Something has to give in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as Chelsea put their perfect record on the line versus Manchester United, the only other unbeaten team in the division.

The clash at Kingsmeadow was postponed earlier in the season due to player welfare issues arising from the Blues' busy Champions League schedule. This is therefore the last fixture before the international break and will draw all 12 teams even on eight matches played. 

While Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea made history with last week's victory over title rivals Manchester City, this is United's longest unbeaten start to a WSL campaign since they went through 10 matchdays without defeat in 2020-21. 

A Chelsea victory would see the defending champions take a commanding five-point lead at the summit ahead of the hiatus, while a United win could blow the title race wide open. Which way will it go?

Leading the Pack

Despite a change in the dugout, Chelsea have started this season with the same relentless pace as they ended Emma Hayes' reign, with Wednesday's 3-0 win over Celtic making it 11 victories in as many games across all competitions.

Chelsea earned a reputation as mentality monsters under Hayes, but this is actually their best-ever start to a WSL season.

They have never scored more goals (25), conceded fewer goals (three), had a higher goal difference (+22) or a higher points total (21) than their current tallies after seven matches of a campaign.

Dating back to last season, the Blues have won 10 consecutive WSL matches, their longest ever winning run in the competition. The last team to have a longer winning run was City, who registered 14 straight victories between November and April last season.

Last Saturday, with a 2-0 win over City at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor became the first manager to triumph in each of their first seven games in charge of a team in the WSL. Chelsea, meanwhile, are just the third team in WSL history to win each of their opening seven games of a season, after Man City (2017-18) and Arsenal (2018-19).

This is nothing new for Bompastor, who has won 40 of her last 42 league matches as a manager with Lyon and Chelsea. 

Across her career as a whole, Bompastor now averages 2.66 points per game and has a brilliant 85.9% win ratio across all competitions, having won 110 of her 128 competitive matches as a head coach. Her teams have shipped just 78 goals while plundering 414.

Marc Skinner’s United find themselves in the chasing pack, six points back of Chelsea in fifth but knowing a win could take them second. The likes of City, Brighton and Arsenal may be quietly cheering them on in the hope that they can prevent Chelsea from pulling away.

United have, though, drawn three of their last five games, with a home stalemate versus Aston Villa earlier this month a particular source of frustration. 

They have, however, been incredibly tough to beat, something that can be attributed to their excellent defensive record. Across Europe's top five leagues, Lyon and United (two each) are the only teams to have conceded fewer goals than Chelsea (three) in league play this campaign. 

United have therefore conceded the fewest goals in the WSL this season.They are one of just three teams to concede two or fewer goals after seven games of a WSL season, along with Birmingham City in 2011 (two) and Man City in both 2016 (none) and 2019-20 (one).

Chelsea have already scored 25 league goals this term, with their xG (expected goals) overperformance of +10.2 (14.8 xG) being comfortably the best in the WSL. United's defence can expect to face its toughest test yet, and they must hold firm if they are to earn a result.

Colombian Queen

One Chelsea player to really stand out this season is Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez. Her power, agility and skill has left defenders shaken across the league, with several big goals – including one versus title rivals Arsenal – showing why the Blues splashed out to acquire her.

She joined in January from Levante for a British record €450,000 (£375,000) plus add-ons. The 25-year-old has wasted no time in acclimatising to the WSL and becoming a focal point for Bompastor's attack, with six goals and four assists in 13 league games for Chelsea.

She is averaging a goal or assist every 79 minutes in the WSL. In league history, only four players have a better minutes per goal or assist ratio than Ramirez (minimum 500 minutes played).

She has scored three and assisted two in Chelsea's seven league games in 2024-25, putting her level with Guru Reiten (five goals) and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (three goals, two assists) for the most goal involvements for the Blues this campaign. 

Only Man City duo Lauren Hemp (seven) and Khadija Shaw (eight) have registered more goal contributions than the Chelsea trio this season. 

Bompastor's Blues certainly give their forwards plenty of opportunities, with Ramirez recording 40 of her touches (19.8%) in the opposition area this season. Only five WSL players have recorded a greater percentage of touches in opposing areas in 2024-25 (minimum 20 touches in the opposition box).

Ramirez's physical prowess only adds to her reputation as an all-round threat. Ramirez has contested more duels (79) than any other Chelsea player this term, winning 27 of them. Only Lucy Bronze (30), Sjoeke Nusken (34) and Millie Bright (35) have won more duels for the Blues. Having a forward who is not afraid to lead the press from the front helps Bompastor's team pen teams in – only Man City (86 times) have won possession in the final third more often than Chelsea (68) in the WSL this season.

While City have forced more high turnovers (134 to 122) and shot-ending high turnovers (32 to 22) than Chelsea this term, the Blues have turned six of their high turnovers into goals, compared to five for Gareth Taylor's team. 

Ramirez has quickly established herself as one of the WSL's best all-round forwards and will be one to watch on Sunday.

United’s Saving Grace

United, meanwhile, will be relying on Grace Clinton, who has picked up where she left off after enjoying a breakout campaign on loan at Tottenham in 2023-24.

Clinton is not only United’s leading scorer with three league goals this term, but also contributes out of possession, contesting 111 duels to rank second in the WSL, behind Katie Stengel (113).

She has won 55 of these duels, more than any other player in the WSL, while she also leads all of her Red Devils team-mates for tackles attempted (26) and won (17).

She recently shone for England in a 2-1 friendly win over South Africa, leading many to suggest she could be the long-term midfield solution for both club and country. 

Clinton's ability to hit the box from deep has become a key facet of her game, and only striker Elisabeth Terland (35) has had more touches in the opposition box among United players than her 23. Clinton is also second to Terland for shots taken (15) among United players.

Clinton is not the only player to watch in red, though. Since the start of October, only Man City duo Hemp (two goals, five assists) and Shaw (six goals, one assist) have been involved in more WSL goals than Celin Bizet (one goal, three assists), who got off the mark for the club versus Leicester City last time out.

