Terland ends Manchester City’s perfect start as Arsenal edge derby and Villa beat Everton
Competition: Barclays Women’s Super League
Dates: Saturday 24 October – Sunday 25 October 2026
Matches Played: 7
Total Goals: 22 (Avg: 3.14 per game)
A late derby equaliser at Leigh Sports Village ended Manchester City’s flawless WSL start, while Arsenal found a result to match a 2.30 to 0.38 xG advantage at Brisbane Road. Chelsea recovered from an early Palace lead to keep their own unbeaten run intact, and Aston Villa won at Goodison Park to deepen Everton’s drift. Seven matches produced 22 goals, three away wins and late drama in the quest for points.
Gameweek 7 Results Overview
All Results
Wsl - Matchday 7 Review
Season 2026-27 | Post-Match Analysis
Tottenham Hotspur W
Arsenal W
Brighton W
West Ham W
Crystal Palace W
Chelsea W
Birmingham City W
Charlton Athletic W
Liverpool W
London City Lionesses
Everton W
Aston Villa W
Manchester United W
Manchester City WGoals vs Expected Goals
Results at a Glance
⚽ All Results
Updated Women’s Super League Table
🏆 Women’s Super League Table
Women's Super League
Updated: 03 Nov 2026, 4:01 PM
Key Talking Points
📰 The Big Stories
- Khadija Shaw scored on 66 minutes, but Elisabeth Terland’s late equaliser ended Manchester City’s six-match winning start and stretched Manchester United’s unbeaten run to five.
- Renée Slegers’ side won the derby as Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Spurs was built on a 2.30 to 0.38 xG dominance, though Martin Ho remained focused on the penalty decision that decided it.
- Birmingham City’s first win of the season came at the expense of Charlton, who remain without a point after seven games, while Brighton put three past West Ham.
Match Summaries
Tottenham Hotspur W 1–2 Arsenal W
🏟️ Brisbane Road
Arsenal ended a five-match winless league run with a performance their 2.30 xG to Tottenham’s 0.38 fully warranted. Cathinka Tandberg headed Spurs in front from a Pelova corner, but Georgia Stanway levelled four minutes later and Alessia Russo converted a contested 56th-minute penalty after a Tandberg clearance struck Ella Morris’s arm. That gap made the narrow scoreline flattering for a Spurs side now on a three-match losing streak. For Arsenal the result is just a second win of the season, but the performance, particularly in the second half, gave Renée Slegers something to build on.
⚽ Goals: Cathinka Friis Tandberg (13′), Georgia Stanway (17′), Alessia Russo (56′ pen)
Key Moment: Russo’s 56th-minute penalty, awarded after a clearance hit the raised arm of Spurs substitute Ella Morris, changed the game and dominated the post-match debate.
What It Means: Tottenham have lost three in a row; Arsenal take nine points from seven and halt a slide that had brought six points from their opening six games.
Brighton W 3–0 West Ham W
🏟️ The Broadfield Stadium
Brighton earned a second league win of the season with a three-goal burst that West Ham could not answer. Maisie Symonds opened the scoring with a long-range strike the BBC labelled a goal-of-the-season contender, before Francesca Kirby doubled the lead just after the hour and Kiko Seike added a third three minutes later. Brighton’s 2.06 xG to West Ham’s 1.26 reflected the hosts’ greater control, though West Ham did create enough to make the margin a touch harsh. The result ended West Ham’s attempt to build on their win at Crystal Palace and leaves them with five defeats from seven.
⚽ Goals: Maisie Symonds (29′), Francesca Kirby (63′), Kiko Seike (66′)
Key Moment: Symonds’ 29th-minute opener from distance set the tone and gave Brighton a lead they never looked like surrendering.
What It Means: Brighton move to eight points with renewed attacking confidence; West Ham remain on six after a fifth defeat of the season.
Crystal Palace W 1–3 Chelsea W
🏟️ VBS Community Stadium
Chelsea’s unbeaten start stretched to seven matches after Melvine Malard turned a potential slip at Palace into a routine away win. Molly Bartrip gave the hosts an early lead, but Malard scored shortly after half-time and again with 15 minutes remaining, before winning the late penalty that Sandy Baltimore converted. Palace had 1.32 xG to Chelsea’s 3.72, and all three Chelsea goals came after the break. Crystal Palace have now taken three points from their last six WSL games and remain on six points, while Chelsea’s sixth straight win keeps them level on points with Manchester City.
