The winger netted a perfect hat-trick during our 9-1 Women’s League Cup quarter-final win, our final match of the year before the players and staff headed off for the winter break.

That performance saw the Sweden international bump her tally up to six goals and four assists in the first half of the campaign in all competitions, meaning she has already surpassed her 2024/25 total of five goals, and is well on her way to beating the sum of last season’s six assists.

Speaking after that dominant win in St Helens, Rytting Kaneryd was already keen for the season to restart as she basked in the glow of a hat-trick and a 9-1 victory.

While some may point to the post-match adrenaline as one of the causes of such enthusiasm, her infectious positivity will undoubtedly continue once the Blues return after the Christmas break.

That’s when work will begin to cut the current six-point gap to Manchester City in the Women’s Super League, as we also face a Women's FA Cup fourth round tie against Crystal Palace, a Women’s League Cup semi-final and a Women’s Champions League quarter-final.

‘I’m super excited for the second half of the season, I can’t wait!’ she beamed. ‘I mean, it’s very important to switch off and get the rest mentally and physically to be able to come back next year, and be on it from the start.

‘We have a lot of opportunities next year, a lot of things to win. We have the Champions League quarter-final coming up, and the league is interesting as well. It’s going to be super important to stay on top, and so we need to rest and get some energy over the Christmas break.’

That said, it’s not been all plain sailing for the Blues, and Rytting Kaneryd acknowledged the tough moments in the early part of the campaign, pointing to a first-ever Women’s Super League defeat under head coach Sonia Bompastor in early December.

‘It’s been up and down, of course,’ she said. ‘It’s been a challenge. There have been a lot of games, and it’s difficult to manage to be on top across all three competitions, but I think we’ve been playing well in general.

‘We lost one game, and we always want to win every match, but it’s not easy. Overall, it was a good first half of the season.’

If Rytting Kaneryd continues the form she showed in 2025 into next year, then 2026 could be just as good for the Blues!