WSL Gameweek 15 Review: Smith Ends City’s Winning Streak as West Ham Stage Stunning Comeback
Competition: Barclays Women’s Super League
Dates: Saturday 7th February to Sunday 8th February
Total Goals: 16 goals from 6 matches
Headline Result: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
Gameweek 15 delivered drama from start to finish as Arsenal ended Manchester City’s 13-game WSL winning streak with a 1-0 victory, thanks to Olivia Smith’s clinical finish. The title race may be all but settled with City still eight points clear, but the battle for Champions League places intensified as Chelsea bounced back with a 2-0 win at Tottenham, while Manchester United kept the pressure on with a comfortable victory over Leicester. At the bottom, West Ham produced one of the comebacks of the season, scoring three times in nine minutes to beat Brighton 3-2, while Liverpool’s 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa lifted them off the foot of the table.
Gameweek 15 Results Overview
All Results – Goals vs xG Analysis
Wsl - Matchday 15 Review
Season 2025-26 | Post-Match Analysis
Leicester City WFC
Manchester United W
Liverpool W
Aston Villa W
Arsenal W
Manchester City W
West Ham W
Brighton W
London City Lionesses
Everton W
Tottenham Hotspur W
Chelsea WUpdated WSL Table
WSL Table After Gameweek 15
Women's Super League
Updated: 15 Apr 2026, 9:35 AM
BTP Analysis & Talking Points
Key Talking Points
- Olivia Smith: Arsenal’s £1m Bargain? When Arsenal made Olivia Smith the first £1m player in women’s football history, sceptics wondered what she could offer over Chloe Kelly or Beth Mead. The answer is versatility. Deployed as an unfamiliar number nine in place of the injured Stina Blackstenius, Smith needed only two-and-a-half training sessions in the role before dismantling Manchester City’s defence. With three goals in her last four WSL outings, the 21-year-old Canadian is proving her price tag was money well spent — and she’s only just getting started.
- Chelsea’s Crisis Management: Sonia Bompastor’s new four-year contract extension, announced just 48 hours before the Tottenham trip, was a deliberate show of faith from Chelsea’s hierarchy amid growing fan unrest. The timing worked — a 2-0 win at Spurs kept their Champions League hopes alive. But the first-half performance, where Tottenham were the better side and hit the crossbar, did little to silence the critics. With Millie Bright hobbling off with a foot issue, Chelsea’s lack of squad depth remains Bompastor’s biggest concern as they chase a top-three finish.
- The Relegation Battle Heats Up: West Ham’s extraordinary late comeback against Brighton — three goals in nine minutes after trailing 2-0 with eight minutes left — could prove a season-defining moment. Liverpool’s 4-1 thrashing of Villa lifted them off the bottom, pushing Leicester into last place. With Everton also picking up a win at London City, the bottom of the table is becoming increasingly congested and every point matters.
Match of the Week: Liverpool 4-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool WAston Villa WDetailed statistics not available for this match.
Liverpool produced their most convincing performance of the season to move off the bottom of the WSL table with a dominant 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. Ceri Holland was the creative heartbeat, assisting Mia Enderby’s opener and playing a key role in Martha Thomas’s second as Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes. Miri Taylor pulled one back for Villa before half-time, but Gareth Taylor’s side never looked like surrendering their advantage. Captain Grace Fisk’s emphatic volley after a half-cleared corner killed the game before Aurelie Csillag added gloss in stoppage time. Liverpool dominated the key stats — five shots on target, four big chances, and 10 shots from inside the box — leaving Villa’s defensive problems brutally exposed once again.
Grace Fisk led by example in a commanding captain’s performance. Solid at the back throughout, she stepped up at the crucial moment to put the game beyond Villa’s reach, volleying past Ellie Roebuck after a corner was only half cleared. It was a goal that underlined her growing influence at the club and capped a display that combined defensive assurance with attacking intent. With Liverpool now scoring nine goals in their last five WSL games, Fisk’s leadership is helping drive a genuine improvement in form.
Grace Fisk - Recent Form
Liverpool W
| Date | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Feb 2026 | Manchester United W (A) | L 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| 25 Jan 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur W (H) | W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 |
| 11 Jan 2026 | London City Lionesses (H) | D 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 |
| 09 Nov 2025 | Brighton W (H) | D 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 |
| 12 Oct 2025 | Manchester City W (H) | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 |
Everton Review
London City LionessesEverton WDetailed statistics not available for this match.
The Performance: A gritty, backs-to-the-wall display from Everton in their first WSL match under interim head coach Scott Phelan. The Toffees were under the cosh for long spells — they didn’t register a single shot on target until the 52nd minute — but were superbly organised defensively and took their chance when it came. It was the kind of performance that wins relegation battles, and it secured back-to-back victories for the first time since December 2023.
Key Moments: London City dominated the first half with 10 corners by the 37th minute, and Grace Geyoro’s glancing header struck the post. Courtney Brosnan was magnificent in goal, making a string of saves including a superb stop to deny Freya Godfrey’s curling effort that was heading for the top corner. The decisive moment came on 62 minutes when Nicole Momiki pounced on a loose ball from Wassa Sangare and threaded it through to Inma Gabarro, who fired into the roof of the net on her return from a loan spell at Sevilla.
xG Verdict: London City will feel robbed based on the balance of play — they dominated possession (leading the pass count), had multiple big chances, hit the post, and forced a string of saves. Everton massively overperformed their xG, but in a relegation fight, clinical finishing and defensive resilience are worth more than pretty football.