Another standout performer has been defender Maya Le Tissier. While United's resolute rearguard has put them among the chasing pack early on this term, it is with the ball that she really stands out from the crowd.

Le Tissier has enjoyed a team-leading 601 touches in the WSL this term, averaging 85.8 per game, while no United player has attempted (505) or completed (397) as many passes as she has.

Only Man City’s Alex Greenwood (120) – an England colleague of Le Tissier's – has played more passes ending in the final third than her 90, among all WSL players.

Red Devils face Uphill Battle

While United have been excellent in defence so far this term, keeping a league-high five clean sheets, their 8.2 expected goals against (xGA) is just the fourth-best figure in the league, trailing Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City and suggesting they have benefited from poor finishing by opposing sides.

They may not get any good fortune at Kingsmeadow. Chelsea have put away 14 of their 23 big chances (60.9%) in 2024-25, while United have converted eight of their 17 (47.1%). If Skinner's team are to halt Chelsea's perfect start, they will need to combine solidity at the back with greater ruthlessness at the other end. 

Chelsea are very much a bogey team for United, who have beaten every WSL team they have faced except for the Blues, drawing once and losing eight times against them to date. 

They have lost more games, scored fewer goals (seven) and conceded more goals (27) against Chelsea than they have against any other opponent, being routed 6-0 when the teams last met on the final day of 2023-24, as Hayes' Blues clinched a fifth straight league title.

The Opta supercomputer gives United a very slim chance of changing the record this weekend. Our predictive model had them coming out on top in just 12.2% of pre-match simulations, with a 16.3% chance of earning a draw.

Chelsea are heavy favourites to win, triumphing in 71.5% of scenarios. The Blues currently retain their title in a whopping 90.1% of the supercomputer's season simulations, with United topping the pile in 0.1%.

Should Bompastor oversee another success against a potential rival, talk of Chelsea achieving the first unbeaten 22-game WSL season will only intensity. There remains a long way to go, but all the signs suggest they will take some stopping. 

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor was delighted with her side's 3-0 home victory over Celtic in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, which extended her 100% start and secured their place in the quarter-final.

Bompastor's side remain three points above Real Madrid at the top of Group B and can now no longer be caught by third-placed Twente.

"I told the players before the game tonight that it was an opportunity for us to qualify for the quarter-final, and we did that," she told the official club website after the game.

The result comes after a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in the WSL last weekend, which also has them top of that table with seven wins from seven.

"We also remain top of the table, which is also something we want to make sure we achieve. It's great news that we were able to rotate the squad and give opportunities to some players to play a Champions League game again.

"We could rest some players thinking about the Manchester United game [on Sunday]."

One of those players who got on the pitch as a result of that rotation was 17-year-old Lola Brown, who made her professional debut after coming off the bench in the 85th minute.

"It's a special week for her individually, but also for the club," Bompastor said. "I'm really pleased for her and the opportunity for her to come in, especially in a Champions League game.

"She's been training with us and I can see her talent, even if she is young. She's really dynamic as a player, really smart, and really good with the ball. She will progress and this experience tonight will bring her a lot of joy and a lot of confidence.

'As a manager, I worked a lot with the young players, especially when I was at the academy with Lyon, and it's also something special for me when I can give an opportunity to a young player to come in and show themselves. It's really good and shows the good job that the club is doing with young players.'

Aside from Brown, Bompastor made six changes to Chelsea's starting XI for the game and was pleased with the contribution of the players who came in.

"It's been my mindset from the beginning of the season. We play so many games and have to make sure everyone is involved. It's also the opportunity for me to show my trust in the players and the squad.

"It's important because it's not possible for a player to play 90 minutes every three days, especially with a lot of international players who play for their national team and club and travel all around the world. I think that's the way it has to be.'

Chelsea reached the Women's Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare and stayed perfect under Sonia Bompastor with a 3-0 win over Celtic.

Real Madrid's 3-2 victory over Twente earlier on Wednesday meant Chelsea only needed to draw at Stamford Bridge to ensure progression from Group B.

However, goals from Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Eve Perisset helped the Blues to their 11th victory in as many matches under former Lyon boss Bompastor.

Just 65 seconds had passed when Bronze hammered a volley home from Catarina Macario's corner, as Chelsea looked to enjoy a more comfortable outing after being forced to come from behind to win 2-1 at Celtic Park last week.

Another corner led to Chelsea's second goal in the 25th minute as Guro Reiten swung a wonderful ball in for Kaptein to glance home.

The Blues dominated the rest of the way and racked up 25 shots to Celtic's three, and they added a third deep into stoppage time when substitute Perisset converted from 12 yards following Shannon McGregor's handball.

Bompastor's former club Lyon also clinched their spot in the knockout stages as four late goals saw them beat Roma 4-1 and seal qualification from Group A.

They trailed as late as the 77th minute through a goal from Roma substitute Giulia Dragoni, but two goals in less than two minutes Kadidiatou Diani turned the game on its head.

Substitute Eugenie Le Sommer added a third before Wendie Renard managed a fourth in stoppage time, with Lyon's superior head-to-head record ensuring they can no longer be overtaken by the Giallorosse. 

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor vowed his side will bounce back after they relinquished the lead in the Women's Super League with a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. 

Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten both scored in the space of four minutes late in the second half as defending champions Chelsea condemned City to their first league defeat and leapfrogged them to the summit. 

Sonia Bompastor's side now have a two-point lead at the top and a game in hand over City, but Taylor was confident his side will continue fighting the Blues for the WSL title. 

"We've always done really well on the occasions we have lost, and we don't lose often. It's a tight challenge," Taylor told Sky Sports after the match. 

"We are coming to a team that has done well over the years. We will bounce back for certain. The league is never won in November.

"Football is about getting kicked, and it's how you get back up. We are right up there."

