The 2021–22 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the eleventh season of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010.[2] It was the fourth season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football.
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3 September 2021 – 8 May 2022 |
| Champions | Chelsea 5th title[1] |
| Relegated | Birmingham City |
| Champions League | Chelsea Arsenal Manchester City |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 384 (2.91 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sam Kerr (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Arsenal 7–0 Aston Villa 1 May 2022 |
| Biggest away win | Leicester City 0–9 Chelsea 27 March 2022 |
| Highest scoring | Leicester City 0–9 Chelsea 27 March 2022 Manchester City 7–2 Brighton & Hove Albion 30 April 2022 |
| Longest winning run | 9 matches Chelsea Manchester City |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 matches Chelsea |
| Longest winless run | 10 matches Birmingham City Reading |
| Longest losing run | 9 matches Leicester City |
| Highest attendance | 20,241 Manchester United 3–1 Everton (27 March 2022) |
| Lowest attendance | 298 Birmingham City 0–3 Reading (7 November 2021) |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
On 4 May 2022, Birmingham City were relegated following a 6–0 defeat away at Manchester City with one game remaining. Members of the WSL since it was founded in 2011, it ended Birmingham's twenty-year stint as a top-flight club having last been promoted as the 2001–02 FA Women's Premier League Northern Division champions.[3]
Chelsea successfully defended the title by beating Manchester United 4–2 in the final matchday, winning their third consecutive and fifth overall WSL title.[4]
Teams
editTwelve teams contested 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.[5]
Locations of the 2021–22 FA WSL teams
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2020–21 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 | 3rd |
| Aston Villa | Walsall | Bescot Stadium | 11,300 | 10th |
| Birmingham City | Birmingham | St Andrew's | 29,902 | 11th |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium | 5,800 | 6th |
| Chelsea | Kingston upon Thames | Kingsmeadow | 4,850 | 1st |
| Everton | Liverpool | Walton Hall Park | 2,200 | 5th |
| Leicester City | Leicester | King Power Stadium | 32,212 | WC, 1st |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 | 2nd |
| Manchester United | Leigh | Leigh Sports Village | 12,000 | 4th |
| Reading | Reading | Madejski Stadium | 24,161 | 7th |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Canons Park | The Hive Stadium | 5,419 | 8th |
| West Ham United | Dagenham | Victoria Road | 6,078 | 9th |
Stadium changes
editTwo 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.[6] 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.[7]
Personnel and kits
edit| 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 | Chris Roberts (interim)
|
Lucy Graham
|
Hummel | MegaFon[a] |
| 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 |
- ^ On 2 March 2022, Everton suspended the sponsorship deal with MegaFon and removed the logos from their shirts in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine due to Alisher Usmanov's close ties to Vladimir Putin.[8]
Managerial changes
edit| 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[9] | 10 May 2021 | End of season (10th) | Carla Ward
|
20 May 2021[10] |
| Birmingham City | Carla Ward
|
Resigned[11] | 16 May 2021 | End of season (11th) | Scott Booth
|
30 June 2021[12] |
| Arsenal |  Joe Montemurro
|
Resigned[13] | 16 May 2021 | End of season (3rd) | Jonas Eidevall
|
28 June 2021[14] |
| Manchester United | Casey Stoney
|
Resigned[15] | 16 May 2021 | End of season (4th) | Marc Skinner
|
29 July 2021[16] |
| Everton | Willie Kirk
|
Sacked[17] | 16 October 2021 | 8th |  Jean-Luc Vasseur
|
29 October 2021[18] |
| Birmingham City | Scott Booth
|
Sacked[19] | 18 November 2021 | 11th | Tony Elliott (interim)
|
18 November 2021 |
| Birmingham City | Tony Elliott (interim)
|
End of interim period[20] | 21 November 2021 | 11th | Darren Carter[a]
|
21 November 2021[20] |
| Leicester City | Jonathan Morgan
|
Sacked[22] | 25 November 2021 | 12th | Emile Heskey (interim)
|
25 November 2021[22] |
| Leicester City | Emile Heskey (interim)
|
End of interim period[23] | 6 December 2021 | 12th | Lydia Bedford
|
6 December 2021[23] |
| Everton | Jean-Luc Vasseur
|
Sacked[24] | 2 February 2022 | 10th | Chris Roberts (interim)
|
2 February 2022[24] |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea (C) | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 11 | +51 | 56 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Arsenal | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 65 | 10 | +55 | 55 | Qualification for the Champions League second round |
| 3 | Manchester City | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 60 | 22 | +38 | 47 | Qualification for the Champions League first round |
| 4 | Manchester United | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 42 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 32 | |
| 6 | West Ham United | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 27 | |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 24 | 38 | −14 | 26 | |
| 8 | Reading | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 40 | −19 | 25 | |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 40 | −27 | 21 | |
| 10 | Everton | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 41 | −23 | 20 | |
| 11 | Leicester City | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 14 | 53 | −39 | 13 | |
| 12 | Birmingham City (R) | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 51 | −36 | 11 | Relegation to the Championship |
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
editPositions by round
editThe 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.
