Women’s team review 2025/26: Forwards | OneFootball

Rounding off our 2025/26 Women’s first-team review with City’s forwards…

Women's Team

Women’s 2025/26 review: Goalkeepers

Following Andrée Jeglertz’s side’s iconic double success of the Barclays Women’s Super League and FA Cup last term, we’re examining the scintillating individual displays which made the feat possible.

The Blues cemented our place at the English top-flight’s summit with 55 points – our joint highest-ever tally – before lifting the prestigious cup competition for the fourth time in our illustrious history.

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And after looking back at our goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders it’s the turn of our final third operators…

Women's Team

Women’s 2025/26 Review: Defenders

MARY FOWLER

Appearances: 9

Mary Fowler’s return from an ACL injury in City’s 5-1 win over Chelsea in February was undoubtedly one of the highlights throughout the magnificent season.

The Australia international’s appearance in the second-half against the Londoners represented her first for 10 months after suffering the issue in an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United the season before.

From there she was eased back into action slowly, but her quality quickly began to shine through across the total of nine appearances – and in City’s final WSL assignment of the season she completed her first 90 minutes since coming back.

While that was most certainly a moment of significance for Fowler and City, her standout moment came in our dramatic FA Cup semi-final triumph against Chelsea.

With Jeglertz’s team two-goals down approaching the final five minutes at Stamford Bridge, the Australian sparked the epic comeback with a low drive into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Bunny Shaw would then equalise and score the winner in extra-time, but it was Fowler’s well-taken finish wish began the euphoric series of events.

Women's Team

Women’s 2025/26 review: Midfielders

KHADIJA ‘BUNNY’ SHAW

Appearances: 32

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw broke new ground yet again for Manchester City during the 2025/26 campaign where she made 32 appearances and scored 27 goals.

Of those, 21 came throughout 22 outings in the WSL which means she became the first player in the competition’s history to win the prize for the third straight and also the maiden figure to 20 strikes in three different terms.

The Jamaican also led top-flight for shots (118), shots on target (51) and expected goals (20.7).

And only Shaw herself in 2022/23 (124) has had more shots in a single WSL campaign, while only Vivianne Miedema in 2018/19 (56) has had more shots on target in a season.

Among her fantastic goalscoring exploits, her four goals in a 6-1 win over Aston Villa in December 2025 saw her become the first women’s player to reach, and then surpass, 100 goals for City.

Not only did she further etch her name into the Club’s folklore, she proved to be a player for the big occasion too by netting twice in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Chelsea and in the showpiece against Brighton as we prevailed at Wembley.

Following a swathe of individual recognition for the striker, after the curtain fell on the campaign, she also penned a new deal with the Club which will keep her at the Joie Stadium until the summer of 2023.

Women's Team

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VIVIANNE MIEDEMA

Appearances: 25

Due to her intelligent footballing IQ and tactical flexibility, Miedema became a vital cog in Jeglertz’s City machine in 2025/26 with the all-time leading WSL scorer playing across the front three and in midfield.

In the top-flight alone last term, only Shaw (25) and Arsenal’s Alessia Russo (19) were directly involved in more goals than the Netherlands international (15 comprised of 10 goals and five assists).

She also initiated the third-highest open play sequences ending in a shot across the 22 WSL matches (22) with five of those ending in a goal, thus showcasing her freedom to architect attacking moves and also showcase her clinical calmness in front of goal.

This was epitomised in City’s 6-1 win over Aston Villa when, after providing Shaw’s opener, she fizzed a fantastic pass into the path of Aoba Fujino who then slammed home.

Miedema then rounded off the scoring against the Villans when ghosting into the box and guiding home Grace Clinton’s effort through a crowd of bodies to make it six.

She’s also proved to be a player for a big occasion too when registering goal involvements in wins against Chelsea and Manchester United before netting in the FA Cup final triumph over Brighton.

Features

Hemp's best moments in 2025/26

LAUREN HEMP

Appearances: 26

Lauren Hemp achieved a career-long ambition of winning the WSL title in 2025/26 and she played an integral role in the Double success after putting her injury woes behind her.

After sustaining an issue in a win over Spurs in September, she returned to the field in a 2-1 away triumph over Everton in November which moved City to the division’s summit – a position we wouldn’t relinquish.

