Chelsea 2, Manchester United 1

GOALS: Chelsea: Pernille Harder 29’, Fran Kirby 65’; Man Utd: Lauren James 61’

All eyes were on the FA Women’s Super League this week as Chelsea and Manchester United faced off with first place in the table at stake. Chelsea, who sat in second place with a 7-0-2 record and 23 points prior to Sunday’s contest, defeated the Reds, 2-1, to move in front thanks to goals from Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby. With the win, Chelsea is now the only undefeated team in the league, having knocked Manchester United from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Three ???????????????????????????? points! ????#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ymfHZc7A5J

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 17, 2021

Here’s what we learned from this weekend’s thrilling tilt between the league’s two best teams.

 

1. Chelsea provides a level of competition that Manchester United is not yet accustomed to.

United’s most recent contest was a 6-1 blowout against Bristol City, the last-place team in the table. Prior to that match, many of Manchester United’s victories had been won by a margin of two goals or less. A win is a win, and each of these victories was certainly an achievement when considering the competition. Among their opponents were top-tier squads such as Everton, Reading, and Arsenal, all members of the top six in league standings, and during these tilts, Manchester United appeared comfortable and in control of the flow of each game.

Last time out in the #BarclaysFAWSL... ????#MUWomen pic.twitter.com/OpsxX4fEcO

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 17, 2021

The opposite was true from the opening whistle on Sunday, as Chelsea dominated the first 45 minutes of play, something no other team has done to United. At halftime, a goal by Pernille Harder saw Chelsea up with a 1-0 advantage, after the Blues booked 11 first-half shots, 4 of which were on target, whereas Manchester United had taken only 2 shots, none of which were on target.

The Blues open the scoring at Kingsmeadow! @PernilleMHarder fires home from close range ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/V3DktJ9cnH

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

If one thing was inherently clear following Sunday’s match, it’s this — Chelsea provides a level of competition that Manchester United is not yet accustomed to experiencing. Finding themselves on the defensive against elite talents such as Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, and Pernille Harder, United appeared lackluster when threatened by a fellow top squad. Despite equalizing midway through the second half, United was unable to complete a comeback.

In just their second FAWSL season, United had surprised many by advancing to the top of the table. And while they’ve proven they belong with the best of the best, this loss will certainly sting, as it gave United a chance to prove themselves against a traditional power in Chelsea.

 

2. The absence of Lauren James and Tobin Heath was detrimental.

In an interesting decision from Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, both Tobin Heath and Lauren James were left out of the starting line-up and were instead available as substitutes. Heath has scored four goals and notched two assists for the Reds this season, and though Lauren James had yet to score ahead of today’s match, she booked 6 goals in 12 games for her squad during the 2019/2020 season.

Upon the announcement of the starting line-up, many United faithful were speculating that Stoney would utilize the offensive talents as impact substitutes during the second half.

With United down 1-0 at the beginning of the second half, Lauren James came off the bench and made an instant impact, scoring the equalizer in the 61st minute to deadlock the score at 1-1. Surprisingly, Heath never entered the match as a substitute, leaving observers puzzled as to if there were ulterior reasons for her exclusion from Sunday’s game.

Instant impact! ????

Now that's some way to score your first goal of the season, @laurenjamess22 ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/eaaZ0oHYn9

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

It begs the question, would the inclusion of James and Heath (if she was truly available) in the starting line-up have resulted in a different outcome for Manchester United? After all, many of United’s scoring chances are a direct result of the efforts of these two players — and the first half alone indicates that their absence is detrimental to the Reds’ offense. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, as United has to be left wondering if they put their best foot forward in the biggest match of the year.

 

3. It’s Fran Kirby’s world, and we’re just living in it.

Following an outstanding four-goal performance in Chelsea’s last match against Reading FC, Fran Kirby was yet again the hero. After receiving a long ball from goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, Kirby beat three United defenders in a footrace and buried a shot past Mary Earps and into the far left corner of the net. Kirby’s goal would give the Blues the edge they needed to seal the 2-1 victory and surge into first place in the table.

She's at it again! ????@frankirby with her FIFTH goal in two games! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/Nlrv5ROYbH

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

In just two games, Kirby has notched five goals, bringing her season total to eight. She now ranks among the league’s top scorers, second to only Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema.

In an interview ahead of Sunday’s tilt, Kirby assured reporters that the Blues would be ready for Manchester United: “It’s going to be really tough. They are coming to our home. We’ve got to be ready and I’m sure after another good week of training we will be ready to go… Everyone’s excited for the game, we want to keep on playing and keep on winning.”

