2021–22 FA WSL

The 2021–22 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) is the 11th season of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010.[1] It is the fourth season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football.

FA WSL
Season2021–22
Dates3 September 2021 – 8 May 2022
Matches played54
Goals scored158 (2.93 per match)
Top goalscorerSam Kerr
(9 goals)
Biggest home winArsenal 5–0 Manchester City
26 September 2021
Manchester City 5–0 Aston Villa
20 November 2021
Chelsea 5–0 Birmingham City
21 November 2021
Biggest away winBirmingham City 0–5 Brighton & Hove Albion
12 September 2021
Manchester United 1–6 Chelsea
26 September 2021
Highest scoringManchester United 1–6 Chelsea
26 September 2021
Longest winning run7 matches
Chelsea
Longest unbeaten run9 matches
Arsenal
Longest winless run9 matches
Birmingham City
Leicester City
Longest losing run9 matches
Leicester City
Highest attendance8,705
Arsenal 3–2 Chelsea
(5 September 2021)
Lowest attendance298
Birmingham City 0–3 Reading
(7 November 2021)
2022–23 →
All statistics correct as of 12 December 2021.

Teams

Twelve teams contest the 2021–22 FA WSL season. At the end of the previous season, Bristol City were relegated after four seasons in the WSL while Leicester City were promoted for the first time.[2]

Locations of the 2021–22 FA WSL teams
TeamLocationGroundCapacity2020–21 season
ArsenalBorehamwoodMeadow Park4,5023rd
Aston VillaWalsallBescot Stadium11,00010th
Birmingham CityBirminghamSt Andrew's29,40911th
Brighton & Hove AlbionCrawleyBroadfield Stadium6,1346th
ChelseaKingston upon ThamesKingsmeadow4,8501st
EvertonLiverpoolWalton Hall Park2,2005th
Leicester CityLeicesterKing Power Stadium32,312WC, 1st
Manchester CityManchesterAcademy Stadium7,0002nd
Manchester UnitedLeighLeigh Sports Village12,0004th
ReadingReadingMadejski Stadium24,1617th
Tottenham HotspurCanons ParkThe Hive Stadium6,5008th
West Ham UnitedDagenhamVictoria Road6,0789th

Stadium changes

Two teams changed home ground prior to the start of the season: Birmingham City relocated from Damson Park to St Andrew's, home of the team's male affiliate since 1906.[3] Leicester City prepared for their maiden WSL season by moving to their parent club's main stadium, King Power Stadium, with Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium serving as backup when fixtures clash with Leicester's men's side.[4]

Personnel and kits
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Jonas Eidevall Kim Little Adidas Fly Emirates
Aston Villa Carla Ward Marisa Ewers Kappa Cazoo
Birmingham City Darren Carter (interim) Louise Quinn Nike SmartMeds
Brighton & Hove Albion Hope Powell Danielle Bowman Nike American Express
Chelsea Emma Hayes Magdalena Eriksson Nike Three
Everton Jean-Luc Vasseur Lucy Graham Hummel MegaFon
Leicester City Lydia Bedford Sophie Barker Adidas FBS
Manchester City Gareth Taylor Steph Houghton Puma Etihad Airways
Manchester United Marc Skinner Katie Zelem Adidas TeamViewer
Reading Kelly Chambers Natasha Harding Macron YLD
Tottenham Hotspur Rehanne Skinner Shelina Zadorsky Nike AIA
West Ham United Olli Harder Gilly Flaherty Umbro Betway

