Chelsea show resilience when needed
Emma Hayes praised the resilience of her Chelsea team after they came from behind to earn three points against Tottenham despite having a player sent off at 1-1. Asked whether that was the difference between Chelsea and their title rivals Arsenal, who have wilted when under pressure at times this season, Hayes said: “I can only talk about our resilience because I think that it’s unfair [to compare].” Hayes was being diplomatic but the resolve and problem-solving capabilities of her players have been a critical component in turning games when things have not been going their way. Arsenal’s squad may be littered with stars of competing footballing quality, but finding answers when the hardest questions are asked, mid-game, is Chelsea’s forte. SW
Match report: Tottenham 1-3 Chelsea
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Arsenal respond with ice-cool display
Arsenal, to be fair, played as if they were the league leaders and Chelsea the chasers in an ice-cold 3-0 triumph over Everton. The first of the three goals came in the 43rd minute via Caitlin Foord, who controlled a magnificent cross-field pass from Leah Williamson before sliding past Sandy MacIver. Beth Mead and Jordan Nobbs then joined in the scoring on the other side of half-time, netting their 50th WSL goals within eight minutes of each other. There was very little response from Everton. They were up against an Arsenal defence with 11 clean sheets in 18 WSL games under Jonas Eidevall and a 12th never looked in doubt. Arsenal’s win, after Chelsea’s defeat of Tottenham, means one point separates two head-strong teams with three games left. MN
JORDAN NOBBS JOINS THE 5️⃣0️⃣ CLUB!
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) April 24, 2022
She joins Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead in registering her 50th #WSL goal this evening 👏 pic.twitter.com/vab658Sn0F
Blakstad scores first City goal
The Manchester City midfielder Julie Blakstad got her first goal for the club in their 4-0 win over Leicester on Sunday. The Norway international, who signed in January, scored on her fifth league appearance – and what a stunning goal it was. The ball was fed to Lauren Hemp, who made a great break and passed to Blakstad, who converted with a beautiful one-touch finish. “Yeah absolutely [it was a good feeling to see it go in],” the 20-year-old said. “It is always fun to score goals. I think it was a good performance even though we wanted to score some more goals. But we had a good win, that’s the most important thing.” She became the 45th goalscorer in City Women’s history. SR
Quinn gives Birmingham a survival boost
You are likely to be in a relegation fight when you have to rely on one of your centre-backs – Louise Quinn in this case – to score two late goals to secure only a second league win of the season. The Birmingham City captain has had her fair share of resolute performances this season, having played every minute of every game, and she was the hero against Brighton in Saturday’s 3-1 win. Quinn’s first goal came via a header after Veatriki Sarri’s mesmerising cross from the left. Her second, with just two minutes remaining, snuffed out any hopes of a Brighton comeback. Bottom-placed Birmingham are still a long way from safety with Chelsea up next on Sunday, while Brighton surely need to win their remaining two games, and rely on other results going their way, if they are to obtain a top-six finish. MN
A BIG win for Birmingham 🙌
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) April 24, 2022
Which was your favourite goal? 💬 pic.twitter.com/Pyn7vWflEF
Longhurst becomes Hammers centurion
It was a fairytale match for the defender Kate Longhurst as West Ham defeated Reading 2-1 on her 100th appearance for the club. Longhurst played her first game for the Hammers in 2018 and has often spoken about how much the club means to her as a lifelong supporter. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed, with the manager, Olli Harder, saying before the match: “Kate has been and continues to be a fantastic servant to women’s football. She’s been a joy to work with since I arrived at the club and it’s a massive moment for her to achieve this for the club that she adores.” SR
Villa building from the back
“I couldn’t be more proud of my players,” a delighted Aston Villa manager, Carla Ward, said after the 0-0 draw against Manchester United. She added: “I wanted a togetherness where they would run through brick walls for each other – and they did that.” United dominated the game, and should have won but Villa have now conceded only four goals in their past seven WSL games. That is a huge improvement from the 18 goals in the previous six league games. They are secure in ninth place and will look to add more attacking verve to their new-found defensive sturdiness in the remaining games of the season. MC
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 19 | 47 | 47 |
| 2 | Arsenal Women | 19 | 43 | 46 |
| 3 | Man Utd Women | 20 | 22 | 39 |
| 4 | Man City Women | 19 | 23 | 38 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 18 | 4 | 28 |
| 6 | West Ham Women | 20 | -5 | 27 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 20 | -9 | 25 |
| 8 | Reading Women | 20 | -15 | 24 |
| 9 | Aston Villa Women | 20 | -19 | 21 |
| 10 | Everton Women | 20 | -23 | 18 |
| 11 | Leicester Women | 20 | -38 | 12 |
| 12 | Birmingham City Women | 19 | -30 | 8 |