⚽ Goals: Molly Bartrip (20′), Melvine Malard (51′), Melvine Malard (75′), Sandy Baltimore (90′ pen)
Key Moment: Malard’s 51st-minute equaliser, arriving after Palace had held a half-time lead, shifted the game’s gravity.
What It Means: Chelsea stay unbeaten with a sixth consecutive win; Palace’s winless run extends to six matches.
Liverpool W 2–2 London City Lionesses
🏟️ St Helens Stadium
Liverpool stopped a two-match losing run with a stoppage-time equaliser. Beata Olsson converted an early penalty before Freya Godfrey and Kadidiatou Diani turned the game in London City’s favour by half-time. The visitors produced 2.19 xG to Liverpool’s 1.72 and led until the 92nd minute, when Jana Fernandez put through her own net. The draw halts London City’s four-match winning streak but keeps their unbeaten run at five; Liverpool are now on eight points from a start that has brought two wins, two draws and three defeats.
⚽ Goals: Beata Olsson (19′ pen), Freya Godfrey (22′), Kadidiatou Diani (44′), Jana Fernandez (90+2′ og)
Key Moment: Fernandez’s 90+2 own goal, a late slice of fortune that denied London City a fifth straight win.
What It Means: Liverpool move to eight points; London City are on 16 points, unbeaten in five.
Birmingham City W 1–0 Charlton Athletic W
🏟️ St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park
Birmingham City finally have a league win. Wilma Leidhammar’s second-half strike settled a match the hosts dominated, with 2.30 xG to Charlton’s 0.41. Birmingham had drawn three and lost three of their first six, and for an hour it looked like another frustrating afternoon until Leidhammar finished. Charlton’s seventh straight defeat leaves them without a point after seven games, and the xG gap was among the widest of the round. Birmingham’s first win moves them to six points and offers some substance to a season that had been drifting.
⚽ Goals: Wilma Leidhammar (68′)
Key Moment: Leidhammar’s 68th-minute winner, Birmingham’s first league winner of the season.
What It Means: Charlton remain stuck on zero points and have lost seven in a row; Birmingham move to six points with their first victory.
Manchester United W 1–1 Manchester City W
🏟️ Leigh Sports Village
Elisabeth Terland’s late equaliser ended Manchester City’s perfect WSL start and gave Manchester United a hard-fought derby point. Khadija Shaw scored her 91st divisional goal, a low finish that looked like maintaining City’s winning habit. But United, who had already hit the crossbar through Jess Park, kept pressing and Terland found the bottom corner after a penalty-area scramble. City shaded the xG battle 1.67 to 1.08, but United’s five-match unbeaten run is now as notable as the first points dropped by the champions.
⚽ Goals: Khadija Shaw (66′), Elisabeth Terland (89′)
Key Moment: Terland’s 89th-minute equaliser, arriving after City had managed the game for much of the second half.
What It Means: Manchester City drop points for the first time, leaving them level with Chelsea on 19 points; United’s unbeaten run reaches five in the league.
⭐ Match of the Round: Everton W 2–3 Aston Villa W
🏟️ Goodison Park
Everton’s drift turned into a second straight WSL defeat as Aston Villa left Goodison Park with a 3-2 win that was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. Noelle Maritz put Villa ahead inside five minutes, and Amalie Vangsgaard scored either side of half-time to make it 3-0 before H. McNamara pulled one back with 11 minutes to play. A second Everton goal arrived in the 90th minute, but Villa had already done the damage. The visitors finished with 2.29 xG to Everton’s 0.92, evidence of how little the hosts created before the late flurry. Everton have now lost four of their opening seven matches and have lost back-to-back games; Villa have consecutive wins for the first time this season.
⚽ Goals: Noelle Maritz (4′), Amalie Vangsgaard (32′), Amalie Vangsgaard (50′), H. McNamara (79′), a 90th-minute consolation
Key Moment: Vangsgaard’s 50th-minute goal, Villa’s third, effectively ended the contest; Everton’s late rally never threatened to change the outcome.
What It Means: Everton remain on nine points with three wins and four defeats; Villa’s second straight win lifts them to nine points as well.
