The stats behind Matchweek 4

With four rounds of fixtures completed, both the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 are slowly starting to take shape.

Both divisions boast leaders that have enjoyed perfect starts, with Manchester City and Newcastle United sitting top of the respective tables, although there are some high-class contenders in close pursuit.

In the top tier, Liverpool and Chelsea also grabbed victories against local rivals. The Reds finally earned a BWSL win over Everton at Anfield, prevailing 2-0. In London it was the Blues who prevailed against Arsenal, as Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners.

On a weekend packed with storylines, read on for some of the standout statistical lines from the top two tiers of women’s football.

Reds realistic European contenders?

Liverpool have made their case to be considered European contenders this season, especially given the fixtures they’ve faced in their first four games.

They negotiated a potentially tricky opener against newly promoted Charlton Athletic, before taking a point against high-flying Tottenham a week later. In Week 3, they pushed champions Manchester City all the way before eventually falling to a late defeat.

On Sunday, the Reds would’ve potentially been spooked by the arrival of Everton. But for the first time in seven attempts, they got over the line at Anfield against their neighbours.

Given the way Liverpool have been developing compared to the Toffees' trevails, it's no surprise. Despite a slow start to last season – Gareth Taylor’s side lost their first six BWSL games – a clear identity has been instilled in the team that is now coming to fruition.

Liverpool play intense and in-your-face football. They have won possession in the final third more than any BWSL team this season, with 40, while only Chelsea, with 60, boast more high turnovers than the Reds’ 55.

When they do get the ball, Taylor’s side are incisive too. Liverpool have completed eight through balls this season, which is more than any other BWSL team.

*The number of open-play sequences starting in their defensive third where the opposition has three or fewer passes, and the sequence ends in their own half.

**Progress divided by sequence time (average speed of ball movement towards opponent goal line during sequence).

Arsenal’s attacking issues

A defeat to Chelsea on Sunday saw Arsenal’s unbeaten run in the BWSL end at 20 matches. While head coach Renee Slegers will be pleased with the manner in which her team has been tough to overcome, their lack of attacking bite this term will be a concern.

After the 1-0 loss this weekend, the Gunners are down in seventh and already eight points behind pace-setters Manchester City.

Although they have been defensively robust this term – Alyssa Thompson’s goal for Chelsea was only the second time they have conceded – they’ve only netted twice themselves across four games. Against Chelsea, they failed to register a shot on target in the first half of a WSL game for the first time since November 2022 against Man Utd.

The numbers would suggest that this is down to a lack of both big-chance creation and ruthless edge in goalscoring positions.

Arsenal have created 6.64 worth of xG this season, meaning they are underperforming by 4.64 goals based on the chances they’ve had. Only Brighton, with -5.33, have a poorer return.

The Gunners have also seen a typically reliable goalscorer miss gilt-edged opportunities. Alessia Russo, who scored 13 goals in the BWSL last term, is yet to get off the mark and has missed a league-high six big chances across the first four games.

Sunderland surge continues

The most likely competitors to Newcastle at the top of the BWSL2 could be their local rivals Sunderland.

The Magpies managed to make it four victories from four over the weekend with a 4-0 win over Leicester City, but the Black Cats are just a couple of points behind. That’s after they managed a 2-1 win at Watford.

Sunderland managed to get the job done despite Katy Watson being absent from the travelling squad. Sanni Franssi and Elise Hughes struck early for the visitors, as Watford struggled to get to grips with the tactical tweaks from Sunderland boss Mel Reay.

The Lasses have now won both of their away games this season, and supporters will be encouraged by the different attributes the team have showcased so far. Sunderland are capable of keeping the ball and lead the BWSL2 for average possession with 59.9%, but they are also happy to mix things up physically. They average a division-high 13.8 fouls per game so far.

Durham difficulties

By contrast, it has been a tough start to the BWSL2 season for Durham.

At times, Willie Kirk’s side have been competitive in the second tier, and there was hope ahead of their showdown with Sheffield United. Both sides went into the contest on the back of three league losses from three.

But the Blades, who were hammered 10-1 by Manchester United in the Players Cup in midweek, were far too strong for their opponents, with Amy Andrews, a former Durham player, on target three times against her former club.

While Durham have netted in all four of their games this season, they are finding it challenging to contain the opposition defensively, with 13 goals conceded already. Four of those goals have come from set pieces, while they have also faced 37 shots on target and made 119 clearances, which are both league highs.

Things may get trickier before they get better for Kirk and his squad, though. Their next two games are against Manchester United in the League Cup, before league leaders and north-east rivals Newcastle visit on Sunday.

All statistics courtesy of Opta and FotMob