Chiamaka Nnadozie tops WSL with a 74.7% save percentage in Brighton debut
Chiamaka Nnadozie finished the 2025/26 WSL season with a league-high 74.7% save rate for Brighton, making 62 saves in 19 appearances and keeping six clean sheets.
Chiamaka Nnadozie has closed her maiden Barclays Women’s Super League campaign as the division’s most efficient goalkeeper, recording a 74.7% save percentage in official WSL statistics.
The Nigerian international reached the figure across 19 league outings for Brighton, establishing herself quickly after her move from France.
Her performance placed her narrowly ahead of Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton and Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce in a tightly contested leaderboard for shot-stopping effectiveness.
Official figures and how the save percentage was calculated
Official WSL statistics released after the season list Nnadozie’s save percentage at 74.7 per cent, making it the highest mark among goalkeepers who played at least 10 league matches.
Across those 19 appearances she faced 83 shots on target and recorded 62 saves, numbers that underpin the league metric and highlight her consistency over the campaign.
The thresholds set by the league — covering minimum appearances and shots faced — ensure the ranking reflects sustained performance rather than short-term form.
Tight margins at the top of the goalkeeper rankings
The race for the top save percentage in the WSL was decided by fractions, with Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton finishing second on 74.6 per cent and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United third on 73.6 per cent.
Those narrow differences underline how small margins separate elite goalkeepers in a season where quality across the division was high.
Nnadozie’s advantage, though slim numerically, reflected a season of repeated interventions that altered match outcomes and preserved points for Brighton.
Statistical highlights beyond save rate
Beyond her save percentage, Nnadozie amassed six clean sheets during the league campaign, a total that placed her joint fourth among WSL keepers.
Advanced metrics credited her with preventing an estimated 3.3 goals, a figure that captures the cumulative impact of decisive stops in situations where the expected goals metric suggested Brighton would concede.
Together with her shots-faced and saves totals, those numbers present a picture of a goalkeeper who not only accumulated saves but did so in moments that materially affected Brighton’s results.
Impact on Brighton’s season and cup run
Nnadozie’s performances were central to Brighton’s competitiveness against higher-ranked opponents and to the club’s run to the Women’s FA Cup final.
Her presence between the posts gave the Seagulls a reliable foundation, helping the team restrict damage in tight matches and occasionally produce late rescues that altered the course of individual fixtures.
Brighton ultimately fell to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, but the goalkeeper’s contributions were repeatedly cited as a major factor in the club reaching the showpiece.
Awards, recognitions and standout moments
Nnadozie’s season included individual recognitions, most notably a WSL Save of the Month prize awarded after a fingertip stop against Liverpool that attracted plaudits across the league.
That intervention also earned her a nomination for Save of the Season and complemented the wider acknowledgement she has received as a three-time CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Those honors reflected both her shot-stopping skill and the high-profile nature of some of her saves during a campaign in which she consistently performed under pressure.
Context: career path and international implications
The 25-year-old arrived in England after spells in France, where she made an impact with Paris FC, and her quick adaptation to the pace and intensity of the WSL has been widely noted.
Her rise in club football dovetails with an important international calendar, as Nnadozie has linked up with Nigeria’s Super Falcons squad ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Her form for Brighton offers the national team a goalkeeper in strong confidence and match rhythm as Nigeria prepares to defend its continental crown.
Chiamaka Nnadozie’s debut WSL season combined elite shot-stopping with statistical recognition, and her 74.7% save percentage will be cited as one of the standout individual achievements of the 2025/26 campaign.