| Leader and Champions League group stage | |
| Champions League second round | |
| Champions League first round | |
| Relegation to Championship |
Source: FA WSL
Results by round
editSeason statistics
editTop scorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[25] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Kerr
|
Chelsea | 20 |
| 2 |  Vivianne Miedema
|
Arsenal | 14 |
| 3 | Beth Mead
|
Arsenal | 11 |
| 4 | Lauren Hemp
|
Manchester City | 10 |
| 5 | Alessia Russo
|
Manchester United | 9 |
 Khadija Shaw
|
Manchester City | ||
| 7 | Bethany England
|
Chelsea | 8 |
| Leah Galton
|
Manchester United | ||
| Georgia Stanway
|
Manchester City | ||
| 10 | Ella Toone
|
Manchester United | 7 |
 Guro Reiten
|
Chelsea |
Clean sheets
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[26] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Manuela Zinsberger
|
Arsenal | 13 |
| 2 | Mary Earps
|
Manchester United | 10 |
| 3 | Ann-Katrin Berger
|
Chelsea | 9 |
| 4 | Ellie Roebuck
|
Manchester City | 8 |
| 5 | Grace Moloney
|
Reading | 7 |
| Zećira Mušović
|
Chelsea | ||
| 7 | Megan Walsh
|
Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 |
| 8 | Rebecca Spencer
|
Tottenham Hotspur | 5 |
| 9 | Hannah Hampton
|
Aston Villa | 4 |
| Demi Lambourne
|
Leicester City | ||
| Sandy MacIver
|
Everton |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Kerr
|
Chelsea | Birmingham City | 5–0 (H) | 21 November 2021 | [27] |
| Khadija Shaw (4)
|
Manchester City | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7–2 (H) | 30 April 2022 |
Discipline
edit| Most yellow cards | Total | Most red cards | Total | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Maéva Clemaron (Tottenham Hotspur) Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
|
7 | Hawa Cissoko (West Ham United)
|
2 | [28] |
| Club | Tottenham Hotspur | 39 | West Ham United | 2 | [29] |
Awards
editMonthly awards
edit
Annual awards
edit| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays FA WSL Player of the Season | Sam Kerr[46]
|
Chelsea |
| Barclays FA WSL Manager of the Season | Emma Hayes[46]
|
Chelsea |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Sam Kerr[47]
|
Chelsea |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Lauren Hemp[48]
|
Manchester City |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Sam Kerr[49]
|
Chelsea |
| PFA Team of the Year[50] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea)
| |||||||||||
| Defenders |  Ona Batlle (Manchester United)
|
Millie Bright (Chelsea)
|
Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
|
Alex Greenwood (Manchester City)
| ||||||||
| Midfielders | Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
|
Caroline Weir (Manchester City)
|
Kim Little (Arsenal)
| |||||||||
| Forwards | Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)
|
Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
|
Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "A fifth #BarclaysFAWSL title for @ChelseaFCW". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 28 May 2022.