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Aston Villa Marcus Bignot (interim) End of interim period[5] 10 May 2021 End of season (10th) Carla Ward 20 May 2021[6]
Birmingham City Carla Ward Resigned[7] 16 May 2021 End of season (11th) Scott Booth 30 June 2021[8]
Arsenal Joe Montemurro Resigned[9] 16 May 2021 End of season (3rd) Jonas Eidevall 28 June 2021[10]
Manchester United Casey Stoney Resigned[11] 16 May 2021 End of season (4th) Marc Skinner 29 July 2021[12]
Everton Willie Kirk Sacked[13] 16 October 2021 8th Jean-Luc Vasseur 29 October 2021[14]
Birmingham City Scott Booth Sacked[15] 18 November 2021 11th Tony Elliott (interim) 18 November 2021
Birmingham City Tony Elliott (interim) End of interim period[16] 21 November 2021 11th Darren Carter (interim) 21 November 2021[16]
Leicester City Jonathan Morgan Sacked[17] 25 November 2021 12th Emile Heskey (interim) 25 November 2021[17]
Leicester City Emile Heskey (interim) End of interim period[18] 6 December 2021 12th Lydia Bedford 6 December 2021[18]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Arsenal 9 8 1 0 30 3 +27 25 Qualification for the Champions League second round
2 Chelsea 9 7 0 2 27 6 +21 21
3 Tottenham Hotspur 9 5 2 2 11 7 +4 17 Qualification for the Champions League first round
4 Brighton & Hove Albion 9 5 0 4 12 9 +3 15
5 Manchester United 9 4 3 2 14 13 +1 15
6 Manchester City 9 4 1 4 19 18 +1 13
7 West Ham United 9 3 4 2 12 11 +1 13
8 Reading 9 4 1 4 11 12 −1 13
9 Everton 9 3 2 4 9 15 −6 11
10 Aston Villa 9 3 1 5 6 17 −11 10
11 Birmingham City 9 0 1 8 4 24 −20 1
12 Leicester City 9 0 0 9 3 23 −20 0 Relegation to the Championship
Updated to match(es) played on 12 December 2021. Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.

Results
Home \ Away ARS ASV BIR BHA CHE EVE LEI MCI MNU REA TOT WHU
Arsenal — 3–2 3–0 4–0 5–0 4–0
Aston Villa 0–4 — 0–1 2–1 1–2
Birmingham City 0–1 — 0–5 2–3 0–2 0–3
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–1 — 1–0 0–2 2–1 2–0
Chelsea 5–0 3–1 — 4–0 2–0
Everton 3–1 0–1 — 0–4 1–1 1–1
Leicester City 0–1 — 1–4 1–3 0–2
Manchester City 5–0 0–4 — 1–2 0–2
Manchester United 0–2 1–6 2–2 — 2–0
Reading 0–4 3–0 2–0 1–0 0–3 —
Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 —
West Ham United 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 12 December 2021. Source: The FA
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 13, but then postponed and played between rounds 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for round 16.

Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
Arsenal421111111
Chelsea764322222
Tottenham Hotspur642233443
Brighton & Hove Albion215754334
Manchester United336445565
Manchester City178997976
West Ham United1087566757
Reading11111112109888
Everton1212988101099
Aston Villa55367861010
Birmingham City91012111111111111
Leicester City8910101212121212
Leader and Champions League second round
Champions League second round
Champions League first round
Relegation to Championship
Updated to match(es) played on 12 December 2021. Source: FA WSL

Results by round
Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
ArsenalWWWWWWDWW
Aston VillaWDWLLLWLL
Birmingham CityLLLLDLLLL
Brighton & Hove AlbionWWLLWWWLL
ChelseaLWWWWWWWL
EvertonLLWWLLDWD
Leicester CityLLLLLLLLL
Manchester CityWLLLDWLWW
Manchester UnitedWWLWDDDLW
ReadingLLLLWWDWW
Tottenham HotspurWWWWLDDLW
West Ham UnitedLDWWDLDWD
Updated to match(es) played on 12 December 2021. Source: The FA
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose

Season statistics

Top scorers
As of 12 December 2021
RankPlayerClubGoals[19]
1 Sam Kerr Chelsea 9
2 Vivianne Miedema Arsenal 7
3 Fran Kirby Chelsea 6
Kim Little Arsenal
5 Lauren Hemp Manchester City 4
Katie McCabe Arsenal
Beth Mead Arsenal
Rachel Williams Tottenham
9 Remi Allen Aston Villa 3
Natasha Dowie Reading
Jessie Fleming Chelsea
Pernille Harder Chelsea
Frida Maanum Arsenal
Deanne Rose Reading
Alessia Russo Manchester United
Ella Toone Manchester United

Top assists
As of 12 December 2021
RankPlayerClubAssists[20]
1 Fran Kirby Chelsea 5
Katie McCabe Arsenal
3 Beth Mead Arsenal 4
Ella Toone Manchester United
5 Hannah Blundell Manchester United 3
Erin Cuthbert Chelsea
Sam Kerr Chelsea
Vivianne Miedema Arsenal
Hayley Raso Manchester City
10 Izzy Christiansen Everton 2
Amalie Eikeland Reading
Gilly Flaherty West Ham United
Jessie Fleming Chelsea
Alex Greenwood Manchester City
Nikita Parris Arsenal
Guro Reiten Chelsea
Deanne Rose Reading
Ji So-yun Chelsea
Kateřina Svitková West Ham United
Lotte Wubben-Moy Arsenal

