Sky Sports' Izzy Christiansen, Karen Carney and Courtney Sweetman-Kirk among pundits and journalists to hand out their WSL end-of-season awards
Monday 20 May 2024 06:50, UK
Best player - Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw (Man City)
Shaw has been unstoppable all season. Her stats are frightening and that's credit to her and the players around her.
Best game - Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea
Commentating on this game was crazy. The game was so open. The game itself lacked quality but some of the goals scored by both sides were incredible! This was the match that everyone thought swung the title race.
Best goal - Bunny Shaw vs Liverpool
The first touch. The finish. Simply unstoppable.
Breakthrough star - Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)
Beever-Jones has set the WSL on fire this season. She's developed so much in a short space of time and has taken her opportunity in the absence of other top strikers at Chelsea. Jess Park was a close second. She's had a superb and very mature season.
Best moment - Issy Hobson vs Arsenal
This was a special moment. Hobson is a young Everton player, substituted onto the pitch late on to rise above USA international Emily Fox and secure her side a point against one of the best sides in the league.
Best manager - Gareth Taylor
Man City's football this season has been exceptional to watch and the best in the league across the season. Keeping the majority of his squad together, Gareth Taylor has been able to make significant progress and was rewarded with a new contract too.
Best signing - Grace Clinton (Tottenham) and Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea)
Grace Clinton has been unbelievable at times throughout the season. She has shown huge development in both sides of her game, defensively and offensively. I put this down to the impact of Robert Vilahamn.
Sjoeke Nusken has been everything I expected - efficient, versatile, and consistent. She has taken to Chelsea like a duck to water.
Best player - Bunny Shaw (Man City)
It's a close run race with Chelsea's Lauren James, but for her sheer volume and quality of goals, plus her consistency, Shaw edges it. A shame her season was curtailed due to injury, but 21 goals is Golden Boot-worthy - her first in the WSL.
Best game - Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea
Drama from start to finish - a game you couldn't tear yourself away from. From Aggie Beever-Jones' early strike to Gemma Bonner's late goal and Emma Hayes' concession that the title race was over, a game that will stay long in the memory.
Best goal - Vivianne Miedema vs Liverpool
Not only was it a brilliant strike, but the meaning of it too sticks in the mind. It was Miedema's first goal since her ACL injury, and first overall since December 2022. Her roar of celebration - unusual for the often nonchalant Miedema - and reaction of her team-mates said it all.
Breakthrough star - Jess Park (Man City)
After a key loan at Everton last season, the 22-year-old has proven to be one of Manchester City's most vital players. Her match-winning turn in the Manchester derby at the Eithad cemented herself as one of the WSL's most exciting young talents.
Best moment - The two games that swung the title race
Arsenal score twice late on against Man City, before Chelsea go and thrash Bristol City 8-0 to bump up their goal difference. An enthralling weekend that epitomised the rollercoaster of the title race.
Best signing - Grace Clinton (Man Utd to Tottenham, loan)
A successful loan for Clinton. Her brilliant form for Tottenham saw her start in three of the last four England games, and she ranks top of the WSL for completed take-ons. A huge decision on her future to come this summer.
Best manager - Matt Beard (Liverpool)
What an incredible job he's done at Liverpool. Only their second season back in the WSL and a fourth-place finish, beating some big teams along the way with some great football. A real success story outside of the top three.
Best player - Lauren Hemp (Man City)
Just a joy to watch. Seventeen WSL goal contributions, but not enough is made of Hemp's defensive work-rate. She never stops running, in both directions. And she's so integral to the way Man City play - the team is built around her and Bunny Shaw (who is my valiant runner-up in this category). She deserves trophies.
Best game - Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea
The drama! The significance! The shock! The end of Chelsea's WSL title chase, that wasn't the end at all. So many storylines and sub-plots. One of the best games of the WSL era.
Best goal - Ella Toone vs Spurs, FA Cup final
Ok, so I've cheated - this wasn't a WSL goal. I've gone with this for style paired with substance. The finish is supreme, but its significance to Manchester United goes far beyond just a single goal. They were struggling against a stubborn Spurs side at Wembley before this magic moment. The sort of goal that wins trophies and defines eras.
Breakthrough star - Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)
A youngster stepping up always makes for a nice story. Kudos to ABJ, in the absence of Sam Kerr, she has delivered. Still only 20, the forward has scored 11 goals and registered two assists in only six Chelsea starts. Her minutes-to-goals ratio (one every 59) is the best in the league. Impressive numbers, as well as earning her first official Lionesses call.
Best moment - Blackstenius double vs Man City
Man City had a hand on the WSL trophy, until they didn't. It was stolen from them by two moments of Stina Blackstenius genius - what an impact from the bench so late in a title-defining game. The pressure was off Arsenal but to come from behind in the 89th minute to win still takes guts. Bold moves.
