The Women’s Super League has been particularly gripping this season because we are seeing arguably the greatest title race in the division’s history draw to a dramatic close before our eyes.
Emma Hayes and her dominant Chelsea have collected the title in the past three years but it looks like this era of dominance could be coming to an end as we are being treated to a four-horse race. The Blues are in the running to be champions once again but so are rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
League leaders Manchester United and local rivals Manchester City have each got six matches left to play before the season’s end while reigning champions Chelsea and Arsenal each have seven fixtures remaining. It is always widely considered that a game in hand is like three points in itself but it is not that straightforward. With an extra game over your title rivals comes added pressure and it can either make or break your title charge.
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The title race in the WSL this year is so tense that you cannot keep your eyes away from it. The top four all have a great chance of winning it and there are still some mouth-watering fixtures to come which will have a huge say in where the trophy will end up.
Here are what we feel are the biggest fixtures in the WSL calendar in the final weeks of the 2022-23 campaign.
Arsenal v Manchester City - 2 April
The action gets underway this weekend as Arsenal welcome Manchester City for a crunch clash at the summit. Three points currently separate the two teams but the hosts have a game in hand on the visitors. Arsenal will be heading into this one full of confidence as they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 (2-1 on aggregate) to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. However, Jonas Eidevall’s side tasted defeat to City in the league just over a month ago so they may need to be considerate in their strategy for this important battle.
Manchester United v Arsenal - 19 April
Everyone has been impressed by how quickly Marc Skinner has turned Manchester United into genuine title contenders and they are currently sat in first on goal difference ahead of rivals City. They know how important this match against another team on the hunt for the title is for their season and they will look to gun down the Gunners for a second time this term. When the two sides met in London back in November, United came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 thanks to two late goals from Millie Bright and Alessia Russo. Skinner will be hoping for another spirited performance that would bolster their chances of claiming their first WSL title.
Manchester United v Manchester City - 21 May
As the league table stands this is currently the most exciting fixture to come in the race for the title. What Skinner and Gareth Taylor have done this year has been incredible and it has really added to the value of the division. When these two sides met earlier in the campaign, they shared a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium and depending on what happens over the coming weeks, we could be set for another intriguing tactical match-up or two teams throwing everything they’ve got in the penultimate match of the season.
Chelsea v Arsenal - 21 May
May 21st is set to be an enthralling day of football in the title race as the pre-season title favourites Chelsea and Arsenal go head-to-head for what should be another decisive match in the final standings. Arsenal pushed Chelsea all the way last year and this year Manchester United and Manchester City have been pushing Hayes’ team all the way. If the league table is as tight when this weekend rolls around as it is currently, we could be set to witness one of the most dramatic days of football in WSL history. When the two teams met back in January, Chelsea were able to salvage a point at the death thanks to prolific forward Sam Kerr and we could be in store for another gripping encounter between these two excellent teams.
