London City Lionesses' star trio match WSL greats with 14 goal involvements in five games

Statement win lays down a marker

London City Lionesses' 6-1 demolition of Tottenham last time out was more than a statement victory. It was a glimpse of what the club could become: an ambitious disruptor capable of unsettling the WSL's established order.

Eder Maestre's side did not simply outscore Spurs, but they repeatedly turned possession into dangerous attacks. The result was London City's largest ever WSL victory, with the visitors recording 5.99 expected goals (xG) – the highest total by an away team in the competition since Opta's records began in 2017-18. They also scored six times from just 10 shots on target, the fewest by a team scoring 6+ goals in a WSL game since Chelsea's 6-0 victory over Manchester United in May 2024 (nine shots on target), highlighting both the quality of their chances and their clinical finishing.

The trio at the heart of it all

At the centre of the performance was the attacking trio of Alexia Putellas, Kadidiatou Diani and Daniëlle van de Donk. Putellas scored twice, Diani added two goals and an assist, while Van de Donk scored once and provided two assists. Between them, they contributed eight goal involvements in a display that exposed the threat of London City's revamped attack.

Just as striking was the fluidity between the three. Diani held the right flank, Van de Donk drifted in from the left channel to attack the penalty area, and Putellas moved across the pitch to link play and create opportunities. Their roles were complementary, giving Spurs few straightforward defensive tasks.

Although their stats stood out in the win over Spurs, the trio have displayed that form across the whole campaign. Over the first five WSL matchdays of 2026-27, the three players have registered 14 goal involvements in total: five for Van de Donk, five for Diani and four for Putellas. Their output has helped London City collect 12 points from a possible 15 and climb to third in the table before the international break.

That points tally is significant in its own right. No team to have collected at least 12 points after the opening five matches has finished below fifth in WSL history. For a club looking to build on last season's sixth-place finish, the early signs suggest another step forward, with their attacking firepower central to the progress.

Their influence is clearest in the penalty area. Van de Donk leads London City with 30 touches in the opposition box, followed by Putellas (24) and Diani (19). The figures reflect their complementary roles, but also a shared strength: all three are consistently finding dangerous positions and putting themselves in a place to influence the outcome.

How they compare with WSL history's great trios

Fourteen goal involvements in five matches is an impressive return – and a useful benchmark against some of the league's most memorable attacking units. Across WSL history, the standout combinations stack up as follows:

• The Chelsea trio of Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Bethany England set a formidable benchmark in 2020-21. Kerr and Kirby each recorded 28 non-penalty goal involvements, while England added 15 herself, taking their combined total to 71 – the highest of any three-player attacking combination in our comparison.
• Arsenal's holy trinity of Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead and Van de Donk amassed 67 in 2018-19.
• Man City's Khadija Shaw, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp combined for 53 in 2022-23.

The early-season numbers make for an intriguing comparison. Across their first five matchdays, Chelsea's 2020-21 trio and Man City's 2022-23 combination each recorded 13 goal involvements. Arsenal's three in 2018-19, however, had already amassed 25 – a reminder that blistering starts can take different paths over the course of a season. The early return of the London City trio therefore offers a reason for optimism, not a reliable prediction of what is to come.

The expanded 14-team WSL season comprises 26 league matches. If the trio maintain their current average of 2.8 involvements per match, a simple extrapolation would give them 72.8 goal involvements across the campaign, enough to edge the Chelsea benchmark in this comparison. But the more meaningful question is whether London City can sustain enough of their current production to remain in the conversation as the season develops; their total of 15 goals is only bettered by Tottenham and City on 16.

Van de Donk's resurgence

Van de Donk's early-season form is all the more striking given how little she was able to contribute last term. Recurrent calf and knee injuries restricted the Dutch international to six WSL appearances and just 247 minutes of action in London City's debut campaign. Five matches into the new season, she has already recorded three goals and two assists in 442 minutes.

Her performance against Tottenham offered a measure of just how significant her threat is in the final third. Van de Donk registered 11 touches in the opposition box, the most by a London City player in a WSL match, and attempted six shots – a tally matched only by teammate Isobel Goodwin against Charlton earlier this season. Her non-penalty xG total of 1.87 against Spurs was the second-highest recorded by a London City player in a WSL match, behind Diani's 1.94.

That performance reflects a wider trend. The Dutch international is averaging 0.77 xG per 90 minutes this season, her highest single-season rate in the WSL or France since Opta's WSL xG records began in 2017-18. Her averages of 3.5 shots and 6.1 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes, alongside 0.61 goals per 90, are also career highs across Europe's top five leagues. Only Shaw has accumulated more xG than Van de Donk's 3.78 in the WSL this season.

The Dutch midfielder has also started four sequences that have ended in a goal, more than any other player in the division. That figure captures an important part of her contribution: she is not simply finishing moves but helping to initiate attacks that end with the ball in the net.

The change is particularly notable when set against her previous role. During her six-year spell at Arsenal, from November 2015 to June 2021, Van de Donk ranked third among players for chances created (141), touches in the opposition box (327) and non-penalty goals (26). She also won possession in the final third 94 times, more than any of her Arsenal teammates, while only Jordan Nobbs attempted more passes ending in the final third. Yet Van de Donk spent just 5% of her Arsenal minutes as a striker, operating predominantly in central midfield. Her role at OL Lyonnes was similarly midfield-oriented, with 71% of her minutes coming in central midfield.

At London City, her positioning has become more direct across the left flank of the frontline, allowing her to interchange with Putellas; she has spent 43% of her minutes as the central striker, 36% on the left wing and just 21% in her familiar central role. The data suggests that adjustment is paying off. Van de Donk is providing the midfield craft she developed at Arsenal while adding a more consistent presence around the penalty area – a combination that makes London City's attack one of the most dangerous in the division.