Sam Kerr is this year’s WSL Golden Boot winner.

The Australian striker scored her 21st goal of the season in Chelsea’s title-sealing win over Reading on Sunday, making her the league’s top scorer.

With numbers like that, it’s hard to believe that at the beginning of the season, Kerr had her fair share of detractors.

Some said she missed too many easy chances in front of goal, while others claimed that Kerr struggled to adapt to Chelsea’s playing style.

Both claims have surely been quieted by Kerr’s stellar performance on the pitch.

Not only is the Matilda a consistent goal scorer for the Blues, but alongside Fran Kirby, the two form one of soccer’s most dynamic on-field duos. Kirby herself finished third in scoring in the league with 16 goals. In the Reading game alone, Kerr assisted on Kirby’s brace, while Kirby returned the favor for Kerr’s goal. Their 37 combined goals this year is more than seven other WSL teams.

When Kerr isn’t linking up with Kirby or banging in goals, the Aussie is setting up the rest of her teammates. Kerr’s eight assists in her 22 appearances emphasize her role as an offensive playmaker and facilitator for Chelsea.

The Australian’s most recent Golden Boot trophy is her sixth in five years across various leagues, a feat that puts her squarely in the conversation of the best player in the world.

A Champions League final victory on Sunday against Barcelona would secure Kerr and her team’s place in the history books and add to an already record-breaking season.

Emma Hayes and Chelsea are once again WSL champions.

The Blues’ forceful performance against Reading propelled the club to their fifth title in seven years.

Chelsea wasted no time in their championship bid, netting their first goal in the 2nd minute. Melanie Leupolz, redirecting Jess Carter’s corner, rifled the ball through traffic past Reading’s keeper to put the Blues up 1-0.

Just minutes before half, Chelsea struck again. This time it was the familiar Kerr-to-Kirby combination that doubled the Blues’ lead. Sam Kerr, striding into the box, slotted the ball back for Fran Kirby, who knocked the Australian’s cross into the upper 90.

Chelsea continued to dominate the game in the second half, the title now well within reach.

In the 57th minute, Kirby added her name to the score sheet for a second time. Kerr once again set up the Lioness at the top of the box, where Kirby rocketed a shot into the far post.

It wasn’t long before the lethal Kerr and Kirby combination struck again. In the 71st minute, Kerr tapped in a chipped ball from Kirby to put Chelsea up 4-0.

Less than five minutes later the Blues added another goal to their overwhelming lead. This time Erin Cuthbert got in on the action, collecting a deflected save by Reading’s keeper, putting the final score at 5-0.

Sunday’s win solidified Chelsea’s place atop the WSL standings, earning the club back-to-back league championships.

The Blues have little time to bask in the glory of their title win, as Chelsea seeks to capture the Champions League championship in next Sunday’s final against Barcelona.

Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday kept the club atop the Super League standings going into the final weekend of play.

Despite a disciplined defensive performance from the Spurs, Chelsea managed to grab a point in each half to secure the win.

Sam Kerr scored both goals for Chelsea, the first coming five minutes before halftime. The Australian forward snuck in a bouncing cross at the far post to give her team the lead.

Early in the second half, Kerr stuck again — this time rifling in a rebound off her own header to put Chelsea up 2-0.

Chelsea will go on to face Reading in their final game of the season. A win on Sunday would secure Chelsea the FAWSL title; a loss, and a win by Manchester City in their game against West Ham, means the title could be decided on goal differential.

Relegation also hangs in the balance this weekend.

After an Aston Villa-West Ham draw last weekend, the relegation battle has zeroed in on Bristol City and Aston Villa.

Bristol City sits at the bottom of the table with a substantial disadvantage in goal differential. The club needs a win against Brighton on Sunday to keep their Super League hopes alive.

Kickoff is April 21st, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. EST

The 2020/21 FAWSL season is coming to a close, with match week 20 out of 22 upon us, and all eyes on the clash between second-place Manchester City and first-place Chelsea. Only two points separate the two sides, and this match will likely be the decider in which team brings home the league title.

Both teams are going into the match with fantastic form. The hosts have won their last 12 league games, with an impressive win against rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, solidifying themselves in the top two. 

While they were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, Man City won the second leg 2-1 and seemingly learned from their mistakes in their earlier 3-0 loss. 

