WSL 2022/23 Awards: Rachel Daly and Lauren James rise above the rest

After the most-watched Women's Super League season to date and absorbing battles at both ends of the table, who are the winners of Telegraph Sport's end-of-season awards for 2022-23?

From ice-cold finishes to ice-cold pitches, there has been plenty to digest.

Manager of the season – Carla Ward

Title-winning Emma Hayes delivered under immense pressure yet again, Marc Skinner overachieved at Manchester United and Leicester City boss Willie Kirk deserves immense praise for masterminding their escape from relegation. Any of those managers would be worthy recipients of this award but Aston Villa’s campaign under Carla Ward caught everybody by surprise and their immense improvements have played a huge role in making this season more compelling and unpredictable for neutrals. Ward has signed a new contract until 2025, after a year-to-remember for Villa.

Signing of the season – Maya Le Tissier

This award could easily go to Tottenham striker Bethany England, who scored 12 times in 12 WSL games for the north London club after signing from Chelsea in January to keep Tottenham up, or Rachel Daly – more on her later – while Leicester's loan of 24-year-old German goalkeeper Janina Leitzig in January has also proved to be inspired. However, across the entire season, the most impactful addition to any one team has surely been Manchester United's England defender Maya Le Tissier, who signed from Brighton and has proven to be a rock at the back in the division's tightest defence.

Low point of the season – when the WSL froze over

The abandonment of Chelsea's home game against Liverpool in January after six minutes of farcical football, where players could be seen slipping and sliding on the frozen surface was a huge embarrassment for the WSL in a month with too many postponements across the women's game. Again, more work must be done to ensure a repeat is never witnessed.

Young player of the season – Lauren James

With 41 dribbles completed in the WSL this term – over 15 per cent more than anybody else – Chelsea forward Lauren James has entertained fans so much this season and ends the year as a WSL champion. In the first of the season in particular, there were times when the 21-year-old was almost unplayable.

Player of the season – Rachel Daly

With 22 goals in 22 league games, Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly is the season's standout star. Chelsea's Guro Reiten, Manchester United full-back Ona Batlle and Manchester City striker Bunny Shaw have all been truly excellent too, and this quartet all deserve so many plaudits, but with how Daly has helped transform Villa from being a team that only scored a pathetic 13 goals across the entirety of last season to now being one that has scored well over three times that, she's produced one of great campaigns.

Goal of the season – Sam Kerr

There have been many more spectacular finishes than this one, including a couple of long-range scorchers from Bethany England, and this category is highly subjective, but the combination of Lauren James' vision, Sam Kerr's run and chest control, touch and finish - plus the fact that this goal ultimately proved decisive in winning the league for Chelsea over Manchester United - puts this goal on top.

Assist of the season – Yui Hasegawa

Almost any of Guro Reiten's 11 assists could have earned this accolade but it's actually a chance to throw so much-deserved praise at Manchester City's Yui Hasegawa, who has performed superbly in the holding midfield role for Gareth Taylor's team this season and her skills were exemplified when she caught the eye with this move to set-up Bunny Shaw.

Tweet of the season – Vivianne Miedema

Vivianne Miedema's bittersweet 'ACL group is full now' tweet put smiles on faces despite the horror of Arsenal suffering a fourth long-term ACL injury in the space of six months.

Team of the season