The Highest-Scoring Games in Barclays WSL History

Tottenham Hotspur’s 7–3 win over Aston Villa on Sunday was a ten-goal spectacle packed with sharp finishing, quick transitions and the kind of attacking football that makes a result linger in the memory long after full-time. The result leaves Martin Ho’s side level on points with North London rivals Arsenal as the season pauses for the international break, but more than that, it served as a reminder of how quickly a match can open up and turn into something unforgettable.

Big scorelines like that aren’t unique to this season. The Barclays Women's Super League has long had a habit of producing entertaining encounters; late surges, dramatic swings in momentum and afternoons where chances seem to arrive in waves. Those are the matches that stay with supporters, replayed time and again for the quality, the drama and the sheer volume of goals.

With that in mind, here we count down the highest-scoring games in BWSL history. From breathless back-and-forth battles to relentless attacking displays, we revisit the moments that defined them and the players who turned tight contests into goal-laden classics. If you’re looking for football to tide you over during the break, these are games worth reliving.

6. Doncaster Belles 0-9 Liverpool – August 2013 (9 goals)

This was one of the first big statements of the WSL era: Liverpool’s 9–0 win over Doncaster Belles arrived early in the competition’s history and announced the Reds as genuine title contenders. The match collapsed for Doncaster almost immediately, a red card for Victoria Williams inside the opening 10 minutes left them a player light and vulnerable to wave after wave of Liverpool attacks.

From that point, Liverpool imposed themselves ruthlessly. Natasha Dowie’s hat-trick led the charge, but the scoreline was built through relentless pressure, intelligent wide play and ruthless finishing from the visitors’ forward line. Fara Williams, now England’s highest-capped women’s player in history, scored a quick double and a procession of teammates, Gemma Bonner, Louise Fors, Nicole Rolser and Kate Longhurst all contributed, each goal further proof the game had become unbalanced.

Beyond the disappointment for Doncaster, as the heavy defeat saw them remain stranded at the bottom of the table, the result underlined how quickly a fixture can tilt in the top-flight: a single sending-off plus clinical opponents was enough to turn a competitive match into a rout. For Liverpool, the day helped build momentum in what became a successful title push, as the Reds beat Chelsea to the title on the final day, ending Arsenal’s nine-year dominance.

5. Leicester City 0–9 Chelsea – February 2022 (9 goals)

Chelsea’s 9–0 demolition at the King Power Stadium was a masterclass in ruthless efficiency and a historic moment in the BWSL. From the first whistle, the Blues imposed themselves, becoming the first time in the league’s history to score three goals in the opening 10 minutes of a match as Guro Reiten, Sam Kerr and Bethany England all found the net before Leicester had even settled. That blistering start effectively ended the contest early and left the home side chasing shadows.

In the build-up to the game, Leicester boss Lydia Bedford, whose side had also lost 7–0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup that season, had suggested that “the pressure is on” the visitors. Chelsea’s response was emphatic. Reiten’s early free-kick set the tone early on, with cutbacks and flighted balls into the box repeatedly finding runners in advanced positions. Kerr and England both finished with composure, while Aniek Nouwen struck a fourth and Reiten added a second of her own. The second half saw Kerr score again from England’s chip, and substitutes Lauren James and Jessie Fleming added late goals to complete a historic nine-goal rout.

The victory propelled Chelsea to the top of the table for the first time that season, unbeaten in eight league matches, with a goal difference advantage over Arsenal. Beyond the points, it was a statement of authority: a technically assured, physically dominant, and ruthlessly efficient performance that underlined the depth of the squad and marked one of the most comprehensive displays the WSL had ever witnessed.

4. Chelsea 9-0 Bristol City – September 2020 (9 goals)

A different Chelsea side, but the same ruthless outcome: a 9–0 dismantling, this time of Bristol City, that underlined the squad’s remarkable quality in-depth. Nine different goalscorers found the net as the Blues secured their first win of the 2020–21 Women’s Super League campaign, turning the game into a statement performance as much as an excellent result.

The damage was done in a breathless first half. Fran Kirby’s early opener, her first goal in 16 months after recovering from pericarditis, set the tone, with Maren Mjelde converting from the spot soon after. Chelsea’s momentum barely slowed: Melanie Leupolz headed in from a free-kick, Erin Cuthbert struck from range, and Millie Bright added a fifth before the break to put the contest well beyond reach.

Chelsea kept pushing after half-time. Beth England bundled in a sixth, Niamh Charles marked her debut with a close-range finish minutes after coming on, and Pernille Harder netted an inventive backheel, her first goal for the club after joining from Wolfsburg. Sam Kerr completed the rout late on, a fitting final touch in a performance that showcased the variety and relentlessness of the champions-to-be.

