London City's Putellas-Diani-Van de Donk trio chase WSL history
Five matches into 2026-27, London City Lionesses' attacking trio have racked up 14 goal involvements - a pace that, if sustained, would rival the WSL's best-ever combinations.
London City Lionesses' 6-1 win over Tottenham was not just a scoreline. It was the clearest evidence yet that Eder Maestre's rebuilt attack can trouble anyone in the WSL.
The Analyst reports that London City posted 5.99 expected goals in that match, the highest total recorded by an away side in WSL history since Opta's data began in 2017-18. They scored six goals from only 10 shots on target, the fewest shots on target by a team scoring six or more in a WSL fixture since Chelsea beat Manchester United 6-0 in May 2024 with nine.
Alexia Putellas, Kadidiatou Diani and Daniëlle van de Donk were central to that outcome. Putellas and Diani scored twice apiece, Diani also setting up a goal, while Van de Donk scored once and created two more, giving the trio eight combined goal involvements against Spurs alone, according to The Analyst.
Three players, three different jobs
What stands out beyond the numbers is how little overlap there is in how the three operate. Diani has stayed wide on the right, stretching defences and arriving late into the box. Van de Donk has worked from the opposite side, cutting infield to get on the end of chances rather than simply supplying them. Putellas has roamed more centrally, dropping to collect possession and redistributing it into space for the other two to exploit.
That separation of roles matters tactically. It means opponents cannot set a single defensive plan to nullify all three; shutting down Diani's flank does not solve the problem of Van de Donk arriving from the left, and neither addresses Putellas dictating tempo through midfield.
The numbers behind five matches
Across London City's first five WSL games this season, the trio have combined for 14 goal involvements: five apiece for Van de Donk and Diani, and four for Putellas, per The Analyst. That production has helped the club collect 12 points from a possible 15 and rise to third in the table ahead of the international break.
The Analyst notes that history favours a side starting this strongly - no WSL team that has taken at least 12 points from its opening five matches has gone on to finish outside the top five.
Penalty-box presence underlines the pattern. Van de Donk leads London City's attack with 30 touches inside the opposition box this season, ahead of Putellas on 24 and Diani on 19, figures The Analyst says reflect both their distinct roles and a shared habit of finding dangerous areas.
Measuring up against the WSL's great trios
The Analyst's comparison with past attacking units puts London City's start in context. Chelsea's Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Bethany England produced 71 combined non-penalty goal involvements in 2020-21, the highest of any trio in the comparison, with Kerr and Kirby each contributing 28 and England adding 15.
Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead and Van de Donk - the same Van de Donk now at London City - reached 67 in 2018-19, while Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp totalled 53 in 2022-23.
Early-season comparisons add nuance. Chelsea's 2020-21 group and City's 2022-23 trio had each managed 13 goal involvements after five matches, almost identical to London City's current 14. Arsenal's 2018-19 trio, by contrast, had already reached 25 at the same stage, a reminder that hot starts do not always predict the final tally.
The Analyst calculates that if London City's trio maintain their rate of 2.8 goal involvements per match across the WSL's expanded 26-game season, they would finish with 72.8 - enough to surpass Chelsea's 2020-21 benchmark. That projection is a simple extrapolation rather than a forecast, since form across a season rarely stays constant.
London City's broader attacking output supports the case for optimism: their 15 league goals are bettered only by Tottenham and Manchester City, who both have 16, according to The Analyst.
Why Van de Donk's form carries extra weight
Van de Donk's current output is notable given how limited her involvement had been before this run, The Analyst reports, making her status as the trio's leading contributor in touches and among its top scorers a significant shift in her own trajectory at the club.
Whether London City can sustain this level through a 26-match season will depend less on any single match and more on whether Diani, Putellas and Van de Donk continue finding separate route to goal rather than duplicating each other's work. Their next fixtures after the international break will offer an early test of that consistency.