Manchester United 2, Everton 0

Goals:

Ella Toone, 9’

Christen Press, 41’

Best of luck with your recovery, @TobinHeath — we're all right behind you! ????#MUWomen pic.twitter.com/aaHkEd3ubK

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 30, 2021

“As with all injuries I always say it is a window of opportunity for someone else,” Manchester United manager Casey Stoney said of Heath’s injury. “Obviously it is a big loss for us and it’s disappointing for her, but she is heavily influential in our environment and we will work to get her back as safe and quick as possible.”

Even without Heath in their lineup, Manchester United asserted their dominance with Sunday’s win, proving that they deserve to be in the mix with top teams like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

 

HERE’S HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN

Determined to maintain their position in the table, Manchester United kicked off the scoring early as Leah Galton received a ball up the left flank and positioned herself to send in a cross. Lofting a ball across the face of the Everton net, Galton’s cross would fall into the hands of goalkeeper Sandy MacIver.

Unfortunately for the Blues, MacIver was unable to maintain possession of the ball as it slipped from her hands and into the path of United midfielder Ella Toone. With MacIver now caught out of position, Toone tapped in her sixth goal of the season to give the Reds a 1-0 advantage in the 10th minute.

.@ManUtdWomen have taken the lead through @@ellatoone99!#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/85gg41nDbG

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 31, 2021

Later, it was Toone on the ball again, this time nearly adding a second goal in the 35th minute when a ball was cleared from midfield and into her path. Beating three Everton defenders in a footrace, the young star took a touch towards the goal, likely costing her the brace as the delay allowed one of the defenders to land a tackle before she was able to fire off a shot. The attempt was saved by Sandy MacIver, denying Toone the chance of adding a cushion to United’s lead.

In the 41st minute, Hayley Ladd threaded a pass to Christen Press just outside the eighteen. Cutting her first touch inside her body and to her left foot, Press narrowly avoided the advances of Everton defender Danielle Turner, utilizing her signature speed on the ball to take another touch forward. With the extra touch, she had no trouble slotting the ball past Sandy MacIver and into the lower ninety to score her second goal in a United uniform.

It's a second #BarclaysFAWSL goal for @ChristenPress! ???? pic.twitter.com/puR0N63Jj3

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 31, 2021

As the first half wound to a close, Manchester United held tightly to their 2-0 lead, rendering their opponent scoreless through 45 minutes of play.

Needless to say, Everton would need to cut into Manchester United’s lead early into the second half should they want a chance at a comeback campaign. A scoring opportunity would arise for midfielder Jill Scott in the 65th minute, who curved an impressive shot from distance in an attempt to get Everton onto the scoresheet. Scott’s chance, however, would be snuffed out by United goalkeeper Mary Earps, who made a stellar diving save to maintain the clean sheet. Ultimately, Scott’s chance would be one of the few that Everton was able to create.

The second half remained scoreless for both squads as Manchester United secured another victory on the road. Though Sunday’s match was certainly not Manchester United’s best performance, it was enough to render them still competitive with first-place Chelsea.

Women's tennis got a boost on Wednesday, as the WTA announced it would institute rankings pauses for players who step away from competition to undergo fertility protection treatments like egg or embryo freezing.

Players returning from a procedure can opt to receive a Special Entry Ranking, calculated using their 12-week average ranking starting from eight weeks before taking leave.

Players can use that unique ranking to enter up to three tournaments at the WTA 500, 250, or 125 levels before the governing body will again institute traditional calculations.

The protection extends to any player ranked among the world's top 750 who spends more than 10 weeks out of competition.

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These latest rankings protection further secures the careers of tennis pro parents, who first earned special rankings in the 2019 WTA season after Serena Willams and Victoria Azarenka saw their seedings plummet simply from stepping away from competition to give birth.

The move also comes three months after the WTA agreed to grant players paid maternity leave for the very first time.

"I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes," said 2017 US Open champ and longtime reproductive health support advocate Sloane Stephens. "For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex."

"It's truly ground-breaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise."

Last week's landmark $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement is back in the headlines, as eight women's college sports athletes filed an appeal on Wednesday claiming that the approved NIL back-payment plan violates Title IX, the federal law banning gender discrimination in schools.

On June 6th, a federal judge approved a settlement between the NCAA and former student-athletes, with the college sports governing body agreeing to have schools directly distribute billions of dollars in back pay to players barred from financially benefitting off their name, image, and likeness since 2016.

Wednesday's appeal to that back-pay plan calls out alleged payment inequities written into the settlement ruling, which could see up to 90% of the $2.8 billion distributed to former NCAA men's sports athletes.

"The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion," said Ashlyn Hare, one of the lawyers representing the appellants. "Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports."

"If Nike wants to [pay male athletes more], that is their choice. If the school, or a conference acting on the school's behalf tries to do that, they are violating the law," John Clune, another lawyer on the team, clarified.

"They can either pay the athletes proportionately, or they can return all of their federal funds," said Clune. "But they can't do both."

With the USWNT back in action for the next set of summer friendlies later this month, head coach Emma Hayes filled ESPN in on her roster strategy earlier this week.

Hayes will rest all Europe-based US players during the upcoming international window, instead relying on domestic talent following a jam-packed year for the team's European stars.

"We don't necessarily decide the international calendar, but this is one where we think it's in the best interest of the players," Hayes said, noting both past demands and the increasingly busy road to the 2027 World Cup.

With player welfare and recovery top-of-mind, the lone exception to Hayes's European omissions is Chelsea FC defender Naomi Girma, who made her 2025 USWNT debut on May 31st.

The US manager is seeking more minutes for the star center back after Girma spent much of the year recovering from a calf injury.

Hayes also revealed some key updates on other injured players, with fans eager to see midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Trinity Rodman return to the USWNT fold.

After a lengthy recovery from ankle surgery, Lavelle — who made her first NWSL appearance of 2025 in Gotham FC's 2-1 loss to Kansas City last Saturday — could return to international play this month.

Rodman remains slightly further out from returning to the USWNT roster, with Hayes saying she expects the Spirit forward to begin seeing club minutes sometime next month.

The USWNT core is coming together, with Stateside players looking to seize the chance to prove their worth as club soccer approaches its summer hiatus.

The NWSL is locking in its summer calendar, as teams across the league announce special July friendlies ahead of the regular-season break for major global tournaments.

Without a planned league-wide tournament like 2024's NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, its up to individual clubs to fill their schedules until NWSL play resumes in August.

While there might not be a trophy at the end, the gap does provide an opportunity for some fresh friendly competition beyond the confines of the league.

The North Carolina Courage will welcome Liga MX titans and Concacaf W Champions Cup contenders Tigres UANL back to the States for a one-off exhibition match on July 9th.

Then on July 12th, Kansas City will kick off its Teal Rising Cup, a four-team friendly tournament pitting the NWSL's Current and Chicago Stars against Brazil's Série A1 clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras.

Late July will see both the Seattle Reign and Bay FC square off against Japan's WE League champions the Urawa Red Diamonds, with Bay tacking on an additional July 19th friendly against Angel City.

The USL Super League is also getting in on the summer interleague action, with the NWSL's Angel City facing the Carolina Ascent on July 26th after Racing Louisville hosts crosstown USL squad Lexington SC on July 13th — giving fans a glimpse at how the two US systems stack up against one another.

As teams juggle lineups in the wake of summer international departures, these July friendlies may feature decidedly different rosters than regular-season play — though hungry NWSL fans likely won't mind.