Chelsea were crowned champions again while Reading succumbed to relegation, but there were plenty of other stories in the WSL this year, too…
What a season it has been in the Women's Super League. Both the title race and the relegation scrap went to the final day to ensure a big finale to an already thrilling campaign. In the end, it was Chelsea who reigned supreme for a fourth year running while Reading's eight-year stay in the division came to an end.
There were plenty of stories worth paying attention to in between the very top and the very bottom, too, as Manchester United secured Women's Champions League football for the first time – at the expense of rivals Manchester City – while several clubs in the middle of the pack attracted attention for both good and bad reasons.
So, who were the winners and losers of the 2022-23 WSL season? GOAL takes a look…
GettyWINNER: Emma Hayes
Another year, another title for Chelsea and Emma Hayes. The Blues won the league for the fourth time in succession, breaking their own WSL-era record for three in a row.
It was a tough season for Hayes and her team, though. Injuries to Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder massively restricted their attack, forcing more inexperienced players to step up and the relentless Sam Kerr to adopt a different role.
If that wasn't enough, Chelsea also lost both Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan, their two first-choice centre-backs, for a hectic run-in that not only included must-win league games, but also a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona and the FA Cup final.
Throw in the ever-increasing competitiveness of the WSL, particularly among the teams at the top, and this was a very difficult title to win. Hayes deserves huge props for guiding her team over the line through it all, as do her players for stepping up along the way.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Reading
After an eight-year stay in the top-flight, Reading were relegated on the final day. The Royals have long been one of the stories of the WSL, finishing just two places and six points off of Champions League football in 2017-18 despite not being linked with a club that has huge financial might.
The job that manager Kelly Chambers has done at the club has been well and truly tremendous. Indeed, her name is one of the first that those clubs in the WSL who are looking for new coaches this summer should be considering as the off-season begins.
But, sadly, little could be done on her part to prevent this demotion. Injuries to key players – most notably the Achilles rupture that Olympic gold medallist Deanne Rose suffered on the opening weekend – individual errors and decisions not going their way have all culminated in Reading finishing at the bottom of the pile this year.
Will they be back? Time will tell.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Aston Villa's recruitment team
It's hard to overstate how good a job Aston Villa have done in the transfer market this season. Last summer, the club recruited very impressively. Rachel Daly was the signing of the season, winning the WSL's Golden Boot after scoring an insane 22 goals in 22 games, equalling Vivianne Miedema's record from the 2018-19 campaign.
Kenza Dali, behind her in midfield, and Kirsty Hanson, on the wing, contributed a hefty amount of goals on top of that, while providing great service for the England international. Dan Turner, meanwhile, came in from Everton as a left-back and, after a clever but necessary positional switch, was one of the best centre-backs in the league this year.
But if that wasn't good enough – and that's not even all of their good summer business – Villa backed it up with a bumper January, bringing in a pair of Lionesses in Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth. The midfield duo, with Staniforth filling in at full-back at times, have made an immediate impact to help the club ensure a fifth-placed finish and set them up with great momentum for what's sure to be another cracking season next term.
Before that though, they'll likely wow us all again in the summer window.
GettyLOSER: Manchester City
The massive improvements of Manchester United this season meant that the competition for the three European spots was bigger than ever, with one of Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester City suddenly much more likely to miss out. Sadly for the latter, it was they who came up short.
To make matters worse, City also ended the season without a trophy. They fell at the first hurdle in the Champions League, not even making it to the second qualifying round, were knocked out by Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and lost to Arsenal in the semi-finals of the Continental Cup.
It's a failure of a season by the standards of this incredibly ambitious club. With City having fallen in the Champions League qualifying rounds in the last two seasons, too, some of the players who have interest from elsewhere may be considering their futures.
Head coach Gareth Taylor is reportedly to be offered a one-year extension on his contract that is otherwise set to expire this summer, and the pressure on him to deliver a much better campaign will be huge.