The game looked to be heading for a draw for the most part before Ramirez and Reiten struck in the 75th and 79th minutes respectively, as Chelsea ended the game with an xG of 0.85, compared to City's 0.56. 

Sonia Bompastor says "every record has to be broken" after becoming the first manager in Women's Super League history to win their first seven games.

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to life under Bompastor on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

In a tight affair, it took two goals in four minutes from Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten late in the second half to wrap up the points for the Blues, who leapfrogged City to the top of the WSL table.

Chelsea are just the third team in the WSL to ever win each of their opening seven games of a campaign after City in 2017-18 (finished second) and Arsenal in 2018-19 (finished first).

While Bompastor admitted she did not care too much for personal records, she was delighted with how the team pushed to ensure they would come out on top.

"Every record has to be broken," Bompastor told Sky Sports. "Every game is an opportunity for the opposition to break that record.

"I don't care about myself. The players are doing great. I'm so proud of them.

"I really liked the performance, especially more in the second half. The girls were great tonight.

"We could have scored earlier in the game, but two goals against Man City in the second half and a clean sheet. I think that is a great performance and a great result.

"Sometimes [in the first half] we had time on the ball and space, and we were rushing our decisions. This is what we spoke about at half-time and in the second half, we were more efficient. We had the opportunities, and we scored two great goals."

Erin Cuthbert was one of the standout players for the Blues as she orchestrated things from midfield. She won nine duels (out of 11), more than any other Chelsea player.

It was perhaps not the most memorable game between the top two, but the Scotland international believes it proved Bompastor's mentality to winning games.

"It was a different type of performance. We have dominated a lot of games possession-wise, but tonight we were happy to sit behind the ball, be compact," she told BBC Sport.

"It was more of a traditional performance, but Sonia is a winner and will do whatever it takes to win, and we got the tactics spot on today.

"We are loving [playing under Bompastor]. Emma [Hayes] left some brilliant foundations, and Sonia has added to that."

Chelsea left it late, scoring twice in four minutes, to secure a 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Women's Super League to leapfrog them to the top of the table.

Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten got the all-important goals, condemning City to their first league defeat of the campaign.

The visitors, who were without the injured Lauren Hemp, arguably should have taken the lead in the first half when Khadija Shaw latched onto Sandy Baltimore's wayward backpass, but the forward could only drag it wide of the far post.

In a tight game, Chelsea stayed calm, though Ramirez wasted a chance to square it into the box to give a team-mate an easy tap-in early in the second half.

The Colombian did not make the same mistake a second time. On a quick counter-attack, she brushed Alanna Kennedy aside to reach Maika Hamano's throughball before weaving away from Alex Greenwood to drive it into the bottom-right corner in the 75th minute.

Just four minutes later, they doubled their lead. Reiten was left in acres of space on the right of the box and curled a delightful finish out of Ayaka Yamashita's reach.

Chelsea maintained their perfect record under Sonia Bompastor, making it 10 wins from 10, and moved two points clear of City at the top of the WSL, still with a game in hand over their title rivals. 

Data Debrief: Battling to the end

Even so early in the season, there was a lot riding on this in regards to the title race, and City have seemingly blinked first.

They looked far from their usual best, possibly in part due to Hemp's absence, as they struggled to create many meaningful chances.

Chelsea were also guilty of being wasteful early on but looked the more likely to score, managing 15 shots compared to City's eight while also edging the expected goals (xG) count (0.85 to 0.56).

Bompastor also became the first-ever manager to win each of their first seven games in the WSL.

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor did not understate the importance of his side’s upcoming visit to Chelsea as he described the clash as “more than just a game”.

City currently sit top of the Women’s Super League (WSL) one point above closest rivals Chelsea on 19 points. The defending champions hold a game in hand, however, after their match against Manchester United was postponed.

Both enter the match undefeated, with Chelsea earning six wins from six while Manchester City have six wins and one draw from seven matches, only taking a point away at Arsenal.

Taylor’s managerial adversary, Sonia Bompastor, will be aiming to become the first-ever coach to win each of their first seven games in the WSL.

With City unbeaten in their last three WSL meetings with Chelsea (W2 D1), Taylor is aware of the impact a positive result at Stamford Bridge could have on his title aspirations.

"It is more than just another game, of course. We have proven so far that we can play good stuff and have got good results along the way," he said in his press conference.

"We have been difficult to play against. There is no denying, these games are really important. For us, it is a good game and the fact it is Stamford Bridge gives us something different. We are looking forward to the challenge.

"It is a game that everyone is excited about."

It will be the first time the two teams have met at Chelsea’s iconic stadium. The Blues have won all six of their previous matches at Stamford Bridge in the WSL by an aggregate score of 17-4.

It is the most any team has ever played in the competition at a home venue while maintaining a 100% win record.

While City won this fixture at Kingsmeadow last year, earning a 1-0 victory over Chelsea through a Bunny Shaw goal, their opponents ultimately went on to claim the title on goal difference on the final day.

Yet when asked whether outcomes in games against Chelsea will decide the title, he said: "Everything would suggest that [it will]. It's too hard to say. They have made a good start, similar to us.

"I think for us we want to stay consistent, I think that's really important. The league table at the moment looks a little lopsided because they have a game to play and of course we want to make sure that we can give the best versions of ourselves in order to get the best result.

"I think that trying to win the game for us is the objective and it never changes.

"And we have a real good opportunity to do that, particularly with some of the performances that we have seen already this season and that for us is going to be our main goal in this game, to go to win."

There was positive injury news ahead of the clash as Taylor confirmed top scorer Shaw would be fit to start, though fans will face a nervy wait for top assister Lauren Hemp’s late fitness test to determine whether the England winger will be involved.

This weekend brings the match everyone has been waiting for the Women's Super League.

Stamford Bridge will be the stage as Chelsea host Manchester City on Saturday in a heavyweight tussle that promises to give fans an early indication of where the title may be heading this season. 