Keep on winning, indeed — and with Kirby playing at this level, Chelsea is nearly unstoppable given the surplus of superstar talent they have in support. Their undefeated streak has survived another day, and looks to be relatively safe with a game against last-place Bristol City scheduled for this weekend. A more interesting test should come this Wednesday in their FAWSL Cup quarter-final match against Manchester City, who recently signed USWNT player Abby Dahlkemper as they gear up for their own run at a FAWSL title.

The Naomi Osaka comeback tour at the 2025 US Open has ended, as the two-time New York Grand Slam champion and world No. 24 star ceded her Thursday semifinal to No. 9 Amanda Anisimova, who battled back to claim the 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 victory.

"Naomi is playing amazing tennis," the 23-year-old said of Osaka's US Open run. "She's back where she belongs. I told her I'm so proud of her after having a baby and playing at this level — it's insane."

With her Thursday win, Anisimova is now the only player to ever defeat Osaka in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, semifinal, or final — ending the Japanese fan-favorite's 13-0 run in the later rounds of tennis's major tournaments.

Anisimova's US Open success is even more impressive considering the result of her first-ever Grand Slam final — a brutal 6-0, 6-0 loss at Wimbledon in July.

In a massive turnaround, Anisimova handed No. 2 Iga Świątek, the 2025 Wimbledon champion, a redemptive straight-set loss in Wednesday's US Open quarterfinals en route to reaching this weekend's championship match.

Anisimova's victory means that a US player has now competed in every women's Grand Slam final dating back to the 2024 US Open, extending the country's championship-match streak to five straight Slams.

With even more history on the line, the US rising star now has a second shot at joining No. 6 Madison Keys and No. 3 Coco Gauff in hoisting a 2025 Grand Slam trophy for the US — a feat not accomplished by any single country since Serena Williams won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon in 2015.

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How to watch the 2025 US Open championship match

Just like Keys and Gauff, Anisimova will have to defeat Aryna Sabalenka to claim her own 2025 Grand Slam trophy — with the hard-hitting US finalist holding a 6-3 all-time record against the world No. 1 player, most recently downing the 2024 US Open champion in this year's Wimbledon semifinals.

Anisimova will battle Sabalenka in for the 2025 US Open crown on Saturday, with live coverage of the championship match beginning at 4 PM ET on ESPN.

The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.

Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.

Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.

Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.

"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."

The Chicago Sky reportedly held a team meeting to address the explosive Chicago Tribune interview of Angel Reese this week, after the star forward put the already-eliminated WNBA team on blast.

"We are aware of [Reese's comments]," Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said on Wednesday. "We're addressing it in-house as currently speaking. That's where we'll stay right now."

"Angel has shown a commitment to wanting to be here," he continued. "We as an organization continue to show a commitment that we want people that want to be here."

Reese focused much of her critique on the team's leadership and roster construction, expressing disappointment as the Chicago Sky closes in on back-to-back losing seasons.

"We can't rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she's at," the 23-year-old Reese said of veteran Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, following the 36-year-old's season-ending ACL tear in early June. "I know she'll be a great asset for us, but we can't rely on that."

"We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who's been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before," Reese added.

Notably, Vandersloot helped the Chicago Sky snag the 2021 WNBA title before taking the New York Liberty to a franchise-first championship last season.

A high-stakes coastal clash tops this weekend's NWSL bill, with results directly impacting the increasingly tight league standings as No. 8 Gotham tries to hold off a No. 9 Angel City side sitting just one point outside of postseason positioning.

The pair last met in April, when Gotham shutout ACFC 4-0 at LA's BMO Stadium behind a brace from the NWSL's current Golden Boot leader Esther González.

"That's the key — everyone knows their role, their responsibilities, and they're willing to sacrifice for the team defensively while also bringing their quality in attack," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós said earlier this week.

As they try to rise above the crowded mid-table traffic, both teams have seen positive results in recent weeks — along with challenging levels of upheaval.

Angel City recently lost defender Alanna Kennedy, midfielder Katie Zelem, and star forward Alyssa Thompson to midseason overseas transfers, while Gotham's had little room to breathe after defeating Concacaf W Champions Cup opponent Alianza 2-0 in El Salvador on Tuesday.

"You need to be loyal to your style, cement it, and make sure the players know it," said Amorós. "That's critical when you're playing three games in seven days and traveling almost around the world."

How to watch Gotham vs. Angel City this NWSL weekend

No. 8 Gotham will host No. 9 Angel City this Sunday, kicking off live at 5 PM ET on ESPN.