How did each WSL club do during 2024-25 season?

BBC Sport womens football news reporter

It has been another exhilarating Women’s Super League season with Chelsea finishing on top yet again – but how did each club fare during 2024-25?

While some exceeded expectations, others underwhelmed and struggled in a relegation battle.

Four clubs saw changes in management and several new signings put their stamp on the WSL.

Here is what I made of each club’s campaign and how I did in my pre-season predictions…

Sonia Bompastor’s debut season in England has been explosive as she guided Chelsea to the title with two games to spare and they finished unbeaten in the WSL.

It is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the club’s continued willingness to invest in and back their team.

I wondered if Chelsea would take a few months to adapt under Bompastor following 12 years with former boss Emma Hayes but they carried on where they left off.

It has not been easy, they have been tested and pushed close in a number of matches – winning by a 1-0 scoreline on 10 occasions.

But ultimately they delivered as they strived for perfection and came as close as they could to it by not losing a single game.

If this was the “transition” season that may have given their rivals a sniff, it does not bode well for everyone else moving forward. They remain the team to beat.

Pre-season prediction: 2nd

When former manager Jonas Eidevall resigned in October, Arsenal sat sixth in the WSL after winning just one of their opening four games.

They were struggling on all fronts, lacking in fluidity and confidence and it showed in their performances.

But under Renee Slegers – first as interim boss before she took on the role permanently – they have rebuilt throughout the campaign.

They booked their place in the Women’s Champions League final and that impacted their form in the final WSL matches of the season. They were not as strong in the head-to-head battles against the other sides in the top four.

They had ambitions to win silverware and the league, but given all things considered, it’s been a pretty good campaign for them – however, they will want to go one step further next season.

Pre-season prediction: 3rd

Manchester United missed out on second place on the final day with a 4-3 defeat by Arsenal.

But it does not take away from what has been a solid campaign.

They reached a third successive FA Cup final, qualified for the Champions League and maintained the second-best defensive record in the league.

Manager Marc Skinner embedded new signings and United’s aggressive pressing style has evolved throughout the campaign. They will be pleased with their progress.

Pre-season prediction: 4th

It’s not been a good season for Manchester City.

Lengthy injuries to key players have undoubtedly played a major part in their collapse but they failed to react to that in the January transfer window.

Summer signings Aoba Fujino and Kerolin made an impact, while key forwards Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw shone individually before their injuries.

But for a club who missed out on the title by goal difference last season, and have now failed to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy, it is a big drop-off.

They have work to do in the summer to rebuild and they need to find a permanent manager following Gareth Taylor’s sacking in March.

Pre-season prediction: 1st

It’s been a positive season for Brighton, who invested strongly in the summer and have played some great football in patches.

They will want more consistency but the club are on an upwards trajectory and this was definitely a season in which they saw progress under manager Dario Vidosic.

Highlights included victory over Arsenal and a draw with Chelsea but they did drop needless points against teams around them in the table.

They held on to fifth spot – a great achievement – but they know there is still work to do.

Pre-season prediction: 7th

It’s been a difficult campaign for Aston Villa who, up until the end of March, were on the brink of relegation having sat a point above bottom club Palace.

Former manager Robert de Pauw was sacked after just six months meaning Natalia Arroyo had to pick up the pieces when she arrived in February.

It was not easy at first and they took a while to get going but eventually their persistence paid off, leading to a strong end to the campaign.

They won their last five matches and leapfrogged several clubs on the final day to finish a respectable sixth in the table.

It provides hope for next season when Arroyo can put her stamp on the team – but Villa will not want to go through what they have done this year any time soon.

Pre-season prediction: 5th

Like Villa, it has not been smooth sailing for Liverpool but they end the season in a reasonable position.

Given low budgets in the transfer window, a managerial sacking midway through and injuries at the start of the season, they have found it difficult at times.

But in club-record signing Olivia Smith they have found one of the WSL’s stars and can build their future around her.

They want to close the gap on the top four but unless they invest more, they will continue to hover around mid-table and experience inconsistency.

Pre-season prediction: 6th

It has been a tale of two half seasons for Everton – before the new ownership and after it.

Another major injury crisis meant they were in desperate need for squad depth and investment in the transfer window and they got that in January.

New signings Kelly Gago and Hayley Ladd were strong additions and the return of injured players meant they climbed to safety quickly.

Overall, it’s been a decent campaign given they were not in any relegation danger for the final few months.

Pre-season prediction: 10th

There were real concerns for West Ham in pre-season but it has been a really positive season with manager Rehanne Skinner getting the rewards for her hard work behind the scenes.

They played some good football in the new year and picked up impressive points against Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

They were on course to finish higher in the table but defeats in their final two matches saw them drop off.

That inconsistency still remains but it’s been a good season for West Ham.

Pre-season prediction: 12th

There were high hopes for Leicester City under manager Amandine Miquel this season but it has been a largely forgettable campaign.

Plagued by injuries to attacking players, Leicester scored just 21 goals all season – only relegated Crystal Palace scored fewer (20).

It meant they struggled to make a real impact and though they kept Chelsea at bay – the first team to take points off Bompastor’s side in the WSL – they were not able to compete as much as they would have liked.

With ambitious London City Lionesses making their hotly-anticipated debut in the competition next season, Leicester will need a big summer to ensure they are not dragged into another relegation battle in 2026.

Pre-season prediction: 9th

Simply put, it’s been a poor season for Tottenham.

Having reached the Women’s FA Cup final last year, there were positive signs and a clear direction of travel under manager Robert Vilahamn.

But costly defensive errors, risky tactics that did not pay off and failure to replace creative players Grace Clinton and Celin Bizet, ultimately harmed them.

Vilahamn wants his side to play entertaining football but they were too unorganised and they shipped the joint-second most goals in the league (44).

There is definitely no need to panic but Spurs need to add the missing jigsaw pieces to compete consistently and play in the style Vilahamn wants.

Pre-season prediction: 8th

The odds were always stacked against Crystal Palace – as the promoted side with a small budget – but it was made worse when they sacked former manager Laura Kaminski.

They were bottom of the table at the time but within four points of safety and had shown glimpses of quality.

The inability to maintain performances over 90 minutes had proven to be their downfall but the attempt to shake things up failed and only seemed to bring disruption.

Heavy defeats by Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham will have hurt during the campaign and replacement manager Leif Smerud is stepping down following their relegation. It is an unsettling period for the club now.

Pre-season prediction: 11th

Related topics