Another month of Women’s Super League action is complete, and Manchester City remain in top spot having played a game more than their rivals.
Crystal Palace moved up the standings with their first win of the campaign, as well as a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. Brighton moved into the top four following a strong run of games, leaving the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool with work to do.
West Ham remain bottom of the standings on goal difference, with Everton and Aston Villa also on two points. The next month will be a crucial period at both ends of the table with the midway point of the season already looming large.
Now the dust has settled on another busy month, 90min have ranked the top three players in the WSL from October…
Best performance: Brighton maintained their strong start to the season in October with victories over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, as well as a draw against Manchester United. The Seagulls had a number of standout performers, but Nikita Parris played an integral role in two of those wins.
The summer signing scored the equaliser in their 4-2 victory over Villa, and she then assisted Pauline Bremer to put them 2-1 up before half time. Against United, she levelled the scoreline in the second half, against her former club, to ensure Brighton walked away with a point.
Best performance: It’s been a strong month for Celin Bizet at Manchester United as she registered assists in both of their WSL matches in October. Against her former club, Tottenham, she set up both of Elisabeth Terland’s goals in the first half to help the Red Devils secure a 3-0 victory at Leigh Sports Village.
United only managed a draw against Brighton prior to the international break, but Bizet was the provider once again, this time for Grace Clinton. The 23-year-old’s strong month places her at the top of the charts for assists this season with three, above the likes of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Lauren Hemp.
Best performance: It’s difficult to pick just one of Hemp’s standout performances in October as she had goal contributions in every single one of Manchester City’s WSL matches last month. The clash against Villa was one of her most effective performances as she scored the equaliser in the second half, then set up Jill Roord for the winner late on.
City also fell behind against Liverpool at Anfield, and it was Khadija Shaw who scored twice to ensure Gareth Taylor’s side walked away with all three points. But, Hemp provided the assist for their equaliser as she skipped past Marie Hobinger down the left and picked out Shaw with a pinpoint cross into the box.
Hemp was also on the scoresheet in their 2-0 victory over West Ham at the beginning of the month. She was, quite literally, at the heart of everything and her contributions meant City were able to keep the pace in the title race.
