, will resume their campaign at Chelsea on Sunday in their toughest test yet. The Opta supercomputer gives them little hope of getting something out of the game with their win probability at 3.1%, with Chelsea overwhelming favourites with a 90.8% win probability. 

  The relegation battle

  It has been a tough start for new kids on the block Crystal Palace, who sit bottom on five points in their maiden WSL season. 

  However, they – and any other team in the bottom half – could quite quickly turn things around, as there are only four points between them in 12th and Liverpool in sixth. 

  Palace have struggled defensively and have the highest xGA figure in the WSL (16.7), though their actual goals conceded stands at 20, 3.3 more than anticipated based on the quality of shots they have faced. That suggests they have improvements to make defensively, but also that they have been unfortunate to face some ruthless opponents.

  The Eagles have also struggled to get control of their games, seeing just 39.1% of the ball on average – lower than any other team.

  At the other end of the pitch, ninth-placed Everton have been one of the WSL's worst performers, netting just three times, with one of those being a penalty and another being an own goal.

   

  Tenth-placed Leicester City, meanwhile, have netted just two goals, with their 4.4 xG also a league-low figure. Leicester and Everton have had the fewest touches in the opponents’ box, too (113 for the Foxes, 123 for Everton). Both can expect to struggle if they cannot find a way of carving out more chances.

  Seventh-placed Tottenham have conceded the most goals (21), though they are also the fifth-highest scorers with 12 goals, so they may feel they have the attacking quality to steer clear of danger. 

  The Opta supercomputer currently makes Leicester favourites for the drop, with the Foxes propping up the table in 34.4% of season simulations and Palace going down in 28.3%.

  West Ham – who have continued their struggles from last season and face Palace in a huge six-pointer on Sunday – go down in 19.4% of scenarios, with Everton doing so in 8.8%, Aston Villa in 7% and Tottenham in just 1.6%.

  Shaw leads Golden Boot race

  Shaw has picked up where she left off last season. It is her and Reiten who lead the way at the top of the scoring charts, with seven and six goals respectively.

  Reiten has scored five non-penalty goals from a non-penalty xG of 2.4. That +2.6 gap between non-penalty xG and non-penalty goals is the joint-largest positive differential recorded by any player in the WSL this season, along with Brighton’s Seike.

  Shaw, meanwhile, has the fourth-highest non-penalty xG overperformance (+1.5) in the division. Arsenal’s in-form Frida Maanum has registered a +2.2 overperformance.

  City star Shaw is a high-volume shooter and has had 35 shots, at least 10 more than any other player in the competition, though she has only been accurate with 48.3% of those (17).

   

  With eight to her name, Shaw leads the way for goal contributions, too, with team-mate Hemp (seven – five assists, two goals) and Chelsea's Reiten (six – six goals) hot on her heels. Seike, Kirby, Ramirez, Rytting Kaneryd, Maanum and Rachel Daly are all on five goal contributions each. 

  Shaw is netting every 89 minutes, while Reiten averages a goal every 112. Seike’s minutes-per-goal ratio this term is 104, and among players to score at least three times in the WSL this season, Chelsea's Beever-Jones – who has only started twice – is scoring at the best rate after Shaw, averaging a goal every 95 minutes.

  Ones to watch

  Some hidden gems have already shone in the WSL this season and the data highlights multiple players who might be worthy of further attention.

  Spurs’ Ashleigh Neville has won 27 tackles, more than any other player, while she also leads the competition for interceptions (21), ahead of Lucy Bronze and Ruby Mace (both 19).

  Manchester United’s Grace Clinton, meanwhile, is having a breakout season after returning from a loan spell with Spurs. She has contested (128) and won (61) the most duels in the competition. She also made an impact on the international stage during the latest hiatus, netting England's winner against Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland.

  United also have a new star between the sticks following Mary Earps' move to Paris Saint-Germain. According to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, Phallon Tullis-Joyce has been the best goalkeeper in the WSL when it comes to goals prevented (5.9).

  There are also a few new names impressing for lesser-fancied teams. Leicester's 19-year-old winger Shana Chossenotte – signed from Reims in August – has created five chances following carries this term, with only Hemp (12), Rytting Kaneryd and Mariona Caldentey (six apiece) recording more.

  Liverpool, meanwhile, brought in 20-year-old Canada international Olivia Smith ahead of the campaign and she has recorded a league-high 11 shots following carries.

   

  Of all players to attempt at least 20 dribbles this campaign, meanwhile, the Reds winger has the best dribble success rate, at 66.7%.

  Even if Chelsea are threatening to run away with the title, there are plenty of interesting storylines to follow across the division, and plenty of players hoping to turn heads as the season progresses.

• Women's Super League predictions: Seagulls' wings to be clipped by perfect Chelsea?

  The Women's Super League returns following the international break, with a super Sunday slate of six games promising plenty more thrills and spills.

  Chelsea remain perfect at the top of the tree as the season hurtles towards Christmas, winning their first eight WSL matches under Sonia Bompastor – and their first 12 across all competitions.

  Brighton and Hove Albion – who are soaring in third after acquiring Chelsea icon Fran Kirby in the off-season – are the next team to attempt to halt their charge.

  The day's action begins with a showdown between rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, while Chelsea's foremost challengers Manchester City take on Leicester City.

  Elsewhere, Arsenal – still unbeaten under interim boss Renee Slegers – welcome Aston Villa and there are tussles between Tottenham and Everton, and West Ham and Crystal Palace.

  But which way will this week's games go? We turned to the trusty Opta supercomputer to get its weekly predictions.