Chelsea have not lost a game since February 7th. In that time, they’ve won six league game, progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League (beating Wolfsburg 5-1 on aggregate), and are well on their way to the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup after a 5-0 win against the London City Lionesses. 

Both Emma Hayes and Gareth Taylor know that they must set up their respective teams in a way to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses. A task much easier said than done. 

Hayes will rely on her dominant front three of Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, and Pernille Harder to exploit Manchester City’s defense.

With the arrival of Abby Dahlkemper, City’s backline has improved. Throughout the season, however, they’ve often found themselves unable to defend for the full ninety minutes, leading to late equalizers and winners against them. 

For Taylor, he will hope that Caroline Weir and Sam Mewis can win the midfield battle against Chelsea, ensuring that they have more possession of the ball and more chances to score.

Given that neither team is expected to lose any other game the rest of the way, the stakes of this match couldn’t be higher. It’s a de facto title showdown, and while both teams have impressed so far, the story of the season will be decided Wednesday.

Esmeralda Negron is the Co-Founder and General Manager of Ata Football, an over-the-top sports streaming service carrying live broadcasts of women’s football. In partnership with JWS, Ata Football has helped create The Soccer Show, a highlights-driven YouTube program dedicated to the FAWSL.  

For those who don’t know, can you give a quick overview of Ata’s business model? 

We’ve invested in these women’s football rights and created distribution partnerships with premium broadcasters in territories where we have live rights. We share these rights, because we think it’s the best thing for the sport, but we retain the ability to integrate sponsors into the live match: in opening and closing sequences, halftime shows, whatever it might be. 

We are in the process of talking to some really premier brands to, hopefully, get sponsors on for next season and beyond. A big part of our business model is driving revenue and marketing support via our broadcast sponsorship integration, but we’ll be launching our subscription platform in August of 2021 and that will also be a big part of our business model.

The company is a little over six months old. How are things going? 

People have asked that a bunch of times and I think we’re lucky in that… I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like the market was excited about it. We launched this in a pandemic when fans were excited about live sport and seeing more and more come back on. We ultimately succeeded, in a way, because I think people were paying attention to anything that came back on. Fans were excited to have live sports. Any league that was confirming they were back on, that they would be visible and accessible to fans, was a positive.

What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

I think with any startup, you’re going to be struggling for resources and bandwidth. We have a phenomenal group of partners, consultants and interns who have all stepped up to bring the vision of Ata Football to life. We have incredible support from our investment group, 777 Partners through their shared services. Additionally, our broadcast production team, Gravity Media, based in London, are just top-class. Without all of these people, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing at this time. 

As with any startup, there are so many challenges. Especially in this space, in women’s sport and women’s soccer, there’s incredible growth and opportunities and partnerships and different things that you can do. It’s just finding the time and being smart with your time and navigating that piece of things, understanding that you’re in this startup phase where you want to do everything, but you don’t necessarily always have the resources or the bandwidth or the staff to be able to move on everything that you want. It’s a lot, but it’s also something I love and I’m so passionate about. I feel so excited about what we’re building and what we’re doing.

Where do you think the biggest future opportunities are? 

For us, providing this visibility and accessibility, both on atafootball.com and with our premium broadcast partners, has been phenomenal. In the long term, we hope our digital platform will be  where we deliver the most value to fans and players of the game. We want to unite a community around women’s soccer and really deliver valuable experiences, resources, and tools to fans and the grassroots market. 

You yourself were an extremely accomplished college soccer player at Princeton. From then to now, can you describe the growth you’ve seen as a player and a businesswoman around the global women’s game? 

The leagues and the clubs now feel like they have partners and a support system that’s really going to help them build legitimate fandom and grow the game. That was the inspiration behind launching Ata Football. And when I think back to my experience as a pro in 2006, 2007, and what the landscape looks like now, it’s night and day. 

Some people still say, “Oh, women’s sports are still super behind.” And it is when you compare them to men’s. But when you think about the growth in the 10-15 years from when I played, it’s incredible. It’s exciting to see, and it’s really promising. 

At Ata Football, we’re really just excited to be involved and to support the growth, to support the visibility, just as I know JWS is. Companies like Just Women Sports and Ata Football can hopefully drive this virtuous cycle of reinvestment in the game and really deliver value to everybody associated with the game so that sponsors can now reach an engaged audience around women’s sports. 

