That’s all from me! I’ll leave you with a reminder of today’s results so far…
Manchester United 2-0 Leicester
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Aston Villa 0-2 Everton
Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City
Brighton 2-2 Chelsea
Brighton manager Dario Vidosic tells Sky Sports: “I’m almost a little bit disappointed. I think we had the opportunities to go 3-1 up and we didn’t and then it felt like the result maybe scared us, that we were winning 2-1. We had it there. But that is all part of the journey and the process.
“Overall very, very proud. We have bounced back after a tough couple of weeks, for different reasons, and today we showed what we can do against the best in the country.”
Brighton forward Madison Hayley tells Sky Sports: “We have not had the results we have wanted in the last couple of months so today we were focused on the performance and I think we did exactly what we wanted to do.
“We know the quality that Chelsea have and the team that they are so to get a point against them to keep our unbeaten run at home is huge for us.”
Adam has been in contact with his view on the potential scrapping of relegation in the WSL…
“The potential scrapping of promotion and relegation is an interesting idea, to put it mildly. I did note that the phrasing in the article you linked said there would be no promotion or relegation initially rather than forever...although of course that doesn’t mean much these days.
“Although I’m a firm believer in the competitive element of promotion and relegation, I’d also suggest that it’s made the men’s game less sustainable (clubs lower down the pyramid throwing tonnes of money at getting promoted, failing, and going bust).
“Meanwhile, across the pond, MLS has never had promotion and relegation and has a highly centralised management and financial structure. Although they’ve made some missteps (ice hockey-style penalties, anyone?), they have managed to create a league where resources are on the whole distributed more evenly -- players and money-wise. I’m not aware of all of the nuances of the women’s game, but if there were a way to harness the financial sustainability of an MLS-like structure at first and to carefully introduce promotion and relegation later on, that would seem to me to be a great solution.”
Full-time: Brighton 2-2 Chelsea
And there’s the final whistle! Chelsea drop points for just the second time this season! What a performance from Brighton!
Brighton 2-2 Chelsea: Nine (yes, NINE) minutes have been added on…
Brighton 2-2 Chelsea: Just two minutes of normal time left to play…
Arsenal vs West Ham team news
Chloe Kelly gets her first start for Arsenal while Victoria Pelova returns to the squad for the first time in nine months following her ACL injury.
Arsenal starting line-up: Daphne van Domselaar; Emily Fox, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley, Katie McCabe; Kim Little (C), Lia Wälti, Frida Maanum; Mariona Caldentey, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo. Substitutes: Manuela Zinsberger, Amanda Ilestedt, Katie Reid, Jenna Nighswonger, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Victoria Pelova, Beth Mead, Caitlin Foord, Stina Blackstenius.
West Ham starting line-up: Kinga Szemik; Kirsty Smith, Amber Tysiak, Camila Sáez, Eva Nyström, Verena Hanshaw; Oona Siren, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Seraina Piubel; Viviane Asseyi (C), Shekiera Martinez. Substitutes: Megan Walsh, Marika Bergman-Lundin, Riko Ueki, Manuela Pavi, Emma Harries, Shelina Zadorsky, Anouk Denton, Katrina Gorry, Li Mengwen.
Updated
Arsenal vs West Ham team news is coming shortly…
Brighton 2-2 Chelsea: We’re into the final 20 minutes now and Chelsea are pushing for a winner…
GOAL! Brighton 2-2 Chelsea (James, 61)
James gets the equaliser! What a game this has become!
Beever-Jones plays the ball through to Ramírez in the box. The forward goes for goal but her effort is saved by Loeck. James then latches onto the rebound and slots the ball away.
Replays show James was offside when Ramírez made the initial shot, so Brighton will be disappointed with that.
Updated
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: Girma’s debut comes to an end. The defender appeared to be struggling with a calf problem before coming off. She is replaced by Nathalie Björn.
Manchester United forward Geyse has just released this statement on Instagram: “Staying in a place where we don’t feel happy is an agonising and lonely feeling. Every day seems heavier, and the simple fact of being here becomes a burden.
“The environment, which should be welcoming, becomes a field of discomfort, where inner peace is difficult to find. When we are not in tune with what surrounds us, the world around us loses its colour and energy.
“Sometimes, the desire for change arises as an urgent need, but the fear of the unknown or insecurity about the future can paralyse us.
