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Hammers deal blow to Arsenal challenge
Chelsea made it four wins on the trot, a 3-0 success against Everton which preserves their lead of three points at the top of the Barclays WSL.
Guro Reiten opened the scoring for the reigning Champions just before the half hour mark and she put them in a strong position when netting a second spot kick, eighteen minutes from time. Erin Cuthbert went on to wrap up the win when she scored the third goal.
The result actually returned Chelsea to the top of the table after Manchester City had spent a few hours as league leaders on goal difference. The Cityzens needed to be patient against a Leicester City team which had defended stoutly until eight minutes from time, when Lauren Hemp broke the deadlock. Chloe Kelly’s strike three minutes later secured the points for Gareth Taylor’s side and ensured their title challenge remains on course.
It was a different story for Arsenal however as a second half fightback saw them go down 2-1 to West Ham Utd, who took another huge stride towards safety. The Gunners fielded Leah Williamson in their starting line up for the first time since her knee injury and things looked to be going smoothly when Alessia Russo gave them the lead just before half time. However, an eight minute spell just after the break turned the match on its head as Viviane Asseyi equalised from the penalty spot and Hawa Cissoko then put the Hammers in front, and they held on for a second straight win and dealt a big blow to Arsenal’s title aspirations.
Manchester Utd meanwhile continued their upturn in form when they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0. For the second week running, Nikita Parris turned out to be the match winner for United as she gave them a ninth minute lead, before securing the points with the second, midway through the second half.
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur meanwhile remain level on points after their meeting finished in a 1-1 draw. A tightly contested game looked to have been settled when Celin Bizet Ildhusoy gave Spurs the lead with twenty minutes remaining, but Liverpool battled back to earn themselves a share of the spoils as Marie Hobinger scored in injury time.
On Saturday, Aston Villa and Bristol City kicked off the weekend by battling out an entertaining 2-2 draw, remarkably the first time that Villa have shared the points this season. Jordan Nobbs gave Villa an early lead which was quickly cancelled out by Amalie Thestrup, and after Adriana Leon had put Villa back in front on the hour, City hit back for a valuable point through a leveller from Carrie Jones.
