It was a tight affair in Gameweek 6 of the Barclays WSL, with just 11 goals scored across the weekend’s fixtures – the lowest tally so far this season.
Chelsea held firm in a tense London derby to edge past Spurs and stay top, while Manchester City made it five wins in a row with a comeback victory over winless Liverpool. Manchester United remain the only other unbeaten side alongside Chelsea, coming from behind to thump Everton 4–1 and stay firmly in the title race.
After a difficult run, Arsenal returned to winning ways with a narrow win over Brighton in a scrappy contest at the Emirates. At the same time, London City Lionesses continued their strong form with a second straight victory, capitalising on a moment to forget from West Ham’s goalkeeper.
Aston Villa and Leicester played out a goalless draw – a result that does little to lift either side from their slow start. Both remain on just one win this season.
Here’s your complete round-up of everything from Gameweek 6: every goal, big moment, and story that mattered.
VERTA’s WSL GW6 Picks
⚽️ Goal of the week: Kiera Walsh (Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham)
🚀 Game of the week: Liverpool 1-2 Man City
⭐️ Star of the week: Super Sub Jessica Parker for her two goals off the bench (Everton 1-4 Man United)
Sun 12th Oct 25 | Villa Park
Aston Villa were left to rue missed chances in a frustrating 0–0 draw with Leicester City at Villa Park, a result that does little to ease either side’s sluggish start to the campaign.
Under head coach Natalia Arroyo, Villa created the better chances. Chastity Grant had a golden opportunity inside three minutes after breaking the Leicester back line but was denied one-on-one by Janina Leitzig. Ebony Salmon then had two similar openings – firing straight at Leitzig on 10 minutes and again on 34. Villa’s finishing let them down.
Despite registering 17 shots and 8 on target, Villa couldn’t convert dominance into goals.
Leicester, without a league win in four, offered little in attack but defended well to earn a point. They sit ninth, while Villa – unbeaten in three – remain eighth with a game in hand.
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Sun 12th Oct 25 | Kingsmeadow
Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a narrow but deserved 1–0 win over Tottenham, thanks to a superb second-half goal from Keira Walsh.
The hosts controlled possession but were mostly restricted to long-range efforts by a disciplined Spurs backline. The breakthrough came in the 61st minute when Walsh collected a pass 30 yards out, drove into space, and rifled a low shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards – past the impressive Lize Kop.
Tottenham stayed organised and limited Chelsea to few clear chances, but the quality of Walsh’s strike was enough to decide the game.
Chelsea have now won five of their six league matches and remain top by a point. Sonia Bompastor’s side have extended their unbeaten WSL run to 31 games. Spurs, though impressive defensively, continue to fall short against top-tier opposition.
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Sun 12th Oct 25 | Hill Dickinson Stadium
Manchester United produced another dominant performance coming from a goal down to cruise past Everton 4–1.
United could have led inside two minutes. Melvine Malard cut the ball across the box for Lisa Naalsund, who blasted over with only the keeper to beat. Soon after, Elisabeth Terland headed over from a yard out, and Fridolina Rolfö spurned another chance.
Instead, it was Everton who struck first. In their first WSL match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Honoka Hayashi reacted quickest to a loose ball in the United box and fired in to give the hosts a dream start.
But United found their shooting boots in the second half. Malard equalised in the 62nd minute at the second attempt after a neat through ball from Hinata Miyazawa – her fifth league goal of the season. Moments later, Hikaru Kitagawa scored an extraordinary own goal to put United in front.
Jess Park then added a late brace – her first a deflected strike on 84 minutes, followed by a composed finish from the edge of the box in stoppage time to seal a deserved win.
United remain third in the table and are one of only two unbeaten sides, alongside Chelsea. Everton, meanwhile, are winless in five and have taken just one point since the opening day.
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Sun 12th Oct 25 | Hayes Lane
London City claimed their first back-to-back wins of the season, edging West Ham United 1–0 at Hayes Lane.
Both sides were limited to pot shots for much of the match, with the best chance of the first half falling to Viviane Asseyi, whose long-range effort clipped the outside of the post in the 31st minute.
With West Ham growing into the game, the decisive moment came in the 68th minute. Kinga Szemik was caught napping, completely unaware of her surroundings. As she prepared to play a long ball out, Kosovare Asllani snuck in, dispossessed her, and calmly placed the ball into an empty net. It was an embarrassing moment for the West Ham goalkeeper – one that proved costly.
With the win, London City climb to sixth in the table, well clear of the bottom group and building momentum. West Ham, meanwhile, remain winless and sit rooted to the foot of the table on goal difference, having lost all six of their opening fixtures.
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Sun 12th Oct 25 | The Emirates
Arsenal finally returned to winning ways after four matches in all competitions without a victory, beating Brighton 1–0 in a scrappy affair at the Emirates.
Arsenal started brightly, and Chiamaka Nnadozie was called into action early. She first palmed a Katie McCabe cross onto the bar. Moments later, she pushed Kim Little’s follow-up wide and then smothered a close-range effort from Caitlin Foord.
The only goal of the game came in the 15th minute, when Olivia Smith broke down the right and her attempted cross deflected off Marisa Olislagers, before heading past Nnadozie for an unfortunate own goal.
The game lacked fluidity from both sides, with few clear openings. Brighton’s best chance came in the 63rd minute when a strong header from Tatiana Pinto Camacho seemed destined for the Arsenal net – only for Daphne van Domselaar to produce a fantastic save and preserve the lead.
Despite Brighton’s push, Arsenal held firm and managed the closing stages with composure. The narrow win halts a worrying run for the Gunners. For Brighton, the inconsistency continues as they remain mid-table
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Sun 12th Oct 25 | Anfield
Liverpool had keeper Borggrafe to thank for going into the break level, standing firm to deny strikes from Vivianne Miedema and Aoba Fujino.
After the break, Liverpool took a surprise lead when Cornelia Kapocs (52′) arrived at the far post to head home – their first goal in over six hours of league football. But 13 minutes later, Iman Beney drew City level with a well taken finish after Bunny Shaw’s header was parried into her path.
In the 86th minute, Fujino struck the decisive blow, converting a precise through ball to seal the win.
Liverpool thought they had rescued a point in the 96th minute, but Gemma Bonner’s effort was ruled out for offside.
City will be pleased to maintain pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table. Liverpool, meanwhile, remain second from bottom on goal difference, still searching for their first point of the campaign.
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