“However, it is essential to remember that we deserve to be in places and situations that bring us happiness and fulfilment. That’s the only way we can grow.”
Geyse came off the bench in the 84th minute against Leicester this afternoon.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: Chance for Brighton as Kirby bursts into the box. She looks to shoot and forces a save from Hampton. Girma then slides in to prevent the follow-up.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: We’re back underway at the Broadfield Stadium!
Full-time: Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City
Manchester City take all three points at Brisbane Road. That result puts them in the top three for now.
Full-time: Aston Villa 0-2 Everton
It’s another defeat for Aston Villa. Natalia Arroyo and her players now find themselves in real trouble.
Arroyo is the second manager to lose each of her first three WSL games without scoring after Brighton’s Hope Powell in September 2018.
Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City: Huge chance for Tottenham in the final seconds! A cross is sent to England in the box. The striker goes for goal but fires her shot directly at Yamashita!
Full-time: Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Crystal Palace lose their first match under new manager Leif Smerud. Meanwhile, it’s a huge victory for Liverpool.
Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City: Naz picks up the ball on the right and looks to square it across goal to England in the box. The striker prepares herself to shoot, but Layzell slides in to make a great interception!
Half-time: Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
What a first-half turnaround from Brighton!
GOAL! Brighton 2-1 Chelsea (Losada, 42)
Brighton lead the reigning WSL champions!
McLauchlan sends a low cross into the box from the right. Haley jumps over it and the ball runs straight to Losada, who opens up her body before slotting her shot into the bottom-left corner!
Updated
GOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City (Fujino, 79)
Fujino restores Manchester City’s lead!
Casparij sends a throw to Hasegawa, who is given plenty of time to tee up a perfect pass to Fujino. The midfielder splits the Spurs defence with the ball and Fujino latches onto the end of it. The winger then flicks the ball past Bartrip, putting the defender off-balance before firing her shot into the top-left corner.
Brilliant from both Fujino and Hasegawa!
72 min: We’re into the final 20 minutes of the 2pm games.
Aston Villa 0-2 Everton
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City: What a clearance from Neville! A corner is sent into the box and Miedema is there to head the ball towards goal. It looks to be floating over the line but Neville gets there in the nick of time to make an outstanding clearance!
GOAL! Brighton 1-1 Chelsea (Olislagers, 22)
Olislagers levels things up for the hosts!
The wing-back latches onto a diagonal ball and makes a run into the box before firing a low-driven shot past Hampton!
Updated
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Everton (Hayashi, 59)
The visitors double their advantage at Villa Park through Hayashi!
It’s an absolute nightmare for Talbert, who fails to catch a floating cross. The ball subsequently spills into the path of Hayashi, who fires her shot into the top-right corner on the turn.
GOAL! Brighton 0-1 Chelsea (Baltimore, 16)
What a strike from Baltimore!
James sends a cross into the box, Nüsken is able to flick it on and Baltimore is there to volley the ball into the top-right corner! A perfectly-taken shot from the full-back!
Updated
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton: Villa have been forced into a change, with Katelin Talbert on to replace D’Angelo, who has been forced off with a head injury. The goalkeeper is nursing a nose bleed while making her way off.
Brighton 0-0 Chelsea: The visitors have announced that Niamh Charles has withdrawn from the squad. She has been replaced by academy graduate Chloe Sarwie on the bench.
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City: Both England and Yamashita require treatment following a collision in the box.
Updated
All three 2pm games are back up and running!
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City
Kick-off: Brighton vs Chelsea
We’re under way at the Broadfield Stadium!
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner tells BBC Sport: “I was [pleased with the performance], first half especially. I felt we might fall off a little bit second half because we have only had two days from international duty. Winners find a way to win and we have done that. We have already accrued more points now with seven games to go than we did last season.”
Half-time: 2pm games
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City
In case you missed it, Becky Spencer joined Chelsea on an emergency loan yesterday. The goalkeeper was allowed to make the switch after January signing Femke Liefting suffered a long-term foot injury during the international break.
Spencer starts on the bench for the Blues today.
35 min: Just over 10 minutes to play until half-time across the 2pm fixtures.
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City
Brighton vs Chelsea team news
Naomi Girma makes her first Chelsea start!