Sonia Bompastor has started her Chelsea tenure emphatically, and she could become the first manager to win each of their first seven games in the WSL. If she felt any pressure when stepping into Emma Hayes' shoes, she certainly is not showing it.

Chelsea have been in hot form in front of goal this term, scoring 23 goals across their first six games, having played one less than Manchester City due to their clash with Manchester United – who are also unbeaten – being rescheduled for next week. 

The Blues' confidence will be sky-high going into this crucial double-header against the Manchester clubs, having maintained their unbeaten record across all competitions under Bompastor by overcoming Celtic in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday.

Chelsea also have a strong record in this fixture. They have won four of their last five home games against City in the WSL, though they did lose their most recent such game 1-0 back in February, so Gareth Taylor's visitors will think they have a chance.  

Man City sit top of the table and will not want to relinquish their advantage at the summit, and while last year's away victory over Chelsea was rare, they are unbeaten in their last three WSL meetings with the Blues, with two wins. 

Overall, only Arsenal (10) have recorded more wins over them in the competition than City's seven, and another would represent a real statement of their title intent.

Goals win Games… and Titles

With the last title race coming down to goal difference in the final game of the season, City are clearly haunted by their inability to get across the line. Taylor and his players are determined not to see a repeat of that heartbreaking near miss in 2024-25.

The City head coach told Opta Analyst exclusively in pre-season: "You would be surprised how strong it makes you and how mentally determined you become.

"Of course, we will use that frustration, disappointment, to really use it as energy for this season."

Banishing that nightmare is high on their agenda. They have scored 16 goals in just seven matches this season (2.2 per game), but this still represents a marginal underperformance of their underlying figures, given they have generated 16.59 xG (2.37 xG per game).

However, if we compare City's attacking output to that from last season, it is clear they have endured a drop-off. In the WSL in 2023-24, City averaged 2.77 goals and 2.19 xG per game. Though they were eclipsed by Hayes' free-scoring Chelsea, they took more of their chances than anticipated based on the quality of opportunities they created.

City successfully got 183 of their 423 shots on target last term (43.2%), whereas this season they have hit the target with 47 of their 125 attempts (37.6%). Their shot conversion rate has also dropped from 14.4% to 12.8% and their big-chance conversion rate has fallen from 41.67% (30/72) to 37.04% (10/27). 

So there is still work to do for City if they are to match Chelsea's pace, with the Blues already boasting a goal difference eight better than that of their rivals.

City might be able to point to some misfortune on that front, though, as their total xG figure is the highest in the league so far this term.

With 23 goals, Chelsea have greatly overperformed their 13.76 xG, with that +9.24 overperformance by far the biggest in the competition. The Blues have been incredibly efficient, having the most shots on target (48) in the competition – one more than Man City (47) despite having 15 fewer shots overall. 

The Blues' big-chance conversion rate of 60.87% is also the best in the WSL (14/23), as is their shot conversion rate (20.91%). By contrast, City's 12.8% shot conversion rate ranks fourth.

Chelsea may have relied on Lauren James, Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby to provide the goals in previous seasons, but they have become a very different proposition under Bompastor. They have had 13 different goalscorers in the WSL this season, while City have only had six, ranking fourth, also behind Tottenham (eight) and Arsenal (seven).

Shaw's Golden Touch 

While City have not matched Chelsea's ruthlessness this season, that does not apply to last season's Golden Boot winner, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw.

She has seven goals in as many games this season, overperforming her league-high xG figure of 4.83 xG, and also leads the competition for shots (28) and shots on target (12).

Shaw has been presented with nine big chances and has converted five of them, which is the highest conversion rate (55.56%) of the 13 players to have had more than three such opportunities in the league this term.

Of players to have had at least 10 shots in the WSL, she also has the joint-best shot conversion rate (25%) – level with Nikita Parris (three goals from 12 shots) and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (three goals from 12 shots).

Since the beginning of last season, meanwhile, Shaw has scored 28 goals, at least 13 more than any other player in the competition (Elisabeth Terland is next on 15). 

City were hoping their reliance on Shaw would be lessened when they swooped for the WSL's all-time leading scorer in Vivianne Miedema, but a recurring knee issue has left the former Arsenal star on the sidelines once more. Prior to her latest injury setback, Miedema had scored two goals in five games in all competitions for City.

Shaw will have support from elsewhere, though. Lauren Hemp recently became the youngest player in WSL history to reach 50 goals and also leads the way for assists (five) and chances created (26) in the competition this season.

However, despite her outstanding creative metrics, Hemp has underperformed her 3.26 xG, scoring twice from opportunities that should have resulted in at least one more goal.

Hemp has struggled to convert her big chances this term, only putting away two of the eight that have fallen their way, though both Jessica Park (two goals from 1.79 xG) and Jill Roord (three goals from 2.34 xG) should offer more support to Shaw.

New Boss, New Look

It is fair to say Bompastor has taken to the Chelsea job like a duck to water, becoming just the second WSL manager to win her first six games at a new club, after Jonas Eidevall with Arsenal. No boss has ever started with seven consecutive WSL wins.

The French coach has made a couple of key tweaks to Hayes' setup. Guro Reiten has been one major beneficiary, operating predominantly from a left-wing role (where she has played 68% of her minutes) but also being fielded centrally on occasion. 

Reiten is Chelsea's leading scorer with four goals in six games, overperforming her 3.0 xG, while she also leads the Blues for shots (18) and chances created (12), providing two assists.
 
Chelsea's young talent has also come to the fore under their new boss. Aggie Beever-Jones is having a big impact despite only making two WSL starts, netting three times.

Only Reiten has had more shots than Beever-Jones' 14, while no Chelsea player has hit the target as many times as she has (nine). Beever-Jones has had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, converting two of her four big chances and averaging a goal every 83 minutes.
 
Another player to find a new lease of life under Bompastor is Rytting Kaneryd, who leads all Chelsea players for goal contributions (five). The Sweden international also leads all of her team-mates for involvements in open-play shot-ending sequences, with 33.
 
