Four current Lionesses feature in GOAL's best XI as the WSL comes to a halt for the winter break with champions Chelsea on top

It's been quite a season so far in the Women's Super League, with eye-catching performances, excellent games and some intriguing narratives all unfolding in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign. Champions Chelsea, pursuing a fifth successive league title, sit top of the table as the winter break begins, and they've got some breathing space before they look over their shoulder to see Arsenal and Manchester City, too. Manchester United will be hoping that the door hasn't closed on them, but it's been a difficult first 10 games for the Red Devils.

It's the top four many would've expected, then, but everything that has unfolded behind that has been incredibly interesting, too. Whether it's Liverpool's impressive start, Tottenham's improvements under a new head coach or Aston Villa's surprising struggles, there has been plenty to keep an eye on across the division.

But who have been the top individual performers in the first half of the WSL campaign? With the league's action on pause now until January 20, GOAL picks its team of the season so far…

GettyGK: Courtney Brosnan (Everton)

There have been some impressive performers in between the sticks in the WSL this season, with Khiara Keating certainly the story so far after taking control of the starting duties at Man City at the age of 19. But it's Everton's Courtney Brosnan who gets the nod in this XI, having helped the Toffees to come back from a worrying start to the campaign.

The Ireland international has had her work cut out for her on Merseyside, with England prospect Emily Ramsey also battling hard to be Everton's first-choice. But after being on the bench for the club's first two games, she has kept the 23-year-old at bay to feature in all of the last eight.

Of goalkeepers to start five or more games, Brosnan has the third-highest save percentage in the league and the highest overall when it comes to stopping shots from outside the box. Her performance at Anfield was massive in securing Everton the bragging rights in the Merseyside Derby, and she came up big against Aston Villa and West Ham, too, to help the Toffees put another couple of wins on the board after they had emerged victorious in just one of their first seven league outings.

AdvertisementGettyRB: Jayde Riviere (Man Utd)

Jayde Riviere didn't have an easy start to life as a Manchester United player. Injuries limited her to just one appearance last season, following a January arrival, meaning her first start for the club came in one of the biggest games in its women's team's history: when the Red Devils faced Paris Saint-Germain in their Women's Champions League group-stage qualifier, their first-ever game in the competition.

The young Canadian played a few different roles at the start of the season, but in recent months, she's settled into an orthodox right-back position and has been performing brilliantly.

Riviere has a fantastic work ethic which allows her to get forward at will and her quality in the final third gives United's attack a massive boost. She's brilliant at getting back, too, though, and ranks among the top 10 defenders in the WSL for tackles won, despite playing for one of the league's top clubs.

GettyCB: Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Arsenal hardly looked sturdy at the back in the opening few weeks of this season. Having recruited a couple of new centre-backs in the summer window, head coach Jonas Eidevall seemed to be trying to find the perfect combination in defence, trialling different partnerships in back threes and back fours. Since settling on a centre-back duo of Lotte Wubben-Moy and Amanda Ilestedt, though, the Gunners have looked much more solid.

Either player could've made this XI, really, but Wubben-Moy gets the nod because of how impressive her work on the ball has been on top of her defensive qualities. As well as helping Arsenal to keep all of Rachel Daly, Bunny Shaw and Sam Kerr very quiet when they have faced the north London side in the first half of this WSL season, ranking fifth in the league for aerial duels won, the England international is also among those to have played the most successful passes into the final third, despite being a centre-back.

Wubben-Moy has never quite been given the chance to shine at international level, almost always in the Lionesses' squads but rarely the starting line-up. She's doing herself no harm with her current form, though, and has certainly been among the WSL's best defenders in these first few months.

GettyCB: Gemma Bonner (Liverpool)

Only Man City and Arsenal have better defensive records in the WSL this season than Liverpool, and Gemma Bonner is a big reason why. Brought back to the club midway through last season, having captained the Reds to WSL titles in both 2013 and 2014, she has made a huge impact with her quality on the pitch as well as her leadership skills.

There was arguably no more impressive performer when Liverpool shocked Arsenal at the Emirates on the opening weekend, and that game seemed to set the tone for Bonner and the Reds, who have both continued to shine since. Her display against Brighton in November was a particular highlight, a superb header to break the deadlock at one end complemented by a clean sheet in a fantastic 4-0 victory.

Only three players in the WSL have won more aerial duels than Bonner this season, who also ranks joint-second for clearances made. She's led the defence remarkably well to help Liverpool, who are only in their second campaign back at this level, go into the winter break in an impressive fifth place.