Brighton starting line-up: Melina Loeck; Maria Thorisdottir, Guro Bergsvand, Poppy Pattinson; Rachel McLauchlan, Vicky Losada (C), Marisa Olislagers, Nadine Noordam; Fran Kirby, Madison Haley, Nikita Parris. Substitutes: Sophie Baggaley, Pauline Bremer, Kiko Seike, Caitlin Hayes, Dejana Stefanović, Michelle Agyemang, Jessica Pegram.
Chelsea starting line-up: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright (C), Naomi Girma, Sandy Baltimore; Wieke Kaptein, Keira Walsh; Sjoeke Nüsken, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Lauren James; Aggie Beever-Jones. Substitutes: Becky Spencer, Ashley Lawrence, Niamh Charles, Nathalie Björn, Lola Brown, Vera Jones, Oriane Jean-François, Catarina Macario, Mayra Ramírez.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Manchester City (England, 31)
England gets the equaliser for Spurs!
The striker steals the ball from Aleixandri on the edge of the Manchester City box before laying it off to Holdt, who plays it back. England then picks up possession again before firing her shot into the top-left corner!
Updated
28 min: Tottenham suffer a huge injury blow as Thomas is forced off with what appears to be a knock to her ankle. She is replaced by Olivia Holdt.
Full-time: Manchester United 2-0 Leicester
It’s another win and another clean sheet for United!
20 min: All three away teams lead at the 20-minute mark!
Aston Villa 0-1 Everton
Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool
Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Everton (Mjelde, 16)
Mjelde gives Everton the advantage!
The ball is set short to Payne just outside the box. The forward takes a touch before looking to cross, but her effort deflects upwards off Robinson. Aston Villa make a poor attempt to clear, with Baijings letting the ball run past her and straight to Mjelde, who fires her shot past D’Angelo and into the net.
85 min: Five minutes of normal time remaining at Leigh Sports Village.
Manchester United 2-0 Leicester
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (Miedema, 11)
Miedema strikes for City!
Fujino links up with Blindkilde Brown on the right before making a run down the wing and crossing the ball into the box. Miedema is there and heads into the top-right corner.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool (Matthews, 10)
Liverpool break the deadlock!
A corner is sent into the box and Palace fail to make the clearance. The ball eventually falls to Bonner, who goes for goal, but her effort is blocked by Matthews. The midfielder is given time to shoot herself and fires home from close range.
Kick-off: 2pm games
All three 2pm games are underway!
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool
Aston Villa vs Everton
69 min: Bott rattles the crossbar for Leicester! The visitors are starting to grow into this match, but it could be too late.
Brighton vs Chelsea team news is coming up shortly…
Naomi Girma, the world’s most expensive female player, is expected to be in the Chelsea squad.
62 min: Another two changes for Leicester at Leigh Sports Village as Chossenotte and Cayman make way for Shannon O’Brien and Hannah Cain.
54 min: Leicester have made one change in an attempt to get back in the game, with Yüka Momiki replacing Eiríksdóttir.
Crystal Palace also shocked fans during the week by sacking promotion-winning head coach Laura Kaminski. The club’s chairman, Steve Parish, described the decision to dismiss Kaminski as “extremely difficult” with Palace bottom of the table. Norwegian coach Leif Smerud has since been appointed as the new Crystal Palace manager.
Updated
Liverpool parted company with their manager, Matt Beard, on Thursday. Beard is understood to have held talks with the club over a long period and a conclusion was reached that the 47-year-old had taken the team as far as he could. The Reds currently sit seventh in the WSL table.
We’re back underway at Leigh Sports Village!
Manchester United 2-0 Leicester
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool team news
Crystal Palace starting line-up: Shae Yanez; Indiah-Paige Riley, Josie Green, Allyson Swaby, Lily Woodham; My Cato, Lexi Potter, Annabel Blanchard, Abbie Larkin; Clarissa Larisey, Ashleigh Weerden. Substitutes: Felicity Gibbons, Chloe Arthur, Molly-Mae Sharpe, Elise Hughes, Ria Öling, Milla-Maj Majasaari, Aniek Nouwen, Isibeal Atkinson.
Liverpool starting line-up: Rachael Laws; Grace Fisk, Gemma Bonner, Jasmine Matthews; Taylor Hinds, Ceri Holland, Sam Kerr, Marie Höbinger, Cornelia Kapocs; Sophie Román Haug, Olivia Smith. Substitutes: Lucy Parry, Gemma Evans, Fuka Nagano, Mia Enderby, Teagan Micah, Jenna Clark, Júlia Bartel, Yana Daniels, Zara Julie Shaw.