Not to get lost in our own hype here, but what made you excited about working with JWS on the Soccer Show?

At Ata Football, we partner with other platforms and organizations that are invested in women’s sport and in bringing more promotion, marketing and coverage to the space. We realized that you guys were dedicated to covering the FAWSL and were excited to produce and launch this show. So for us, it was a no brainer. It’s an exciting partnership. We really respect everything that you guys are doing over there and we love it. To partner with another organization allows us to offer more to our audience and to your audience is a win-win for everybody.

There was big news out of the FAWSL recently with a new television deal with BBC and Sky Sports. What was your reaction, and what does that mean for Ata Football?

I think it’s phenomenal for the league. I think Sky’s investment in producing more matches at a higher level will only give us more opportunity to broadcast more matches here in the US that are produced at a really great standard. So we’re really excited. We have some friends at Sky Sports, so we’re excited for them and excited that there are now more and more investments and bigger investments in the media rights space. Without this type of investment and people recognizing the value and taking this leap, you can’t pump that money back into the leagues and the players and the clubs. I think seeing women’s sports finally getting that value, the attention around that, and people recognizing the value in it from a media rights perspective, I think is tremendous.

 

For more FAWSL coverage, check out The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind, highlights-driven program brought to you by JWS and ATA Football. 

Scores from the latest weekend in the FAWSL:

  • West Ham 5, Reading 0
  • Chelsea 6, Birmingham City 0
  • Everton 3, Aston Villa 1
  • Man City 3, Tottenham 0
  • Arsenal 4, Bristol City 0
  • Brighton 1, Man Utd 0

The table as of today: 

  1. Chelsea (50 pts)
  2. Man City (48)
  3. Arsenal (38)
  4. Man Utd (38)
  5. Everton (31)
  6. Brighton (24)
  7. Reading (20)
  8. Tottenham (17)
  9. Birmingham City (13)
  10. West Ham (12)
  11. Bristol City (11)
  12. Aston Villa (10)

Of note: 

  • Manchester United have now lost three of their last five after leading the league for much of the season. The downslide may bring a sense of disappointment, but it’s still been an impressive sophomore season in the FAWSL.
  • Leicester City will move up to the FAWSL next season after securing a first-place finish in the second-tier Championship.
  • Birmingham’s players sent a letter to the club’s board last week detailing grievances with facilities, travel and budget restrictions. The FA is now looking into whether Birmingham City have breached the terms of their WSL license.

We know, we know—no one will ever agree on who the best player in the world is. But Sam Mewis is making the case that she has to be included whenever we have the conversation.

Players like Marta and Christine Sinclair are legends of the game, and at one point, they both had a claim to be the best in the world. But while both are still performing at a high level, they’re no longer at their peak. 

Over the last couple of years, several players have vied to assume their title of the best in the world. 

Olympique Lyonnais Féminin are the most successful club team of the past decade. It’s hard to argue that players such as Wendie Renard, Amandine Henry, and Dzsenifer Marozsán aren’t in contention for the best in the world as long as they continue to dominate for Lyon. 

In the FAWSL, Chelsea’s Pernille Harder and Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema have consistently made cases for themselves, as well as Manchester City stars such as Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton, who have been integral for England as well. 

However, a fantastic 2019 and an even better 2020 has seen Mewis skyrocket into the conversation. On the second episode of JWS’ The Soccer Show, David Copeland-Smith described her ascension:

Looking ahead to 2021, the 28-year-old is just entering her prime, and she will likely make a case for herself as one of the best by the end of the year. According to ESPN, she’s already there:

Mewis’ skillset is what has propelled her to stardom; there simply aren’t many players like her around. 

In the modern game, multi-dimensional players are far more important than in decades prior. Gone are the days where the ten outfield players had one specific role on the pitch. Now, players are expected to be as versatile as possible. The more diverse set of skills a player has, the more valuable they become. 

The evolution of the midfielders’ role is an example of this. A box-to-box midfielder often has the duties of both an attacking midfielder and a defensive one. In possession, they’ll be high up the pitch supporting the forward players, and out of possession, they’ll be situated in front of the defensive line. 

A box-to-box midfielder gives a manager and their team the best of both worlds. And that’s what Mewis is: an excellent box-to-box midfielder, whose goals and assists are only an added bonus. She can defend well, head the ball away from danger, create chances, and dribble out of tight spaces.