Gameweek Awards
⭐ Player of the Week: Melvine Malard (Chelsea W)
Malard took over at the VBS Community Stadium after Chelsea went behind, scoring twice and then winning the late penalty that Sandy Baltimore converted. Her two goals turned a potential away stumble into a sixth consecutive Chelsea win.
🎯 Decisive Goal of the Week
Alessia Russo (Arsenal W) vs Tottenham Hotspur W — Russo’s 56th-minute penalty, awarded after Cathinka Tandberg’s clearance struck Ella Morris’s raised arm, gave Arsenal a first league win since the opening day.
Top Scorers Update
⚽ Women’s Super League Top Scorers
Looking Ahead: Gameweek 8
👀 Key Fixtures Next Week
- Everton W vs Manchester United W (Sat 31 Oct 12:45)
- London City Lionesses vs Manchester City W (Sun 01 Nov 12:00)
- Arsenal W vs Aston Villa W (Sun 01 Nov 12:00)
- Birmingham City W vs Tottenham Hotspur W (Sun 01 Nov 14:00)
- West Ham W vs Liverpool W (Sun 01 Nov 14:00)
- Brighton W vs Crystal Palace W (Sun 01 Nov 14:00)
- Charlton Athletic W vs Chelsea W (Sun 01 Nov 14:30)
Relegation Picture — ML Expected Points
Relegation Battle — Projected Finish
🎯 Projected Final Points
| Team | Current Pts | Games Left | ML xPts | Projected Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham W | 6 | 19 | +16.4 | ~22 |
| Crystal Palace W | 6 | 19 | +15.8 | ~22 |
| Charlton Athletic W | 0 | 19 | +12.9 | ~13 |
Rows are the three lowest projected totals rather than the three lowest points totals, so a club level on points today can project above the table and sit outside it. ML xPts = sum of expected points from remaining fixtures per the BTP model (3·P(win) + 1·P(draw)). Projected total indicative only.
How Did Our Predictions Do?
🔮 Predictions Review
Correct Results: 3/7
Model Record: 18/35 (51.4%) this season — five rounds, not seven: the 1X2 model produces nothing at Matchday 1 and has no stored predictions for Matchday 5
Best Call: Chelsea’s away win at Crystal Palace was the model’s best call of the round, landing a 79.1% confidence pick when the visitors came from behind.
Worst Call: The model’s worst miss was backing Tottenham at home against Arsenal at 76.6%; Arsenal won 2-1 after trailing early.
| Fixture | Actual Result | Model Pick | Hit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur W vs Arsenal W | 1-2 | HOME (77%) | ✗ |
| Brighton W vs West Ham W | 3-0 | HOME (59%) | ✓ |
| Crystal Palace W vs Chelsea W | 1-3 | AWAY (79%) | ✓ |
| Birmingham City W vs Charlton Athletic W | 1-0 | HOME (79%) | ✓ |
| Everton W vs Aston Villa W | 2-3 | HOME (55%) | ✗ |
| Liverpool W vs London City Lionesses | 2-2 | HOME (51%) | ✗ |
| Manchester United W vs Manchester City W | 1-1 | AWAY (66%) | ✗ |
The model was undone by draws and derbies, missing both the Liverpool-London City 2-2 and Manchester derby 1-1 as well as the Tottenham-Arsenal upset, while missing its third-firmest pick of the round, Tottenham at 76.6%.
What We Learned
📚 Five Things We Learned
- Arsenal’s 2.30 xG at Brisbane Road dwarfed Tottenham’s 0.38, and the finishing matched the dominance.
- Manchester City can be reached: United’s high press and late Terland equaliser ended City’s six-match winning start, though Shaw’s goal showed she remains the division’s leading scorer.
- Chelsea’s 3.72 xG at Crystal Palace came with all three goals after half-time, two of them from Malard.
- London City led Liverpool until the 92nd minute and finished with the better xG, 2.19 to 1.72, but a late own goal cost them a fifth straight win.
- Birmingham’s first win, built on a 2.30-0.41 xG gap, extended Charlton’s losing start to seven games; Charlton are yet to earn a point.
Conclusion
Manchester City’s first dropped points, Arsenal’s derby recovery and Chelsea’s comeback at Palace all gave the table a different shape heading into the next round. With London City still unbeaten in five and Aston Villa hitting form, City and Chelsea are level on 19 with London City three behind. The next gameweek should tell us whether this was a blip or a genuine shift.