Updated
Team news for Crystal Palace vs Liverpool is also on its way…
Aston Villa vs Everton team news
Aston Villa starting line-up: Sabrina D’Angelo; Sarah Mayling, Anna Patten, Danielle Turner, Noelle Maritz; Miri Taylor, Jill Baijings, Jordan Nobbs; Chasity Grant, Katie Robinson, Rachel Daly (C). Substitutes: Katelin Talbert, Paula Tomás, Lucy Parker, Missy Bo Kearns, Kirsty Hanson, Ebony Salmon, Gabi Nunes.
Everton starting line-up: Courtney Brosnan; Maren Mjelde, Martina Fernandez, Elise Stenevik, Sara Holmgaard; Honoka Hayashi, Hayley Ladd, Heather Payne, Kelly Gago; Katja Snoeijs; Toni Payne. Substitutes: Emily Ramsey, Justine Vanhaevermaet, Melissa Lawley, Lucy Hope, Emma Watson, Veatriki Sarri, Karen Holmgaard, Karoline Olesen.
Half-time: Manchester United 2-0 Leicester
The hosts have a comfortable lead at the break thanks to goals from Malard and Galton.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Leicester (Galton, 45+2)
Galton doubles United’s lead!
Janssen starts the attack in midfield, playing the ball forward to Toone. The England star then sets it to Malard on the edge of the box, who threads a clever pass through to Galton. The winger then simply taps it past Leitzig and into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Updated
45+1 min: Three minutes have been added on at Leigh Sports Village.
42 min: George steps up to take the free kick but her effort flies over the crossbar.
40 min: Manchester United are still in a commanding position at Leigh Sports Village. Five minutes to go until half-time and the hosts have a free kick in a dangerous position.
Tottenham vs Manchester City team news
Tottenham starting line-up: Lize Kop; Ashleigh Neville, Molly Bartrip, Luana Bühler, Ella Morris; Charli Grant, Eveliina Summanen, Drew Spence, Matilda Vinberg; Martha Thomas, Bethany England (C). Substitutes: Eleanor Heeps, Josefine Rybrink, Amanda Nildén, Anna Csiki, Maite Oroz, Olivia Holdt, Rosella Ayane, Jessica Naz, Lenna Gunning-Williams.
Manchester City starting line-up: Ayaka Yamashita; Naomi Layzell, Laia Aleixandri, Leila Ouahabi, Kerstin Casparij; Yui Hasegawa, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Vivianne Miedema; Aoba Fujino, Khadija Shaw, Kerolin. Khiara Keating, Mary Fowler, Jill Roord, Laura Wienroither, Jess Park, Gracie Prior, Aemu Oyama, Lily Murphy, Mayzee Davies.
Updated
Team news for Tottenham vs Manchester City and Aston Villa vs Everton is about to drop…
22 min: United appeal for a penalty after the ball bounces up and hits Tierney’s arm, but nothing is given and play continues.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Leicester (Malard, 19)
Malard breaks the deadlock for United!
An attack that was made fairly straightforward for the hosts. Le Tissier starts with the ball in defence before playing a pass straight to Toone in the middle. The midfielder then turns before sending a through ball to Malard, who makes her way into the box and shrugs off her defender before faking a shot, sitting Leitzig down and slotting the ball away.
Two passes and a goal! Great from Marc Skinner’s side.
Updated
13 min: Toone goes for goal from the edge of the box, but her effort floats over the crossbar.
9 min: Leicester forward Chossenotte is okay to continue playing for now.
8 min: Some concern for Leicester now as Chossenotte goes down with what appears to be an ankle injury following a challenge from George.
4 min: It’s been all Manchester United so far at Leigh Sports Village. The hosts are dominating possession and threatening around Leicester’s box. Janssen takes the first shot of the clash, but her effort flies over the crossbar.
Kick-off: Manchester United vs Leicester
The first match of the day is under way at Leigh Sports Village!
Rick has emailed in with his view on the proposed change to the WSL format…
“The proposal to grow the WSL by adding teams each season by eliminating relegation to arrive at perhaps an 18 team top division by 2030 and a similar sized WSL 2 is all very well, but the main problem is the massive funding gap that has already opened up with Chelsea already having turned the WSL into a one team league.
