MATCH INFO:

Chelsea 3, West Ham 2

Goals: Sam Kerr – 15’, Rachel Daly – 47’, Sam Kerr – 55’, Sam Kerr – 68’, Magdalena Eriksson (OG) – 88’

After a long, two-week international break, the FAWSL returned with a thriller between Chelsea and West Ham at Kingsmeadow. It wasn’t an easy London Derby for Chelsea, the defending league champs, but they were able to finish the job and take away the three points.

The match was also memorable for being the first since March in which a limited number of fans (up to 700) were allowed in the stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions.

So good to see you, Blues fans! ????????#CFCW pic.twitter.com/W0ZCUSoYwU

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 6, 2020

Here’s how the action unfolded: 

Early on, both sides had a chance, but Bethany England’s attempted header went wide, and Martha Thomas’ shot was blocked.

The first real chance of the game came in the 9th minute, when Cecilie Redisch Kvamme was able to get into the middle of Chelsea’s box and find enough space to shoot; the shot was on target, but Ann-Katrin Berger managed a save.

West Ham would come to regret that chance, and the couple they had after, as five minutes later, Chelsea scored their first.

The goal started with Ji So-yun pressing West Ham in their own half. Ji, who was celebrating her 100th appearance in the FAWSL (and is the first international player to achieve that feat), managed to rid West Ham’s Cho So-hyun of her possession, allowing Pernille Harder to pick up the loose ball.

The first non-British player to reach 100 #BarclaysFAWSL appearances ⭐️@jsy0341 ???? pic.twitter.com/9PW9qPubHZ

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Harder then passed it to Fran Kirby, who was playing in her first game back from injury. Kirby then crossed it into the box and found Sam Kerr, who knocked it in from close range.

The Kirby ➡️ Kerr combo is back! ????@samkerr1 scores her fourth #BarclaysFAWSL goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/o1uUgG0G5R

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

West Ham reacted almost immediately, with Rachel Daly able to win the ball off of Magdalena Eriksson around the half-way line. Daly then sprinted the whole half the pitch, but was unable to get the ball around Berger in a crucial one-on-one.

The Hammers nearly draw straight back level! ⚒

What a save by @berger_ann to deny @RachelDaly3 ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/13WBf6YF6r

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

The rest of the half was end to end, but Chelsea was unable to up the score, and West Ham was unable to equalize. Going into half-time, Chelsea remained up by a goal.

The speech delivered by interim West Ham managers Billy Stewart and Paul McHugh must have worked, because West Ham equalized minutes after the whistle. Adriana Leon received the ball near the halfway line and was able to sprint to the final third without being challenged. A short pass from Leon across the box to Daly followed, and this time, Daly didn’t waste her chance, scoring the equalizer.

It's a goal for the birthday girl! ????@RachelDaly3 scores for @westhamwomen at Kingsmeadow! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/nkMXUy28lC

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

West Ham would have to cut its celebrations short, however, as a relentless Chelsea attack followed. The Blues won multiple freekicks and had several opportune chances before a breakthrough came in the 55th minute. West Ham keeper Mackenzie Arnold got a hand on a cross from Harder into the box, but she spilled the ball at Kerr’s feet, leaving the Australian with an easy shot on an open net.

The ???????? is at it again! @samkerr1 scores her fifth #BarclaysFAWSL goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/sYsrVOCJyI

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Thirteen minutes later, Kerr completed her hattrick, with Kirby again assisting on the goal. The sequence once more started with Chelsea pressing West Ham, leading to some quick interplay between Kirby and Kerr, which ended with Kerr easily tapping in the score.

She's got her third!

It's a #BarclaysFAWSL hat-trick for @samkerr1! ???? pic.twitter.com/3LnzWexNsL

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

At 3-1, it was all Chelsea. West Ham did not give up per se, but Chelsea, with the fans backing them, and with the two-goal cushion, felt comfortable and confident. They even had multiple chances in which they could have extended their lead.

Things got interesting near the end, however, when Eriksson scored an own goal in the 88th minute. With the score now at 3-2, West Ham tried to push for a final equalizer in the last minutes of the second half and the seven minutes of extra-time, but they were unsuccessful.

???? Substitute @lehmann_alisha whips it in and @westhamwomen
get a goal back late on at Kingsmeadow! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/87SjZ0HfTn

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

With her three goals, Kerr moved up to third in the FAWSL top scorers of the season, behind Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema and Jill Roord.

Chelsea sits in 3rd place, with 17 points, three behind league leader Manchester United and two behind Arsenal, though they have a game in hand.

The Blues will be taking a break from the FAWSL for their next match, as they will be facing Benfica in the Champions League.

The match details for our #UWCL round of 32 tie against Benfica have been confirmed! ????

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) November 29, 2020

West Ham currently sits in 10th, but an away match against Chelsea was always going to be a tough match for them to win. The goal for West Ham this season is to avoid relegation, and their next match against Bristol City, who are bottom of the table, will be the perfect opportunity to give them some cushion so as to avoid playing in the FA Women’s Championship next season.

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."