Sjoeke Nusken has also been particularly influential on both sides of the ball, creating 11 chances in open play while also attempting (20) and winning (13) more tackles than any of her team-mates.

Timing is Everything

One theme of Chelsea's season has been their ability to come out of the blocks fast and bury opponents early on, such as when they netted twice in the first 16 minutes of their 2-1 win at Arsenal. The Blues have scored 11 first-half goals in the WSL this season, more than any other team. Their 7.28 first-half xG is also the highest in the league, beating City's 6.78.

Given their overall tally of 23 goals, it is no surprise that Chelsea have also scored the most second-half goals (12), with City second with 10. City have, however, been notably stronger in the second periods of games – often requiring late goals to earn results – and have the highest second-half xG (9.8), with Chelsea's second-half xG down at 6.5.

So, Chelsea are often faster starters, but must be aware of City's ability to pull results out of the fire. Saturday's visitors have gained the most points from losing positions in the WSL this term (seven). Chelsea have not gained any points from losing positions, though that is, of course, because they are yet to trail at any point.

After Chelsea's magnificent start to the campaign, the Opta supercomputer still views them as hot favourites to retain their crown. The Blues are given a huge 79.3% chance of winning the title compared to City's 19.9%, with Taylor's team finishing second again in 66.8% of our 2024-25 season simulations.

The significance of this game, though, means those figures could drastically change after Saturday. Bompastor's team are given a 53.7% chance of emerging victorious, while City's hope of victory are rated at 22.5%.

City would surely be content with a draw on the road, which would halt Chelsea's winning streak and maintain their advantage at the summit, and 23.7% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations finished all square. 

Sonia Bompastor was not happy with Chelsea's performance in their 2-1 away victory against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite it extending her 100% record since joining the club.

The visitors had to fight back from a goal down after conceding a Murphy Agnew opener on 22 minutes but had turned things around 10 minutes later. Aggie Beever-Jones, meanwhile, was sent off in second-half stoppage time for two bookable offences.

While Bompastor was not impressed by her own side, she was quick to give credit to their opposition.

"I knew it would be a tough game for us, especially because of the Celtic mentality. They showed a lot of heart, and they played with a lot of energy. We were expecting that they were going to be really motivated," she said.

Chelsea came into this game without Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan, with Bompastor deciding to leave them out of the squad. It was a decision that resulted in some rustiness among the starters, according to the manager.

"I decided to rotate my squad, so sometimes it can happen that the players don't get the same chemistry together. But I wanted to have a better impression from my team. I'm really happy with the three points and the victory, but not really happy with the performance. We were not efficient enough tonight," she said.

"Every game is always an opportunity to learn. Tonight I learned a lot and I will share that with my players as a team, but also as individuals."

Following their Champions League victory, Chelsea face WSL leaders Manchester City at the weekend, with their opposition having dropped just two points in their opening seven league games.

Having given some fringe players a run out in Scotland, Bompastor was pleased at the prospect of a fresher squad going into such a big game.

"There are some positives. With our squad, we are still able to rotate players and rest some. We have the three points and the victory, so we stay in the good dynamic for that, but in terms of the performance, we needed to do a better job in different aspects," she added.

"As a manager, I always have different plans for the game and the three substitutions were planned. That's the positive. We are just now moving on and going into the Manchester City game exactly with the plans we wanted to have."

Chelsea rallied from a goal down to see off a spirited Celtic team 2-1 in the Women's Champions League, maintaining their perfect start to life under Sonia Bompastor.

Bompastor had led the Blues to six straight wins in the Women's Super League and masterminded triumphs over Real Madrid and Twente in Europe.

However, her perfect record came under serious threat in Glasgow, where competition debutants Celtic led through Murphy Agnew 's 22nd-minute goal.

She capped a lightning counter by racing in behind before slotting into the bottom-left corner, scoring Celtic's first goal in the Women's Champions League.

However, their lead lasted just six minutes as Maika Hamano swept home Aggie Beever-Jones' cutback for the equaliser, then Ashley Lawrence powered home a rebound in the 32nd minute to complete a rapid turnaround.

Beever-Jones was dismissed after collecting her second yellow card in stoppage time, but it did not matter to Chelsea as they made it 12 straight wins in all competitions.

They are now three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of Group B, after the Spanish giants routed Twente 7-0 earlier on Wednesday.

In Group A, Bompastor's former club Lyon posted an impressive 3-0 win at Roma to move three points clear of the Giallorosse.

Melchie Dumornay scored twice before half-time to put the French champions in the ascendency, then Vanessa Gilles reacted quickest to a right-wing corner to prod home their third seven minutes into the second half.

With three wins from as many matches, Lyon are three points clear of Roma and six ahead of Wolfsburg, who managed a 5-0 win over Galatasaray on Wednesday.

Just three sides remain without a defeat heading into matchday eight of the Women's Super League season, but two of the early pacesetters square off this Saturday.

Manchester City and Chelsea lead the way in the early-season standings, though Sonia Bompastor's Blues are yet to drop a point from their six games thus far.

That blockbuster encounter, set for Saturday, headlines the upcoming WSL weekend, but there is also plenty more to whet the appetite. 

Brighton will be looking to keep pace with the top two against West Ham, while a North London Derby is in the offing between Tottenham and Arsenal. 

Sunday's action sees winless Everton square off against Merseyside rivals Liverpool, while Manchester United travel to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester City. 

But who does the Opta supercomputer predict will emerge victorious this time around? Here, we delve into the pre-match facts for each of this weekend's fixtures. 

BRIGHTON V WEST HAM

Brighton have been the surprise package of the WSL this term, sitting third in the standings, but they were on the end of a 5-0 defeat to a rejuvenated Arsenal last time out.