  MAN UTD V LIVERPOOL

  Leigh Sports Village Stadium plays host to Sunday's first game as United look to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign – against Chelsea last time out. They last suffered successive WSL defeats in the final two matchweeks of 2023-24. Those defeats came against Chelsea and Liverpool.

  However, the Red Devils boast a positive record against Liverpool, winning two of their three at home against them in the WSL (one loss), including a 6-0 win in January 2023, which remains their biggest victory in the competition.

  Liverpool, meanwhile, have lost their last two league games without scoring (0-3 versus Chelsea, 0-1 against Everton); they last lost three in a row in the competition in November 2022 (a run of five).

   

  United will need to step things up in attack, having only managed three shots in their defeat to Chelsea on November 24, their fewest in any of their 110 WSL matches.

  If they can find their shooting boots, they should be confident of victory. The Opta supercomputer gives them a 62% chance of a win, compared to 17.9% for Liverpool and a 20.1% likelihood of a draw.

  TOTTENHAM V EVERTON

  Tottenham suffered comprehensive defeats to both Man City and Arsenal before the international break, and they will attempt to bounce back against an Everton side that finally got their first win on the board last time out, beating Merseyside rivals Liverpool 1-0.

  The Toffees have a 50% win rate against Tottenham in the WSL (five wins, four draws, one loss), only boasting a better ratio against Aston Villa (63%) in the competition.

  Tottenham also have the leakiest defence in the division this term, shipping 21 goals through eight games – their most ever at this stage of a top-flight campaign.

  Yet they are still favoured by the supercomputer, with home advantage surely a key factor given Everton are winless in four away matches this season. Spurs triumphed in 53.3% of our pre-match simulations, with Everton winning 22.8% and 23.9% ending all square.

  MAN CITY V LEICESTER

  Kicking off one hour before the league leaders, Gareth Taylor's Man City have a chance to cut the gap at the summit – even if only temporarily – to two points when they host Leicester. 

  A victory for the hosts would represent Taylor's 72nd in the WSL and take him level with Nick Cushing for the second-most victories by any manager in the competition's history (Emma Hayes has 151).

  The supercomputer certainly fancies his chances of climbing those charts, with City victorious in 89.5% of pre-match simulations, only losing in 3.6% and being held to a draw in 6.8%.

  Though City saw their unbeaten start to the campaign halted by Chelsea last time out, it is easy to see why they are such hefty favourites. They have won 11 of their last 12 home WSL matches (one loss) and have never lost on their own turf in the month of December (eight games, seven wins, one draw).

  Chloe Kelly will be one to watch for struggling Leicester, having scored in each of her last three WSL games against the Foxes. However, she is currently on her longest drought in the competition, failing to net in 13 outings since she last scored in February – against Leicester. 

  CHELSEA V BRIGHTON

  Chelsea coach Bompastor has already made history by winning her first eight WSL games at the helm – a feat no manager had previously achieved.

  On Sunday, her Blues team could equal the best-ever start to a season in competition history, as only Arsenal in 2018-19 have ever started a campaign with nine straight victories.

  Brighton, however, have won five of their eight league matches this campaign to sit third, eight points adrift of the Blues. The Seagulls already have as many victories in 2023-24 as they managed across the whole of last season in the top flight (five).

  Former Chelsea star Kirby has been key to their rise, and she registered a goal and an assist as they beat West Ham 3-2 last time out. That made her just the fourth player to register 100 or more WSL goal involvements, with her total of 101 now only surpassed by Vivianne Miedema (116) and Beth Mead (111). Beth England has 100 exactly.

   

  Despite Brighton's strong start, Chelsea are – as most observers would expect – big favourites. 

  The supercomputer gives the Blues a 90.8% chance of remaining perfect, with Brighton assigned just a 3.1% chance of victory and the likelihood of a draw rated at 6%.

  ARSENAL V ASTON VILLA

  Chelsea are not the only team likely to be cursing the timing of the international break. Arsenal have been on a roll since Slegers took over from Jonas Eidevall, going unbeaten in seven games across all competitions under their interim coach.

  With Aston Villa only winning once in eight matches this term, the Gunners are big favourites (83.3%) for victory with the supercomputer on Sunday. Villa are given just a 6.2% chance of inflicting Slegers' first defeat, and a 10.5% hope of escaping the Emirates Stadium with a point.

  Arsenal have won their last two WSL games without conceding and could now register three straight victories to nil for the first time since October 2022, when they put together a remarkable run of 10 successive wins without conceding.

  They have been boosted by the return to form of Alessia Russo, who is aiming to score in four straight matches in the WSL for the first time. Only Khadija Shaw and Guro Reiten (four) bettered her three WSL goals during the month of November.

   

  The Gunners had better beware Villa's strong record in London, though. Only Man City (55%) and Man Utd (35%) have a better WSL win rate in the capital than Villa (29%) among clubs hailing from outside London.

  WEST HAM V CRYSTAL PALACE

  Sunday's action ends with a London derby between West Ham and Crystal Palace, with the two teams occupying the bottom two places in the league with five points apiece.

  The supercomputer sees this game as the most difficult to call across the division on matchday nine. West Ham won 45.7% of our pre-match simulations, with 26.8% finishing level and 27.5% going Palace's way.

  Since the start of last season, West Ham have lost the most games (18), won the fewest points (20), conceded the joint-most goals (59) and scored the fewest goals (26) of any ever-present team in the WSL.

  However, they did beat Leicester in their last home match and will have noted Palace's tendency to throw points away.

  Only Villa (eight) have dropped more points from winning positions than Palace (seven) in the WSL this term, with the Eagles going 1-0 ahead in three of their last four league matches but failing to win any.