Clean sheets
As of 12 December 2021
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets[21]
1 Manuela Zinsberger Arsenal 6
2 Ann-Katrin Berger Chelsea 4
Grace Moloney Reading
Megan Walsh Brighton & Hove Albion
5 Mackenzie Arnold West Ham United 3
Mary Earps Manchester United
7 Karima Benameur Taieb Manchester City 2
Hannah Hampton Aston Villa
Sandy MacIver Everton
Zećira Mušović Chelsea
Rebecca Spencer Tottenham Hotspur

Hat-tricks
As of 21 November 2021
PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Sam Kerr Chelsea Birmingham City 5–0 (H) 21 November 2021

Discipline
As of 12 December 2021
Most yellow cardsTotalMost red cardsTotalRef.
Player Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
Lisa Robertson ( Birmingham City)		 4 Hawa Cissoko (West Ham United)
Jemma Purfield (Leicester City)
Georgia Stanway (Manchester City)
Rachel Williams (Tottenham Hotspur)		 1 [22]
Club Tottenham Hotspur 14 Leicester City
Manchester City
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United		 1 [23]

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Goal of the Month Ref.
Manager Club Player Club Player Club
September Jonas Eidevall Arsenal Beth Mead Arsenal Pernille Harder (vs Manchester United) Chelsea [24][25]
October Jonas Eidevall Arsenal Katie McCabe Arsenal Katie McCabe (vs Aston Villa) Arsenal [26][27]
November Kelly Chambers Reading Jessie Fleming Chelsea Alessia Russo (vs Tottenham Hotspur) Manchester United [28]

References
  1. "The History of Women's Football". Football Association. The Football Association. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. "Chelsea Women win 2020/21 Women's Super League title with Man City Women second, Bristol City Women relegated". Sky Sports.
  3. "Birmingham Women to play at St Andrew's". BBC Sport.
  4. Garry, Tom (25 August 2021). "Leicester City Women to play eight matches at King Power Stadium in debut WSL campaign". The Telegraph.
  5. "Aston Villa Women can confirm that Marcus Bignot's term as Interim Manager has ended following the completion of the season". Aston Villa Football Club.
  6. "Ex-Birmingham boss Ward joins Villa". BBC Sport.
  7. Garry, Tom (14 May 2021). "Carla Ward resigns as Birmingham City Women manager". The Telegraph.
  8. "Scott Booth named Blues Women Head Coach". Birmingham City Football Club.
  9. "Arsenal Women manager Joe Montemurro to leave at end of season". The Guardian. 31 March 2021.
  10. "Jonas Eidevall named new Arsenal Women head coach". Arsenal FC. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  11. "Casey Stoney to leave role as Man Utd Women Head Coach". Manchester United. 12 May 2021.
  12. "Man Utd appoint Skinner as head coach". BBC Sport.
  13. "Everton sack Kirk after poor WSL start" – via www.bbc.com.
  14. "Everton appoint ex-Lyon manager Vasseur". BBC Sport.
  15. Garry, Tom (18 November 2021). "Birmingham City Women sack manager Scott Booth after just four months in charge". The Telegraph.
  16. "Blues Women Interim Head Coach: Darren Carter". Birmingham City Football Club.
  17. "Jonathan Morgan Leaves LCFC Women". Leicester City.
  18. "LCFC Women Appoint Lydia Bedford As First Team Manager". Leicester City.
  19. "The FA Women's Super League Top Scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  20. "The FA Women's Super League Top Scorers - Top Assists". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  21. "Women's Super League Goalkeeper Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  22. "Yellow cards - WSL 2021/2022 stats". FotMob. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  23. "FA Women's Super League Discipline Stats 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  24. "Arsenal forward Beth Mead wins WSL Player of the Month and Jonas Eidevall named Manager of the Month". Sky Sports. 14 October 2021.
  25. "Pernille Harder September Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 14 October 2021.
  26. "Katie McCabe wins WSL player of the month as head coach Jonas Eidevall wins manager award for October". Sky Sports. 4 November 2021.
  27. "Katie McCabe October Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 4 November 2021.
  28. "Chelsea's Jessie Fleming named WSL Player of the Month for November as Reading boss Kelly Chambers wins manager award". Sky Sports.
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