Despite the Seagulls' heavy defeat, they are handed a win probability of 51.3%, with West Ham given a 23.9% chance of following up their victory over Leicester with another three points. A draw is given a 24.8% likelihood of happening. 

Brighton have won six of their last eight WSL meetings with West Ham (D1 L1), with the Seagulls winning more games against the Hammers than any other opponent in the competition (seven).

They won four straight matches at the Amex between 2019 and 2022 but are winless in three games at the venue since (D1 L2), including a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last month. 

West Ham have won just one of their last 14 away games in the Women’s Super League (D3 L10), conceding in each of those matches; the Hammers could now equal their longest run of away matches in the competition without a clean sheet (15 in December 2020).

But Hammers boss Rehanne Skinner has won each of her last four WSL games against Brighton without conceding, a run that includes her biggest ever victory in the competition, winning 8-0 with Tottenham in October 2022.

TOTTENHAM V ARSENAL

Renee Slegers maintained her unbeaten start as Arsenal's interim head coach with arguably the most dominant display of her tenure, beating Juventus 4-0 in midweek. 

And she is predicted to continue her winning streak this weekend, with Arsenal handed a whopping win probability of 67.2%, the largest of any side on matchday eight.

Tottenham, who were on the end of a 4-0 thrashing by Man City last time out, are given a 14.9% chance of victory, with the threat of a draw at 17.9%. 

Arsenal have won seven of their nine games against Tottenham in the WSL and have either kept a clean sheet (five) or conceded exactly once (four) in each of those meetings.

Following their 5-0 win over Brighton, Arsenal will be looking to win back-to-back WSL games for the first time this season. This is the Gunners’ longest wait for consecutive wins from the start of a WSL season since 2016 (ninth game).

Tottenham have won only one of their nine meetings with Arsenal in the WSL (D1 L7), but that sole victory did come in this fixture last season, winning 1-0 thanks to a Martha Thomas goal.

Only Vivianne Miedema (eight) has scored more WSL goals in the North London Derby than Arsenal’s Caitlin Foord. She has netted seven times in just eight league appearances against Spurs and will be looking to build on her goal against Juve in midweek. 

CHELSEA V MAN CITY

The standout fixture of matchday eight sees Stamford Bridge host Chelsea's top-of-the-table clash with Man City. 

Despite Gareth Taylor's side sitting at the summit of the standings, they are handed a 22.5% win probability, with the Blues' hopes of salvaging a point ranked slightly higher at 23.7%. Chelsea, meanwhile, won 53.7% of Opta's data-led simulations. 

Bompastor could become the first ever manager to win each of their first seven games in the WSL. Her Blues are aiming to become the third team in WSL history to win each of their opening seven games of a campaign after this weekend's opponents did so in 2017-18 (finished 2nd) and Arsenal did so in 2018-19 (finished 1st).

Chelsea have also won all six of their previous matches at Stamford Bridge in the WSL by an aggregate score of 17-4, the most games any team has ever played in the competition at a home venue while maintaining a 100% record.

However, City are unbeaten in their last three WSL meetings with Chelsea (W2 D1) while only Arsenal (10) have recorded more wins over the Blues in the competition than the Citizens (seven).

City have also won 17 of their 19 WSL games in 2024 (D1 L1) and could win 18 top-flight games in a single calendar year for the very first time.

ASTON VILLA V CRYSTAL PALACE

Aston Villa are one of only two sides in the division yet to record a win this season, but are predicted to get their first three points on the board at home to Crystal Palace. 

Opta's data-led simulations favoured the Villans in 51.1% of instances. A draw is given a 24.8% chance of happening, with Palace handed a win probability of just 24.1%. 

This will be the second meeting between the two sides already this season, with the Villans winning 2-0 at home in a League Cup group-stage game in October.

This will, however, be the first time Palace have faced Villa in a league game since September 2019, when the Eagles suffered a 6-0 home loss to the eventual 2019-20 Championship winners.  

Crystal Palace have won four points from their three away games in the WSL so far this season (W1 D1 L1), becoming just the third newly promoted side to do so after Tottenham in 2019-20 (six) and Aston Villa in 2020-21 (six). No such team has ever picked up seven points from their first four matches on the road in a single campaign. 

But Villa are unbeaten in six previous WSL games against newly promoted opposition (W4 D2), though they did draw their last two such home matches (3-3 v Liverpool, 2-2 v Bristol City), and have kept two clean sheets in their last four league games, the same number of shutouts as they managed across their previous 15 WSL matches.

EVERTON V LIVERPOOL

Everton's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace saw them pick up just their third point of the season, but they will be hoping to earn their first three points of the year against rivals Liverpool.

The Toffees are handed a 32.6% win probability compared to Liverpool's 41.9%, the closest margin between any two sides on matchday eight. A draw is given a 25.5% likelihood. 

Everton, however, have won four of their last seven meetings with Liverpool in the WSL (D2 L1), more than they managed in their first 10 Merseyside Derbies in the competition (W3 D3 L4).

But they have struggled at Goodison Park. They have not won a WSL game in four attempts at the iconic stadium (D2 L2), failing to score in three of those games. Their most recent such match came earlier this month, losing 5-0 to Chelsea.

While the Reds are winless in their last three trips across Stanley Park, they are enjoying their longest ever unbeaten run away from home in the WSL, going eight without defeat since losing to Man City in January (W6 D2). Only Chelsea (nine) and City (eight) have won more times on the road in the top flight in 2024 than the Reds (six).

The Reds' Marie-Therese Hobinger will be the player to watch. She has created more chances from set-pieces than any other player in the WSL this season (10), while each of her seven assists in the competition have come via corners.

LEICESTER V MAN UTD

One of two games that conclude the weekend's action takes place in the East Midlands, with Man United, the third team without a loss this term, taking on Leicester. 

The Red Devils are, unsurprisingly, favoured by Opta's data-led simulations and are handed a 66.7% chance of emerging victorious. Leicester are given just a 15.2% chance of winning, with a draw valued at 18.1%.

