The Women's Super League (WSL) 2024 final took place over the weekend and it did not disappoint.

It produced some shock results as the champions dropped points for the first time this season, while Everton and Aston Villa returned to winning ways. An extremely exciting second half of the campaign is set as the clubs fight for the title, European places and safety from relegation.

The WSL will now take an extended break with games resuming from January 17, starting with Brighton's visit to Liverpool. The Christmas period will also provide a much-needed respite for clubs suffering from a significant number of injuries.

In addition, for the last time this year, 90 min we take a look at the six big takeaways from Game Week 10…

Chelsea points against Leicester City wouldn't be on most people's bingo cards in 2024. Chelsea dropping points against anyone, after the start to the season they've had, seemed unthinkable.

Sonia Bompastor's side turns out to be human after all. Their 100 per cent run came to an end on Saturday when the hosts opened the scoring in the first half through Missy Goodwin, but Wieke Kaptein managed to keep their unbeaten run going at the very least with a late equalizer at the King Power.

Fortunately for Chelsea, their closest rival Manchester City they were unable to capitalize on the lost points as they themselves suffered a shocking defeat. Arsenal and Manchester United are also starting to close the gap, but Chelsea remain comfortably six points clear - for now.

Speaking of relegation City, they suffered a shock defeat away at Everton on Sunday afternoon. They found themselves two goals down before half-time with two in quick succession from Lucy Hope and Honoka Hayashi, and Mary Fowler's late penalty for the visitors was not enough to pull the score back.

It was a monumental victory for Brian Sorensen's side, who have endured a terrible start to the season in terms of injuries. A few weeks ago, the Toffees were staring down the barrel of a potential relegation battle, but now they have fought their way into a strong position to go into the second half of the season.

It's still extremely tight at the bottom of the table with just four points off 12th and seventh, but Everton fans can rest easy this Christmas with a renewed sense of belief that further danger can be avoided.

The second managerial casualty of the 2024/25 season came last week as Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw was relieved of his duties in Villa Park. The Midlands club only appointed him in June as a replacement for Carla Ward, but things didn't work out for the Dutchman and Villa quickly took action.

Shaun Goater took charge of their final WSL game of the year against West Ham as the search for a new head coach continues. Villa bounced back from last week's defeat Arsenal in an emphatic way with a 3-1 triumph at home against the Hammers.

Adriana Leon opened the scoring in five minutes, but the visitors equalized with a goal by Viviane Asseyi. Leon put Villa back in front on the brink of half-time and Kenza Dali then put the score beyond doubt with just under 10 minutes remaining.

City's defeat by Everton was a major blow to their title hopes, but manager Gareth Taylor was left sweating over the fitness of a number of his key players. He will be without Lauren Hemp and Vivianne Miedema until the new year, with defender Alex Greenwood suffering a serious injury last week in the Champions League.

The 31-year-old immediately signaled to the bench after a poor challenge against St. Poltena Melanie Brunnthaler. As a result, she was stretched, with the obvious concern of a potential ACL understandably at the forefront of everyone's mind.

Taylor confirmed after Sunday's loss that they are still awaiting the results of Greenwood's scan, and thankfully it doesn't look as serious as expected. That said, any spell without their captain would be a serious blow to City.

Khadija Shaw, who is leading the chase for the golden boot, is also dealing with an injury as she missed both of their games last week. Taylor confirmed they are waiting for more information on the extent of the shin problem before setting a date for a potential return.

As mentioned, both Arsenal and Manchester United finished the year with a win. They secured narrow 1-0 wins over Liverpool and Crystal Palace, but three points are all that matters at this stage.

They have now closed the gap on City to just one point and are seven behind leaders Chelsea. With just over half the season left, they won't be counted out of the title race just yet.

The Gunners have one more Champions League group game remaining before the end of the week, but otherwise, the focus now shifts to rest and recovery over Christmas ahead of the crucial second half of the campaign.

Brighton were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as they fell further below their top four rivals. It's been a promising few months for the Seagulls under new manager Dario Vidosic, but the pace required to keep pace with the top four has proved a little too much.

Bethany England gave Spurs a late lead at Broadfield Stadium, but the hosts responded brilliantly to claim a point, thanks to a Marisa Olislagers goal. They are now four points adrift of Arsenal and United in third and fourth respectively, meaning European qualification is not entirely out of the question at this stage, but it will take even more effort in the remaining 12 games to achieve it.

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