Best signing - Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea)
Such a tidy footballer, and so versatile. Emma Hayes has used Nusken at centre-back and centre-forward within the same week this season. Those kinds of utility players are invaluable when you play as many games as Chelsea do. Ten goal contributions is a decent return for a debut season too. Side note: I've got no doubt Jill Roord would have featured here, barring her unfortunate injury.
Best manager - Matt Beard (Liverpool)
This selection is based on most improved. I've liked Gareth Taylor's style for a long time, Man City play the prettiest football, but Liverpool are making huge strides in only their second season back in the WSL. They beat Man Utd home and away, and Beard was the architect of that.
Best player - Yui Hasegawa (Man City)
There's no one in the league like Hasegawa and Man City wouldn't have had the season they have without her. Positionally perfect, robustly reliable and yet still underappreciated by many, the midfielder has been the safety blanket in front of the defence and a reason behind so many attacks.
Best goal - Lauren Hemp vs Leicester
Lauren Hemp, scorpion kick - say no more. Ok, she didn't fully mean it, but there hasn't been another goal like it this season and football is supposed to be fun.
Breakthrough star - Grace Clinton (Tottenham, on loan from Man Utd)
Clinton was sent to Spurs for game time instead of backing up Ella Toone and Hinata Miyazawa at Man Utd and she's quickly developed into one of the most exciting WSL midfielders. She's even forced her way into Sarina Wiegman's starting XI, which is far from easy.
Best moment - Gemma Bonner's winner vs Chelsea
In a ridiculously tight title race, Liverpool's rise up the table had been understated - or it was before Bonner's 92nd-minute winner threatened to derail Chelsea's WSL hopes and put the Reds firmly into fourth. One heck of a game, one heck of a result and one heck of a season for Matt Beard's side.
Best signing - Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea)
A deal that went under the radar following Chelsea's other big-name summer recruits but Nusken has had a great debut season. Seven WSL goals from midfield, the ability to cover at the back and a mindset that clearly fits in with the club's ethos. It is wild to think Nusken is just 23.
Best manager - Robert Vilahamn (Tottenham)
An FA Cup and top-half finish for a coach outside the 'big three' in their first season is impressive, but the added context makes Vilahamn's achievements even more impressive.
Confidence was low at Spurs following last season's flirt with relegation and they have been without their captain and top scorer Bethany England for most of the campaign. Vilahamn has brought his own style to a club seemingly on the up.
Best player - Bunny Shaw (Man City)
Her goals were so vital to Man City's title campaign.
Best goal - Taylor Hinds vs Man City
Her vision, and then the quality to do it. I was such a huge fan of her finish.
Breakthrough star - Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)
She has the talent and has shown it towards the back of the season. It will be excited to track her journey
Best moment - Record-breaking WSL attendances
When I see sold-out stadiums, with everyone having an amazing time - that means the most to me.
Best signing - Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea)
I wasn't sure where we would see her play, but I have enjoyed her goals this season for Chelsea.
Best goalkeeper - Khiara Keating (Man City)
She is unreal with her feet, the modern-day goalkeeper. Her shot -stopping and clean sheets have been quality.
Best player - Bunny Shaw (Man City)
Unplayable on her day, Shaw has everything a striker could want - good with her feet, great in the air, strength to protect, pace, intelligence and timing to be in right place at the right time.
Best game - Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea
Amazing character from Liverpool. Chelsea equalise and everything starts to point to Chelsea to get the winner - but Liverpool thought different! It makes it even better when you consider the context of the title race and Liverpool trying to finish above Man Utd too.
Best goal - Rachel Daly vs West Ham
On her weaker foot, slightly behind her and on the half volley, high tariff! Technically so difficult to get hips over the ball to keep this down and a late winner - there's nothing better than that.
Breakthrough star - Khiara Keating (Man City)
At 19 years of age, to be the starting 'keeper for title-challenging Man City, who like to play out from the back - wow. Her mentality has impressed me so much, how she has bounced back from mistakes and you can see in play how much trust players have in her. She has progressed enormously too through the season.
Best moment - Arsenal's Emirates attendances
Consistently selling large amount of tickets at the Emirates has been brilliant off the field from Arsenal and playing 11 games there next season shows further progress. If you market things right fans will come.
Best manager - Matt Beard (Liverpool)
He has pushed Liverpool to the next level. There is a clear philosophy, more consistency, extremely organised and great character within the team. Beating Arsenal at the Emirates in the first game of the season wasn't a one off but a warning sign to the rest of the league for the season to come.
Best signing - Grace Clinton (Tottenham, on loan from Man Utd)
Clinton has been Spurs' best player. She's tenacious, not afraid of a tackle, box-to-box with quality to put the ball in the net too. Spurs will be gutted to see her go back to Man Utd.
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