Just six days after Hemp’s appearance at Goodison Park, she started against Manchester United at the Etihad and lit up the derby with a thunderous effort from the edge of the box which extended Jeglertz’s side’s lead to 3-0 before half-time.

Women's Team

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By the time the curtain fell on the WSL term, Hemp had created the most chances (49) in the 2025/26 WSL and was the only player to record 100+ open play crosses (108), also completing the most in the division (33).

And her assist tally of six in the league was joint third-highest alongside Arsenal’s Russo after City’s Kerstin Casparij and Aston Villa’s Lynn Wilms both registered seven.

In total, she tallied 13 goal involvements in all competitions across 26 appearances.

KEROLIN

Appearances: 19

In what was Kerolin’s first full season at City, she racked up a strong 10 goals and five assists across just 19 appearances in all competitions.

After recovering from an injury early on in the Double-winning campaign, she returned to the field in style in a 3-0 win over Leicester in when coming from the bench to register an assist for Bunny’s opener before she scored to rubber-stamp the success.

Between December and February, she totalled 11 goal involvements as she made up for any potential lost time.

In total, Kerolin ranked fourth for total WSL goal involvements in 2025/26 (14) and had the best minutes per goal involvement rate (goal or assist every 64 minutes). Only Beth England in 2020/21 (15) has recorded more goals and assists combined in a season when playing fewer than 1000 minutes.

Women's Team

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A breathless start to proceedings against London City Lionesses in January saw the Brazilian open the scoring in an eventual 2-1 success, but her hat-trick against Chelsea a few weeks later grabbed the headlines.

The second of her three was the pick of the bunch, with a dribble from inside the City half ending with her scooping the ball over Hannah Hampton and into the net to make it 3-0 soon after half-time.

AOBA FUJINO

Appearances: 22

Aoba Fujino entered the 2025/26 campaign looking to build on her promising maiden campaign from the season before.

And with 10 goal involvements in 22 outings in all competitions last term, she certainly added consistency and a refinement to her rawness which resulted in a string of exciting and excellent displays.

Usually operating on the right side of the front three, her partnership with Kerstin Casparij was hugely effective across the campaign thanks to her willingness to track back before punishing opposition in the final third.

The Japan international won possession in the final third 1.61 times per 90 minutes in the 2025/26 WSL, the best rate of any player with 1000+ minutes.

After the curtain fell on the campaign she had scored seven goals and registered three assists and the standout moment of her season, and arguably City career so far, was her goal in the 4-0 FA Cup final triumph over Brighton.

With the Blues 2-0 up at Wembley she extended our lead further when collecting the ball inside the area, shifting it onto her left foot and firing into the top corner.

IMAN BENEY

Appearances: 25

A summer signing from BSC Young Boys Frauen, Iman Beney added a fearlessness and determination into Manchester City across the 2025/26 campaign.

By the end of the campaign, she had 12 goal involvements to her name which included 10 assists which was the most across all competitions among those who played in the WSL last term.

And she flourished in the FA Cup, playing four times in the competition and playing vital roles in our 1-0 quarter-final win over Birmingham when setting up Bunny’s strike before she racked up two more in the last-four victory over Chelsea.

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She finished the competition with five to her name, but unfortunately missed the final through injury.

Undoubtedly her standout moment during the campaign, though, was her epic late winner against Arsenal in a thrilling 3-2 victory at the Joie in October.

After the Gunners had cancelled out each of the Blues’ lead during the pulsating contest, the hosts burst forward in the closing stages which saw the ball teed up to Beney on the edge of the area.

She then took a touch and drilled low into the bottom corner of the net to lift the roof off the stadium and seal a precious three points for City.

LILY MURPHY

Appearances: 5

After enjoying a breakout season during the 2024/25 campaign and starting against Chelsea in our campaign curtain-raiser, unfortunately Lily Murphy’s season was limited due to injury issues.

She was forced off in that narrow defeat to the Londoners and slowly worked her way back to full fitness by often playing in our Next Gen fixtures.

After making her return against West Ham in the Subway Women’s League Cup in December, she registered an assist in our 6-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Bournemouth.

By the end of the campaign she had made five appearances which included in our FA Cup semi-final victory over Sonia Bompastor’s side which would have no doubt have filled our promising youngster with confidence.