Though they are unbeaten in the WSL this season, United have drawn their last three league matches. The last team to draw four in a row in the competition was Aston Villa in May 2021 (five in a row).

United have conceded just twice in their opening six league games this season, with only Man City in 2016 (0) and 2019-20 (one) and Arsenal in 2022-23 (one) ever leaking fewer goals at this stage of a campaign. The Red Devils’ opponents have by far the worst conversion rate in the competition this term, however (2.9%).

The Foxes are winless in six previous meetings with United in the WSL (D1 L5), only facing Arsenal (P7 L7) and Villa (P7 D2 L5) more often in the competition without winning.

Elisabeth Terland has scored three goals in her last two WSL appearances against Leicester, with the striker only netting in more games in the competition against Tottenham (four different games).

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said that they will be without four key players ahead of their Champions League game away to Celtic on Wednesday.

Bompastor confirmed that Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan have not travelled to Scotland for their encounter at Celtic Park.

The Blues know a victory will seal their progression to the knockout stages, though have decided to rest a few of their key players during a hectic fixture schedule. 

Their trip to Scotland will be the second of three matches inside seven days in all competitions for Bompastor's side and, as a result, she has decided to rotate her squad.

"The squad is in a good place and we have a good dynamic and we are full of confidence," she told a press conference

"We have been playing a lot of games and this week we play three games so it’s important to manage players as individuals.

“We have some players who didn’t travel for this game. Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez didn’t travel."

Chelsea come into the game with a 100% record in all competitions under Bompastor, including two wins from two against Real Madrid and Twente in the Champions League.

And they will be confident of maintaining their perfect run, having lost just one of their previous 20 group stage matches in the competition (W14 D5) and are unbeaten across their last 14 (W11 D3). 

“As you know, Chelsea have a good squad with quality and a good team will start the game and be competitive because we want to finish first in this group," she said.

Their early-season form has them second in the Women's Super League and top of their Champions League group, at least three points ahead of any other team.

Despite resting players, Bompastor reassured people that it was Chelsea's ambition to fight on all fronts.

“The Champions League is important and we have ambition and we want to make sure we finish first in the group," she said.

“We have ambitions and if we want to go for all the competitions then you need to beat every team.

“It will start again in March and that’s when the really important games start, but right now we are focused on the group stage.”

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor maintained her pristine record in the Women's Super League with a 3-0 defeat of Liverpool.

The Blues made it six wins from six to start the season as Mayra Ramirez, Guro Reiten and Agnes Beever-Jones did the damage on Sunday.

Two goals in the space of five minutes towards the end of the first half put Chelsea in complete control at St Helens Stadium.

Ramirez opened the scoring, converting on the rebound after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had hit the woodwork, and Reiten swiftly doubled the Blues' lead when she capitalised on a mistake from Liverpool goalkeeper Rachael Laws.

The Reds beat Chelsea 4-3 in May, but any hopes of a Liverpool comeback were extinguished when Chelsea added a third in the 90th minute through substitute Beever-Jones.

Chelsea are a point behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, while Liverpool sit sixth ahead of next week's Merseyside derby against Everton.

Data Debrief: Six of the best from the Blues

Chelsea have won their opening six matches of a WSL season for the first time, becoming the third club to do so, after Arsenal (2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23) and Man City (2016, 2017-18).

Bompastor, meanwhile, is the first manager to win each of their first four away games in the competition. The Blues have already scored 17 goals on the road this season with the previous most scored under a manager after four away games being 11, set by Jonas Eidevall at Arsenal. 

It was a dominant display from the visitors, who had 66.6% possession and 48 touches in Liverpool's box, with the Reds managing just 17 in Chelsea's area. The Blues had 16 shots, got nine of those on target, and finished with 2.74 expected goals (xG).

Brighton have been one of the stories of the season so far, and head into matchday seven of the Women's Super League season in third place.

Yet the Seagulls will face a huge test when they travel to face Arsenal on Friday, in one of two matches taking place that day to kick off the WSL weekend.

League leaders Manchester City are also in action on Friday, taking on Tottenham.

On Sunday, reigning champions Chelsea - fresh from a 5-0 win at Goodison Park - are back on Merseyside to play Liverpool.

Four of the bottom five play each other, with Crystal Palace taking on Everton and West Ham going up against Leicester City, with Manchester United, who drew 1-1 with Arsenal last week, rounding out the weekend against Aston Villa.

Here, we delve into the pre-match facts, and take a look at the Opta supercomputer's predictions, for each of the fixtures.

ARSENAL V BRIGHTON

Arsenal are unbeaten under interim boss Renee Slegers, and despite Brighton's fantastic start to the season, the Gunners are predicted to claim the points.

They have a whopping 82.1% chance of victory on Friday, with Brighton's win probability at just 6.8%. The threat of a draw is 11.2%.

Arsenal have a perfect record against Brighton in the WSL, winning all 12 of their meetings with them in the competition by an aggregate score of 44-2. Only Manchester City have a better 100% record against an opponent in the competition (16/16 v Everton).

Brighton, though, have won four of their six league games this season (D1 L1), just one fewer victory than they managed across the whole of last season (W5 D4 L13). This is the Seagulls' best start after six matches of a WSL campaign.

Arsenal are winless in their last three home games in the league (D2 L1) – only once have they had a longer run without a win on home soil in the competition (six between May-October 2014). Brighton, though, have never won back-to-back away matches in the competition (they beat Crystal Palace in their last away game).

Nikita Parris has been in fine form for Brighton, and she will go up against her former club. No player has scored more goals in the WSL against their old teams than Parris (nine, level with Ellen White).

Beth Mead could be the player to really stand out for Arsenal. Against no side does she have more combined WSL goals and assists than Brighton (12 – seven goals, five assists).

MANCHESTER CITY V TOTTENHAM

Arsenal are the most likely side to win, according to Opta's model, this weekend, but league leaders Man City are just behind them.