Emma Hayes addressed the wider picture after the match, acknowledging the gulf between the division’s extremes while stressing the need for growth across the game in that moment. She said: “I'm hoping what happens at the top will trickle down. Might there have to be some teething pains to get to that level? Yes. And is there a gap? Yes. But I want to focus on all the great things that women's football does in this country and build on that in the hope we take it even further.” Chelsea would go on to lift the title that season, with Kerr finishing the league’s top scorer after netting an astonishing 21 goals in 22 games.

3. Aston Villa 3-7 Tottenham Hotspur — February 2026 (10 goals)

If ever a match embodied the chaos and entertainment of the BWSL at full throttle, it was this. Last Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa produced a contest of constant momentum shifts, fierce pressing and ruthless finishing, a game that felt open, expansive and unpredictable from the first whistle at Villa Park.

Spurs set the tone early. Signe Gaupset fired in at the near post to score her first goal since joining from SK Brann, but Villa’s response was immediate as top-scorer Kirsty Hanson latched on to Noelle Maritz’s through ball to equalise.

Rather than disrupt Tottenham’s rhythm, it sharpened it. Bethany England’s deflected strike restored the lead, Olivia Holdt added a third from a tight angle, and by the half-hour mark, Spurs had already racked up 10 shots, half of them on target. The high press repeatedly forced turnovers, and Villa struggled to cope with the speed of transition.

The second half followed a similar pattern: a flicker of hope, swiftly extinguished. Oriane Jean-Francois’ deflected effort on 68 minutes reduced the deficit, only for Cathinka Tandberg, introduced moments earlier, to score just 12 seconds later. It was the clearest illustration of Tottenham’s cutting edge: every time Villa threatened to build momentum, Spurs struck back with conviction.

Maika Hamano raced clear to make it five, Hanson grabbed her second of the afternoon, but late goals from Tandberg and Julie Blakstad completed a seven-goal haul, only the second time Spurs have reached that tally in the WSL, on an afternoon where Tottenham fired an impressive 27 shots across the match.

The result carried weight beyond the spectacle. Tottenham moved level on points with rivals Arsenal to keep their Champions League push on track, while Villa’s defensive struggles, 25 goals conceded in six league matches, continued to haunt them. As an exhibition of high-intensity, front-foot football, this was one of the most electrifying goalfests the league has seen.

2. West Ham United 1–9 Arsenal — 12 September 2020 (10 goals)

Arsenal delivered one of the most emphatic attacking performances in WSL history as they dismantled West Ham United in September 2020. What began as a competitive contest turned into a one-sided exhibition of precision and ruthless finishing, with the Gunners striking repeatedly once the match swung in their favour.

For the opening half hour, West Ham were well in the game. Jill Roord had put Arsenal ahead early, only for Kenza Dali to respond with a superb half-volley from distance. The turning point came soon after. Vivianne Miedema restored Arsenal’s lead, and moments later, Hammers captain Gilly Flaherty was sent off, shifting the balance of the contest decisively.

From there, Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners took control. Slick passing moves and relentless forward runs stretched the 10-player hosts, with Kim Little and Beth Mead both adding goals before the break to make it 4–1.

The second half became a showcase. Roord completed her second hat-trick in two games before the hour mark, while further strikes from Leah Williamson and Caitlin Foord underlined the sheer variety in Arsenal’s attacking play.

The victory sent Arsenal to the top of the table after scoring 15 goals across their opening two league matches, and it stood as an early marker of their attacking cohesion that season. Even as the tempo dipped late on, the damage had long been done: a commanding performance that showed how devastating they could be when their combinations clicked into place.

1. Arsenal 11–1 Bristol City — December 2019 (12 goals)

The BWSL’s record scoreline and the fixture that anchors this list. Arsenal’s 11–1 victory over Bristol City was a performance where everything clicked, blending collective fluency with one of the most remarkable individual afternoons the league has ever seen. At the centre of it all was Vivianne Miedema, who produced a staggering return of six goals and four assists in a display that bordered on the surreal.

Arsenal set the tone early and never allowed it to drop. Miedema first turned provider, delivering precise crosses for headers from Lisa Evans and Leah Williamson, before taking control herself with a rapid hat-trick that put the hosts 5–0 up by the break

The goals kept coming after half-time. Jordan Nobbs added to the total, Evans completed her brace, and substitute Emma Mitchell stretched the margin further as Arsenal surged to nine before the hour mark. By full-time, they had amassed 32 shots, 17 of them on target, underlining just how sustained the pressure was throughout the afternoon. Bristol’s late consolation, bundled in by Yana Daniels after a saved penalty from Manuela Zinsberger, barely registered against the scale of what had unfolded.

More than just a big win, the match set a new benchmark for attacking dominance in the WSL. It lifted Arsenal to the top of the table and cemented a record that still stands, a day when one team’s attacking rhythm felt almost unstoppable and Miedema’s performance entered the league’s history books as one of its defining individual displays.