Courtney Brosnan was the difference between three points and none for Everton. The Republic of Ireland international made save after save to keep London City at bay, with her best coming to deny Godfrey’s curling effort that looked destined for the top corner. Without her heroics, the Toffees would have been behind long before Gabarro’s winner. Named player of the match with a rating of 8.00 — fully deserved.
Courtney Brosnan - Recent Form
Everton W
| Date | Opponent | Result | Saves | CS | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Feb 2026 | Aston Villa W (H) | W 2-1 | 2 | 6.6 | |
| 23 Jan 2026 | Brighton W (H) | L 0-1 | 4 | 7.3 | |
| 11 Jan 2026 | Manchester City W (A) | L 0-2 | 11 | 9.5 | |
| 13 Dec 2025 | Arsenal W (H) | L 1-3 | 6 | 7.3 | |
| 07 Dec 2025 | Chelsea W (A) | W 1-0 | 6 | ✓ | 8.6 |
xG Deep Dive
Goals vs Expected Goals Chart
Please specify a team.
xG Overperformers
West Ham (3 goals): Trailing 2-0 with eight minutes remaining, the Hammers scored three times in nine minutes. Morgan’s wayward cross deceiving the keeper and Martinez’s rebound off a goalkeeper clearance both carried an element of fortune — this was a classic case of scoring well above what the chances were worth.
Everton (1 goal): The Toffees had virtually no shots on target until the second half, yet took all three points thanks to Gabarro’s clinical finish. London City dominated the underlying numbers but Everton made their one real chance count.
Liverpool (4 goals): Four goals and four big chances — Liverpool were ruthlessly efficient in front of goal, converting at a rate that their overall play deserved. The Reds generated 10 shots from inside the box and made nearly every one count.
xG Underperformers
London City Lionesses (0 goals): The hosts dominated possession, racked up 10 first-half corners, hit the post through Geyoro, and forced a string of saves from Brosnan. Their inability to convert their dominance into goals was the story of the match — a painful underperformance that kept them winless when conceding first at home.
Manchester City (0 goals): City managed just eight shots — their fewest in any WSL match this season — with only one on target. While Arsenal’s press suffocated their build-up play, the likes of Shaw, Hemp and Kerolin barely had a sniff. Hemp’s shanked effort from 10 yards summed up a rare off-day.
Brighton (2 goals): Despite leading 2-0 and looking comfortable, Brighton’s inability to close the game out suggests their overall chance creation fell away in the second half. Two goals from relatively few chances was a decent return, but they’ll rue the defensive collapse that followed.
Shock Result of the Week
Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City ended the league leaders’ 13-game WSL winning streak and inflicted their first defeat since the opening day of the season. City had put five past Chelsea just a week earlier, but Renee Slegers’ tactical masterclass nullified their attacking threat — limiting them to just eight shots and one on target, the fewest they’ve managed in any WSL game this season. Arsenal targeted City’s lack of pace in central defence, just as London City Lionesses had done two weeks prior, with Smith’s blistering speed causing havoc. On the other side of the ball, high-intensity pressing on midfielder Yui Hasegawa forced City to bypass midfield with long balls that were dealt with comfortably. City remain eight points clear with seven games to play, so the title is still firmly in their hands, but this result proved they are beatable — and gave Arsenal a huge confidence boost heading into a packed schedule across three competitions.
Final Thoughts
Gameweek 15 Verdict
A gameweek packed with storylines as the WSL enters its final stretch. City’s aura of invincibility has been dented but their eight-point cushion means the title is still theirs to lose. The real battle is for Champions League places, where Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are separated by just six points with plenty still to play for. At the bottom, the relegation picture is muddied further with West Ham, Liverpool, and Everton all picking up crucial wins.
Arsenal — Ended City’s winning streak with a tactical masterclass. Smith’s versatility gives Slegers a genuine weapon.
West Ham — Three goals in nine minutes from 2-0 down. A comeback that could define their season.
Everton — First WSL win under Phelan, back-to-back victories for the first time in over two years. Brosnan was heroic.
Aston Villa — Three consecutive league defeats and 29 goals conceded. Their defensive problems are reaching crisis point.
Brighton — Throwing away a 2-0 lead with eight minutes left is simply unacceptable. A devastating collapse.
Leicester City — A ninth loss in 14 league games and a failure to score in six of those. Now bottom of the table and running out of time.
Looking Ahead: Gameweek 16 brings a packed schedule with Champions League implications looming large. Manchester City host Leicester on Friday night looking to bounce back immediately, while midweek European action sees Arsenal travel to Leuven and Manchester United face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout round. Sunday’s fixtures are stacked — Chelsea host Liverpool in a must-win for both sides, Everton welcome West Ham in a huge relegation clash at Goodison Park, London City visit Manchester United, and Tottenham travel to Aston Villa.
Key Fixture to Watch: Chelsea vs Liverpool (Sunday 15 February, 12:00 GMT) — Chelsea desperately need wins to secure a top-three spot, but Liverpool are riding a wave of confidence after their emphatic victory over Villa. With Bompastor’s squad stretched thin by injuries and Chelsea’s recent inconsistency, this is far from the formality it might once have been.
Check out our Gameweek 16 preview for full stats and predictions!
