Chelsea’s first defeat in 34 WSL games opens up title race

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  Emily KeoghDec 8, 2025, 05:57 AM ET

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  Based in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCL

You would have been forgiven for thinking Everton had won the Women’s Super League (WSL) with the emphatic way they celebrated their 1-0 win over Chelsea at full-time on Sunday. They obviously didn’t, but they did do something no other team has managed in 34 WSL games: beat Chelsea.

The narrow win, courtesy of Honoka Hayashi’s effort in the 12th minute, broke an historic unbeaten run that stretched back to Chelsea’s 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on May 1, 2024, while under former manager Emma Hayes. It was the first defeat that current boss Sonia Bompastor has faced in the WSL since joining last summer — having completed the previous season unbeaten (W19, D3) and with a record points tally (60).

“Really frustrating result for sure,” Bompastor said after the game. “We are really disappointed, but if you analyze the game, we knew Everton was coming, and we needed to be really switched on in transitions.

“The performance was not a bad performance from us, but today we couldn’t score, and we couldn’t win the game. In terms of performance, I think we were dominant. But again, in football, the most important thing is to win.”

Chelsea 1-0 Everton match stats | WSL 2025-26

Chelsea took 30 shots
-6 on target
-9 blocked
-3 hit the woodwork

Chelsea had 53 crosses, 9 accurate.
Everton made 87 clearances, yeah.

And that’s how an unbeaten run comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/i1dfA9cxrU

— Yash (@Odriozolite) December 7, 2025

Against a side who had won just one WSL game this season, Chelsea had 30 chances — six on target, nine blocked and three bouncing off the woodwork. The Blues also put in an incredible 53 crosses, but Everton’s defensive display, with 87 clearances, was exactly what they needed to do to bring their opponents’ run to an end. Chelsea, no matter how much they created, just could not get the ball over the line.

However, it has been clear that Chelsea’s air of dominance has slowly waned this season, with plenty of performances feeling flat and lackluster. The club have already had three draws — against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool — which is the same number of times as last season, and have looked frustrated as they have lacked the clinical finishing that they are known for.

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr looks dejected as Everton celebrate at full time. Alex Davidson – WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images

The Blues (21) are now six points behind Manchester City (27), who have enjoyed a great recent run despite an opening-day loss to Chelsea in manager Andree Jeglertz’s first game in charge, at the top of the table. Last term, it was Chelsea who stretched the gap at this stage and now they face an uphill battle. In a short 22-game season, fixing a six-point gulf is not easy.

At this point, Chelsea can’t afford to drop any more points. There are three teams breathing down their necks: Manchester United (20) are one point behind, while Arsenal and Tottenham are next with 19 points each. They face City in a huge game in early February with a chance to make a big statement, but a loss there would surely hand City their first title since 2016, ending a run of six years where the west London team have retained the crown.

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City have a major advantage in that they are not involved in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, too.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United are all in the league phase top 10 — the top 14 teams qualify for the knockouts, with the 5th-14th ranked sides entering a playoff in February — and, as a result, the trio are likely to be heading into the latter phases of the competition, managing two-game weeks and long travel. City will have a whole week to prepare for their upcoming WSL games.

So, with the games coming thick and fast, Chelsea’s desire to reach the quarterfinals automatically will be at an all-time high. The UWCL is the one title that has eluded them, but two draws with FC Twente and Barcelona have left them in sixth place and they need to finish in the top four to earn automatic qualification and avoid a playoff.

There is a lot of work to do, though. That defeat to Everton will have rocked their confidence ahead of their crucial upcoming Champions League games against Roma and Wolfsburg, and there is more pressure on them than ever before.

Sure, losing their unbeaten WSL run relieves some of the pressure to maintain it, but everything that happens at the club will now be under a microscope as the season ticks on. Bompastor has yet to show how she handles defeat, but the time is now.

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