WSL clubs still waiting to make mark in Europe

The apparently inexorable progress of the Women’s Super League to pre-eminence has taken a blow in the UEFA Champions League with a series of chastening results for its trio of elite clubs.

The competition’s expansion to three entries from the major leagues, instead of leading to more English clubs making the last eight, has resulted in fewer. Only Arsenal made the quarter-finals; Chelsea were despatched in the group stage while Manchester City did not even get that far.

And if those three aren’t good enough, no one else is likely to be. Between them the trio have occupied the top three spots in every WSL season since 2014. They have also