City came out on top in 81.8% of the supercomputer's 10,000 pre-match simulations ahead of their game against Tottenham, whose win probability is 6.9%. 

Spurs' only win on their four previous trips to face City in the WSL came in September 2021, coming from behind to win 2-1 (L3).

City have won eight of their nine WSL meetings with Tottenham (L1), winning the last five in a row by an aggregate score of 16-1.

Only Chelsea (20) have scored more goals in the 2024-25 WSL than Tottenham (12 – level with Man City), however only Palace (16) have conceded more goals than Spurs (14) this term.

City have gone unbeaten through their opening six games of a WSL season for the fourth time after 2016, 2017-18 and 2018-19, while they have never lost in the competition when playing on a Friday (W3 D1), beating reigning champions Chelsea in their only such game last season (1-0 away).

LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA

Sonia Bampastor has had a brilliant start to life at Chelsea, and the Blues are expected to keep up that excellent form when they face Liverpool.

Chelsea's win likelihood is 73.1%, while there is a 15.1% probability of a draw, while Liverpool's chances are rated at 11.8%.

Bompastor could become the first manager to win each of their first four away games in the WSL. Chelsea have already scored 14 goals on the road this season, with the previous most scored under a manager after four away games being 11 by Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal. 

Matt Beard, meanwhile, has won four of his 10 WSL meetings with Chelsea as Liverpool manager (D1 L5) – including his most recent in May 2024 (4-3) – with Nick Cushing (five) and David Parker (five) the only managers to win more games in the competition against the Blues.

Chelsea have won their opening five games of a WSL season for the very first time and could be the sixth team to win their first six matches of a campaign after Arsenal (2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23) and Man City (2016, 2017-18).

This will be the 23rd WSL meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea with only Arsenal and Chelsea meeting more often in the competition (28 times).

Despite the Blues being favourites for this one, it is worth noting Chelsea won four consecutive WSL away games against Liverpool between September 2015 and March 2019 but are since winless in their last three such trips (D1 L2).  

CRYSTAL PALACE V EVERTON

Things are not going well for Everton this season. They are bottom of the pile and without a win to their name.

They visit Palace on Sunday, and the supercomputer is anticipating a tight contest. The hosts' chances are rated at 37.3%, with Everton's at 36.3%. The draw is at 26.4%.

Everton's two points is their joint-worst tally at this stage of a WSL campaign along with 2014, when they were relegated, and 2018-19 (finished 10th).

Everton are, however, unbeaten in their last eight WSL games against newly-promoted opposition (W6 D2), winning each of their last four such away games by an aggregate score of 14-0.  

Palace have lost all three of their home games in the WSL without scoring, conceding 11 goals in the process; only three teams have lost each of their first four matches on home soil in the competition: Yeovil Town in 2017 (-9 GD), Aston Villa in 2020 (-11 GD) and Leicester City in 2021 (-8 GD).

WEST HAM V LEICESTER CITY

West Ham are unbeaten in three previous home games against Leicester in the WSL (W2 D1), drawing this fixture 1-1 last season, and the Hammers are expected to end their wait for a win this season when they face the Foxes on Sunday.

Leicester won just 25.6% of the model's simulations, while West Ham won 48.6%.

West Ham are, however, the team that is most likely to finish bottom of the WSL this term, according to the supercomputer.

The Hammers are winless in their last 15 WSL games (D6 L9) while their two points from six games this term is their worst return at this stage of a top-flight campaign (D2 L4).

Indeed, West Ham have won fewer points (12 – W2 D6 L10) than any other ever-present team in the WSL in 2024, while they have lost each of their last five league games in the month of November, since beating Leicester 1-0 in 2022.

Leicester, though, have won just one of their last 13 away games in the WSL (D6 L6), a 1-0 victory at Everton in January.

MANCHESTER UNITED V ASTON VILLA

Rounding off this round of matches is Man Utd's home game against Villa.

Marc Skinner's team, who are still unbeaten, are backed to get the win at 73.4%, with Villa having a slender 11.2% chance.

With just two points from six games, Villa have had their worst start to a WSL campaign (D2 L4) and this is the first time they have gone winless across their opening six matches.

Villa have lost all four of their away meetings with United in the WSL, conceding 15 goals and netting just once in the process, with that sole goal coming in this fixture last season when losing 1-2.  

United may be unbeaten, though they have drawn their last two WSL games. The Red Devils could draw three successive league matches for the first time since November 2021.

Their success has been built on solid foundations this season. United have conceded just two goals after five league games, facing fewer than 10 shots in three of those matches.

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the Women's Super League season by thrashing Everton 5-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday.

They took the lead in the 14th minute when Kadeisha Buchanan's teasing delivery was headed beyond Courtney Brosnan by Agnes Beever-Jones.

The visitors then struck twice shortly before the break, first through Erin Cuthbert, who dispossessed Veatriki Sarri before sending a left-footed effort into the bottom corner. 

Guro Reiten then got herself on the scoresheet, squeezing the ball in at Brosnan's front post after being picked out by Sjoeke Nusken's searching ball into the box. 

Chelsea continued to dominate after the interval, but had to wait until the 82nd minute to notch their fourth through Wieke Kaptein's fine effort into the roof of the net. 

Just over a minute later, Ashley Lawrence rounded off a fine team move to tap home Oriane Jean-Francois' cross to seal yet another win for Sonia Bompastor's Blues. 

Data Debrief: Brilliant Blues march on

The triumph saw manager Bompastor become the third manager to win their first five games in the WSL, after David Parker and Jonas Eidevall. 

And it was arguably the most dominant win her tenure. The Blues racked up 26 shots compared to Everton's six, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.16 compared to their opponents' measly 0.37.

Chelsea have now equalled their longest winning run in the WSL against a single team, with the victory over the Toffees their 10th in a row, going level with their current win streaks against Tottenham and West Ham.