“I’m afraid that women’s football is now mainly money driven and with that will come the professionalism aka cheating that has spoiled the men’s game.
“Unless a more radical restructuring is introduced to stop a small number of top clubs dominating the WSL financially then wishful thinking this can be avoided by reducing risk to investors is delusional.
“Has anyone had a look at what safeguards are in place to stop the wrong people buying in to women’s football?”
A reminder of today’s WSL fixtures…
Manchester United vs Leicester
Aston Villa vs Everton
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool
Brighton vs Chelsea
Arsenal vs West Ham
Updated
Here is what some WSL managers had to say about the proposed scrapping of relegation…
Robert Vilahamn: “I definitely want to have a relegation battle. You need competition up and down in the table. If it’s for one or two years to make sure we can have a big investment in those teams, show me the case, what they think about it and then we can listen. I think the fans want to see games where you compete up and down in the leagues.”
Gareth Taylor: “I have always had this thing of potentially making the league bigger, more teams, 14, 16 teams I think it would change a lot, would create more competition within it. On first visual of looking at that piece this morning around no relegation, I can completely understand the reasons why, because it allows stability a little bit for those clubs to invest and create more competition. There’s positive and negative to both things. I think sometimes I’ve always been about keeping it simple. I think promotion and relegation are always going to be what supporters and teams play for and crave. I think that really is going to be difficult to move away from that.”
Renee Slegers: “I think there’s a reason why most competitions work like that in different countries, because you want to have that competitive element. But at the same time, the decision makers on this have more detail and more knowledge. I understand that there needs to be a foundation and levels of professionalism to be able to provide the quality that we need in women’s football.”
The Guardian exclusively revealed this week that the WSL is considering the possibility of abolishing relegation as part of a radical proposal to grow the sport. The 23 WSL and Championship clubs were called to a meeting by Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd on Friday whereby they were asked to explore a range of options to increase the profile, sustainability and profitability of women’s football. The outcome of that meeting is yet to be revealed.
What are your thoughts on the proposal? Feel free to get in touch this afternoon. I want to hear from you!
Manchester United are missing Jayde Riviere, Elisabeth Terland and Simi Awujo today. Lisa Naalsund and Anna Sandberg are also unavailable for the hosts.
As for Leicester, Deanne Rose is back in the matchday squad, while Lena Petermann Noemie Mouchon and Jutta Rantala remain absent. Karla Torres has dropped out of the squad.
Updated
Manchester United vs Leicester team news
Manchester United starting line-up: Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Gabby George, Maya Le Tissier (C), Millie Turner, Aoife Mannion; Grace Clinton, Dominique Janssen, Ella Toone; Celin Bizet, Melvine Malard, Leah Galton. Substitutes: Safia Middleton-Patel, Kayla Rendell, Scarlett Hill, Tamira Livingston, Mared Griffiths, Hinata Miyazawa, Geyse, Rachel Williams.
Leicester starting line-up: Janina Leitzig; Asmita Ale, Sophie Howard, Julie Thibaud, C.J. Bott; Sam Tierney, Ruby Mace; Shana Chossenotte, Missy Goodwin, Janice Cayman (C), Hlín Eiríksdóttir. Substitutes: Olivia Clark, Courtney Nevin, Chantelle Swaby, Saori Takarada, Yuka Momiki, Hannah Cain, Nelly Las, Deanne Rose, Shannon O’Brien.
Updated
Preamble
What a week it’s been in women’s football.
From managerial incomings and outgoings to proposed format changes that would alter the pyramid completely, it feels like we’ve seen it all. We’ll talk about those things a bit later, but for now the focus is on today’s six Women’s Super League fixtures.
To kick things off, Manchester United host Leicester City at Leigh Sports Village. Then, Aston Villa take on Everton while Tottenham face Manchester City. Brighton go head-to-head with league leaders Chelsea before Arsenal meet West Ham for a London Derby this evening.
Perhaps the most interesting fixture of the day, however, is Crystal Palace vs Liverpool. Both clubs sacked their respective managers earlier this week, which came as a huge shock to fans. While Liverpool are yet to find a permanent successor to Matt Beard, Norwegian coach Leif Smerud has replaced Laura Kaminski at Palace. The question is - will the London side get that ‘new manager bounce’ this afternoon?
Join me!
