Khadija Shaw is the hottest player in women’s football. Her Women’s FA Cup display proved it

Shaw had chances, too, but it was not quite clicking as she skied shots over the bar. A knock to her neck could have signalled it was not going to be her day. But the Jamaica international kept probing in dangerous areas. She had the most touches (15) in the opposition box and took the most shots (10).

With City trailing 2-1 and six minutes of stoppage time remaining, eventually it paid off. Her inner belief stayed resolute as she found the equaliser with a swivel, sending the tie to extra time.

Once again, the two-time WSL golden boot winner, soon to win the award for the third time, found herself in a goalscoring position but sliced her shot wide. At the next opportunity, she told herself to just put it in the back of the net. Thanks to Yui Hasegawa’s alertness to intercept Hampton’s goal kick, Shaw pounced and headed home, taking her team one step closer to Wembley.

“That is what we need the forward to do,” said City manager Andree Jeglertz. “To be the one that is creating chances, miss one, then move on and continue.”

Since her arrival in the WSL in 2021, no player has had a higher expected goals (xG) value (a measurement of the quality chances created) per 90 minutes (0.83), or goals per 90 minutes (1.07) than Shaw. Producing such high figures consistently, as shown by the graph below, is quite remarkable and points to her ability to sniff out chances.

She is clinical in front of goal, although her efficiency has dropped this WSL campaign with her goals tracking her expected goals total. Since the start of the 2021-22 season though, she has outperformed her xG by an average of 0.24 per game — only Kerr (0.25) and Chelsea team-mate Lauren James (0.27) have recorded higher figures over the same period.

It is not just her goalscoring threat that makes Shaw a much sought-after player but, as shown against Chelsea, her superior hold-up play, linking passes with team-mates to progress the ball, aggressiveness in the press, as well as defensive clearances, make her a complete striker. At 29, and in peak form, her next club could be her last. “Bunny Shaw, we’ll see you next year,” sang the Chelsea fans.

That may be premature with no final decision made, according to sources briefed on the matter, but Jeglertz seemed confident in City’s hierarchy ability to give him the arsenal he needs.

“Where we are in July, I don’t know,” he said post-match. “That’s not up to me. But I’m pretty sure no matter which player is in my squad in July, the club will definitely give me possibilities to win the title again. Who that is, we’ll see later on.”

Chelsea have struggled for a fit and available centre forward all season, with injuries to Mayra Ramirez and Aggie Beever-Jones, while Kerr, up until recently, has lacked gametime under Sonia Bompastor. “Who wouldn’t have her (Shaw) on a personal wish list?” said Bompastor on Friday.

Although Shaw, should she move to west London, will not solve all of Chelsea’s problems, she dealt them a killer blow, demonstrating a ruthless instinct they have lacked all season and exactly why Chelsea are keen to obtain her signature.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Women's Soccer, FA Cup

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