Women's Super League

Sally Freedman
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty

Ahead of Arsenal's semi-final second leg against Lyon, Ellen White spoke to BBC Radio 4. White said:

"I think it's more advantage Arsenal. In the quarter-final, they led 3-1 against Chelsea. That was a really exciting opportunity for them to progress and they held on for the second leg."

Earlier this week, Arsenal thrashed bottom of the table, Leicester in the Women's Super League 7-0 which White believes will give the gunners confidence.

"I can imagine that gave them a lot of confidence - they were scoring freely and that will give them a lot of momentum going into this fixture."

If Arsenal reach the final, it will be their second consecutive Women's Champions League final and White understands how big this would be.

"Absolutely phenomenal, what an amazing achievement it would be. The current reigning champions, but to go again that takes some feat.

"The consistency, the performance to be performing at that high level, it's quite extraordinary and from an English perspective to [potentially] see an English club to go back to back in European finals would be incredible.

"I'm really excited and cannot wait to see what the outcome will be."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has described club captain Millie Bright as a "legend" following the announcement she is retiring from football.

Bompastor has spent two seasons with Bright, enjoying huge success in 2025 as together they led Chelsea to an unbeaten domestic treble.

Having started every Women's Super League game last season, Bright has been out since February with an ankle injury and on Wednesday called time on her stellar career.

The 32-year-old made 314 appearances for the Blues after joining from Doncaster Belles in 2015 and also won 88 caps for England.

"A legend is retiring. Millie has done everything for Chelsea. She has been Chelsea through and through," said Bompastor.

"You don't see that many players stay at a club for more than a decade like she has. She was the main leader for this team for so many years.

"She is an incredible player and has done a lot for the women's game in England. I hope everyone understands that she will be missed, for sure, on the pitch.

"Playing without Millie has a cost and we knew that. I'm really sad actually because I think a player like Millie should be able to retire playing minutes. She's given everything and is a real hero."

Speaking to BBC Sport about her retirement, Bright said she was "at peace" with the decision.

She described the last two years of her life as "the most challenging" due to abuse she has received online.

"On the pitch, she was not always fit to perform and play. Even when it was the case, she would always put the team first," added Bompastor.

"The abuse was just too much. She doesn't deserve that at all. Everyone should be thinking about celebrating her and recognising how good she was as a player, as a person and everything she brought to the game in England."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty

Birmingham City manager Amy Merricks says the Women's Super League 2 title race "needs more coverage" as it gears up for a blockbuster finale.

The top two sides - Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City - go head-to-head on Saturday (15:00 BST) and three teams are still fighting for the title.

Crystal Palace, sat level on points with Birmingham in third place, can claim the crown if they win their game at home against relegated Portsmouth.

"It needs the coverage. We have fantastic players, coaches and teams in this league," said Merricks.

"Really what we need, is to get to the point in the women's game where it's not just about the WSL and it's about both leagues.

"This [weekend] puts a nice spotlight on the talent that there is."

Both key matches are only available to watch on YouTube and they clash with Arsenal's Women's Champions League semi-final tie in Lyon (14:00 BST).

Sky Sports are showing the WSL clash between Manchester United and Brighton on Saturday (12:00 BST), while BBC Two is showing Leicester City v Chelsea on Sunday (14:30 BST).

This season, there are two automatic promotion spots in the WSL 2, while the third-placed team meets WSL bottom club Leicester City in a play-off match.

Asked why Merricks felt the WSL 2 games were not picked up for wider broadcast options, she said: "This is challenging for me to comment on because I don't know why not. Last year, it was.

"It was a fantastic showcase and probably helped grow the amount of talent that is in the league now. I'm sure there's a significant reason as to why there isn't.

"What I can say is that the league absolutely needs more exposure and there needs to be more people able to cover it. We need more coverage in this league."

Image source, Getty Images

Leah Galton will leave Manchester United after eight years with the club when her contract expires this summer.

The 31-year-old joined United as a member of their first professional squad in 2018.

Along with Ella Toone and Millie Turner, she is one of three remaining 'originals' from that group in United's current squad.

Galton made 171 appearances for the club and her 44 goals make her United's second-highest scorer of all time, behind Toone's 64.

"I never thought I would be here for this long and still doing the thing I love doing, so I'm always proud of how far I've come," Galton said.

United boss Marc Skinner added: "Leah has played an important part in the journey of this club. Being part of the club from the very beginning and contributing over so many years is something that's meant a lot to us.

"She's been involved in many significant moments along the way and has helped us grow into the club we are today."

Galton has struggled with a back injury this season and has made just four Women's Super League appearances, but the clubs said she is "in training and hopes to play some part in our conclusion to the season".

Elsewhere in the WSL, Tottenham confirmed Amy James-Turner, Luana Buhler, Charlotte Grant and Josefine Rybrink will leave the club when their contracts end in the summer.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City have a chance to "write a different story", says manager Rick Passmoor amid risk of relegation from the Women's Super League.

The Foxes are seven points adrift of safety with three games remaining so must beat Arsenal in Wednesday's meeting (19:00 BST) to avoid finishing bottom.

However, there is no automatic relegation with the bottom WSL club set to meet the third-placed team from the WSL 2 in a play-off match for the first time.

"Everybody is working together in the direction we wish for. Can we see that through and ensure we keep a positive mentality together?" said Passmoor.

"Behind the scenes there are not many players that have been in this situation before so we need to remain united and focused on what we can achieve.

"There are always different headlines. Can we write a different story in these final three games?"

Leicester's opponents, European champions Arsenal, have not lost a league game since October and won the reverse fixture 4-1.

Renee Slegers' side are still in with a chance of winning the WSL title with three games in hand on leaders Manchester City, though it is out of their control.

Knowing what's at stake, Passmoor hopes his players can rise to the occasion and block out any noise of potential relegation.

"The pressure is from the outside. We have to focus on what we are good at to compete. We have a great opportunity to represent a terrific club," he added.

"We have hard-working staff and players. We can change the narrative and the story and enjoy this opportunity to play in these last three games.

"Everybody thought we would be in this position last summer with all the changes. But we're together and we're staying to our principles to get us over the line."