- ^ "The History of Women's Football". Football Association. The Football Association. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ Garry, Tom; McElwee, Molly (4 May 2022). "Birmingham relegated from WSL after being hit for six by rampant Manchester City". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Sam Kerr's stunning volleys help Chelsea to Women's Super League title as Arsenal finish a point behind in second". Sky Sports. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Chelsea Women win 2020/21 Women's Super League title with Man City Women second, Bristol City Women relegated". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Birmingham Women to play at St Andrew's". BBC Sport.
- ^ Garry, Tom (25 August 2021). "Leicester City Women to play eight matches at King Power Stadium in debut WSL campaign". The Telegraph.
- ^ Burhan, Asif. "Everton Women Suspend Sponsorship With Alisher Usmanov-Owned MegaFon". Forbes.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Ex-Birmingham boss Ward joins Villa". BBC Sport.
- ^ Garry, Tom (14 May 2021). "Carla Ward resigns as Birmingham City Women manager". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Scott Booth named Blues Women Head Coach". Birmingham City Football Club.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Arsenal Women manager Joe Montemurro to leave at end of season". The Guardian. 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Jonas Eidevall named new Arsenal Women head coach". Arsenal FC. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Casey Stoney to leave role as Man Utd Women Head Coach". Manchester United. 12 May 2021.
- ^ "Man Utd appoint Skinner as head coach". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Everton sack Kirk after poor WSL start" – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Everton appoint ex-Lyon manager Vasseur". BBC Sport.
- ^ Garry, Tom (18 November 2021). "Birmingham City Women sack manager Scott Booth after just four months in charge". The Telegraph.
- ^ a b "Blues Women Interim Head Coach: Darren Carter". Birmingham City Football Club. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ "Darren Carter named as Blues Women Head Coach". Birmingham City Football Club.
- ^ a b "Jonathan Morgan Leaves LCFC Women". Leicester City.
- ^ a b "LCFC Women Appoint Lydia Bedford As First Team Manager". Leicester City.
- ^ a b Garry, Tom (2 February 2022). "Everton sack manager Jean-Luc Vasseur after just 10 games in charge of women's side". The Telegraph.
- ^ "The FA Women's Super League Top Scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Women's Super League Goalkeeper Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "%competition_name% (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ^ "Yellow cards - WSL 2021/2022 stats". FotMob. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "FA Women's Super League Discipline Stats 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Arsenal forward Beth Mead wins WSL Player of the Month and Jonas Eidevall named Manager of the Month". Sky Sports. 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Pernille Harder September Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Katie McCabe wins WSL player of the month as head coach Jonas Eidevall wins manager award for October". Sky Sports. 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Katie McCabe October Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Chelsea's Jessie Fleming named WSL Player of the Month for November as Reading boss Kelly Chambers wins manager award". Sky Sports.
- ^ "WSL awards for Marc and Ella". www.manutd.com.
- ^ "Georgia Stanway December Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Man Utd forward Leah Galton and manager Marc Skinner win monthly award". Sky Sports. 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Natasha Dowie January Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Ashleigh Neville & Lydia Bedford win Barclays WSL player & manager of the month awards". 90min.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "February Barclays FA Women's Super League monthly awards". Sky Sports. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Emma Hayes wins Barclays WSL manager of the month for March". 90min.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Alessia Russo crowned WSL Player of the Month". www.manutd.com.
- ^ "Katie Zelem March Goal of the Month". Barclays FA WSL Twitter. 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Sam Kerr & Darren Carter win Barclays WSL awards for April". 90min.com. 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "WSL April Goal of the Month | Yui Hasegawa". SkySports. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Hayes and Kerr win Barclays FA WSL Manager, Player and Goal of the Season awards". Chelsea FC.
- ^ "Sam Kerr takes home PFA Player of the Year Award". www.thepfa.com.
- ^ "Lauren Hemp makes history with fourth PFA Young Player of the Year Award". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Chelsea Women striker Sam Kerr crowned FWA Women's Footballer of the Year". Sky Sports.
- ^ "2021–22 PFA WSL Team Of The Year". www.thepfa.com.