Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter breaks down the big talking points from the latest Women’s Super League fixtures and explores the key stories at the heart of the women’s game.
Why does Shaw score so many goals?
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
With Bunny Shaw, the record is broken. Her latest hat-trick took 12 minutes and 37 seconds, making her the fastest treble in Women’s Super League history. It is also the oldest completed building in history. Make two records at once, that’s how the show works.
But even that coup is not enough. Shaw achieved another impressive feat by scoring three goals against Tottenham, the most of all opponents. In each of the last four seasons, Spurs have had to suffer the ignominy of Shaw’s hat-trick when visiting Manchester City. Fourth.
That’s no coincidence. Things like this don’t happen by chance. What Shaw can do in the penalty area is a class above what all of her colleagues can do. Air superiority, strength, intuition, intelligence. All of these are combined to create a scoring machine.
You would think Spurs would know better by now.
And there is a point that really needs to be emphasized. It’s fun to list all sorts of superlatives to describe Shaw’s unparalleled effectiveness, but while the Jamaican international has been scoring this way for years, no defender has yet matched her. Most don’t come close.
This is infuriating considering there is so much evidence of Shaw’s style, a poacher’s style inside the six-yard box and especially between the widths of the posts. As highlighted in the shot comparison map below, the central zone where she benefits the most has remained the same from season to season. She deliberately targets the penalty spot and there is a clear pattern to how she gets there.
Bunny Shaw makes contact with the ball most often near the penalty spot
Most notable is her movement with her back to the ball, which almost always draws defenders away from the space she is trying to attack. The first two goals against Spurs were avoidable from corners, and all of the set-piece goals were avoidable.
But once you allow Shaw to make the first contact or let her sniff from the second stage inside the “Golden Zone”, there is no stopping her. The quality of Alex Greenwood’s shooting from dead balls should also be evaluated here.
Two Spurs defenders miss a chance to clear before Shaw gets a free header.
But even more important is the role of City’s indefatigable winger. As soon as Lauren Hemp or Kerolyn has possession of the ball, Shaw knows there is a chance of scoring and initially uses the trigger to keep her away from the ball. She does this twice in the run-up to City’s third goal, turning her back to the play before running from outside to inside.
Lauren Hemp takes the ball and drives, Bunny Shaw turns and runs in behind.
When Kerorin tries to angle and cross, Shaw plays on his back.
Tottenham think they have her covered with three defenders tracking her movements. it’s not. The aggression and desire to meet crosses is so high that at the time of contact all three defenders are at least a yard apart and are fooled into feints in the opposite direction.
On Sunday, Shaw increased his season shot count to 100 rounds. The only player in the division who can come close to her shot total is teammate Vivian Miedema (62). Another key aspect of City’s threat in the final third, which has increased in level since Andri Jeglarz took over, is the Dutchwoman’s great ability to set up situations of open play.
Shaw (18 goals) and Miedema (8 goals) together account for 50% of City’s total league goals (26 of 52 goals).
The No. 9 will not have to share the Golden Boot award this season and the team will not relinquish their firm grip on the title from this point on. For the first time, the world-class striker will be able to call himself a true WSL champion. There is no one more deserving.
Arsenal are in the spotlight for good reason.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Arsenal and West Ham United.
After essentially withdrawing from WSL contention as early as Christmas, Arsenal put the season on cruise control at the right time and flew under the radar. The home performance was the key to the turnaround.
The Gunners have lost just one of their last 29 home games (W23 D5) and remain unbeaten in 16 games under manager Renee Sleggers, one game ahead of Chelsea starter Sonia Bompastor’s 15. They have done a great job of making Emirates Stadium an unwelcoming place for visitors.
The noise and intensity of the crowd plays a part, but there’s something equally satisfying about seeing that power reflected on the pitch. The pressure builds up and it explodes.
Arsenal prefer to play almost exclusively in the opponents’ final third, and their fluidity is best demonstrated by the way they rush into the penalty area. When Sleggers’ side score from open play, there are rarely fewer than three players in the opposition area, but more often there are significantly more players, attacking from all angles in a very coordinated press.
Sleggers has also found a way to include both Alessia Russo and Stina Braxtenius in the same eleven, with both players among the players who made goal contributions in Saturday’s 5-0 win over West Ham, with the latter potentially scoring a hat-trick in the first half. Chloe Kelly actually pulled it off. The content was very persuasive.
In fact, all four forwards are lethal in their rotation, with midfield pair Kim Little and Mariona Caldenti following up to sustain the attack with eye-of-the-needle passes. Beth Mead’s winning goal on Saturday summed up Arsenal at their best. Looking at the strike of the substitute player, it makes me think that there is something that should be taken more seriously when looking for the possibility of silverware this season.
Perfectly prepared for a gorgeous finish.
