Assessing the state of play in the WSL title race

The Women's Super League returns this weekend with a three-way title fight that is really heating up.

Chelsea sit top of the pile — but only just. Second placed Manchester City have an identical points and goal difference, with the Londoners only ahead of them by virtue of goals scored.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are only three points behind the top two and will still hope make up ground over the final eight games of the season.

Ahead of the recommencement of the WSL title race, we consider the merits of the three contenders.

Chelsea

The Blues are looking to land their fifth consecutive Women's Super League title.

They have some added motivation to succeed too, with record-breaking manager Emma Hayes departing to take charge of the United States national team at the end of this campaign.

However, her side were beaten 1-0 at home by title rivals City in their last outing before the recent international break and also lost 4-1 at Arsenal back in December.

Generally though, their form has been strong with Hayes' side winning 11 of their 14 league games.

Chelsea return to action away at Leicester and then host the Gunners in their next WSL match, where they will be seeking some sweet — and potentially crucial — revenge.

Another key fixture will be on the final day of the season when they visit Manchester United, who currently sit fourth and could conceivably still qualify for next season's Champions League.

An added complexity could be caused by fixture congestion, with the quadruple-chasing club still involved in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Having lost start striker Sam Kerr to a season-ending injury in January, Mayra Ramirez was signed as a replacement for a British record fee, while talisman Lauren James has scored 12 WSL goals in just 13 appearances.

Manchester City

City are looking to win their first Women's Super League title since 2016.

Gareth Taylor's side have put themselves in an excellent position by winning their last eight WSL games, including that crunch clash at Chelsea.

That result means City have taken four points off the reigning champions this season, having also held them to a draw back in October.

They have the advantage of not being involved in Europe too, though a domestic treble is still on the cards.

Star striker Khadija Shaw is the WSL's top scorer with 20 goals, while impressive improvement in defence has seen them concede just eight times in 14 league outings.

Key remaining fixtures include a March Manchester derby and a chance to take revenge against Arsenal in May, with the Gunners having beaten them earlier this season.

Arsenal

Arsenal will be hoping to take advantage of any slip-ups from the top two but their own form must also improve.

The Gunners have lost two of their last five WSL games, slipping to surprising defeats on the road against London rivals Tottenham and West Ham.

There is an immediate opportunity to take revenge against Spurs, though, who Arsenal will host on Sunday.

Both title rivals still lie in wait too, with Chelsea in mid-March and a trip to Manchester City in May.

With points to make up and some tough games, Arsenal are very much the outsiders in this three-horse race — but Jonas Eidevall and Co will keep on pushing until the end.