As such an all-around player, it was almost too easy for her when she left North Carolina Courage to go to Manchester City. New country, new league, but no problem for Mewis. 

She adapted to her new club’s playing style as quick as ever, and has shown her worth with big performances in both the FAWSL and the Champions League. Early in the season, her goals in both the semi-final and the final of the FA Cup helped secure the trophy for Man City. 

Coming off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup win, a win which Mewis was integral to, she played in eight out of nine matches for the USWNT in 2020. Her performances in these 8 matches led to her being named the U.S Soccer Female Player of the Year for 2020. Her great form continued in 2021 with her first ever hat trick in a win against Columbia.

Mewis’ Manchester City are currently second in the league, with a possible title decider coming up against Chelsea on April 25th. The club have also made it through to the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League. They’re currently down 0-3 to Barcelona after the first leg on March 24th. City have to hope that Mewis is in top form if they have any chance of a comeback. 

For the USWNT, the next major tournament is the upcoming Olympics, and barring any injuries, Mewis will likely be one of the first on Vlatko Andonovski’s list. 

Should Mewis continue her fantastic performances (there is no current evidence to suggest she’s slowing down) and add some more trophies to her collection, the “best in the world” title could become glued to her name. 

For more FAWSL coverage, check out The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind, highlights-driven program brought to you by JWS and ATA Football. 

The final quarter of the FA Women’s Super League season is officially underway, and what was once a four-team title race now looks to be Chelsea’s to lose.

While the Blues are only two points ahead of second-place Manchester City, there’s only so many games left for any team to close the gap.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And with six gameweeks left, these are the three teams who have a shot to overtake Chelsea and become the FAWSL 2020/2021 Champions.

img
@BARCLAYSFAWSL
MANCHESTER CITY

Manchester City are right on Chelsea’s heels with 39 points. City started off the season very poorly, dropping points in four of their first nine matches, as it seemed like Gareth Taylor was still learning how to manage his squad. City especially struggled defensively in the beginning, and they were unable to see out matches.

A resurgence during the holiday season saw them take advantage of their Manchester rivals’ poor form and leap ahead of them in the table, while the January signing of USWNT star Abby Dahlkemper helped strengthen their defensive fragilities.

They’ve now won nine league games in a row, dating back to December 6th, during which they’ve scored 33 goals and only conceded three.

While those early losses could come back to haunt them, if any team is catching Chelsea and beating them to the title, it’s Manchester City, especially given the form they’re in. The biggest game remaining on the FAWSL calendar is a clash between the two on April 25th at the Academy Stadium in Manchester. Those 90 minutes may very well decide this year’s race.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United are currently in third with 35 points. The team was not expected to compete for the title this year, having only been promoted from the Championship following the 2018/2019 season. And yet, their current standing may ring as a disappointment to the United faithful, given that they were top of the league only a few short months ago.

The importance of Christen Press and Tobin Heath signings cannot be overstated. The two USWNT stars came with a wealth of experience, but also the pressure to deliver for United.

And until the New Year, they did just that. Going into their match against Chelsea on January 17th, United were unbeaten in the league, with eight wins and two draws. Their loss to Chelsea that day started a spiral that saw them slip first from the top and then into third.

Heath’s injury alone was enough to derail the club. When you add in injuries to key players like Leah Galton, Alessia Russo, and Lauren James, it’s hard to fault United for faltering as they have.

Casey Stoney has maintained that because United is such a new team, her goal for the season isn’t to win the title but to qualify for the Champions League. That being said, the team will likely still feel disappointed that they let a real shot at the title slip away.

ARSENAL

Arsenal are in fourth with 29 points, and even though they have played one less match than the other three teams, it’s unlikely that they’ll be crowned champions this season.

Crazier things have happened, of course, and anything may seem possible for such a star-studded squad, which counts Vivianne Miedema, Caitlin Foord, and Daniëlle van de Donk among their starting XI.

Arsenal have had one major problem this season, and it’s that they have not played well against their major competition at the top of the table. So far, Arsenal have played five matches against the three teams they are competing against for the title—Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City. They’ve dropped points in all five matches.

In these matches, Arsenal have struggled to match their opponents’ intensity, a reversal of fate for a team who, under Joe Montemurro, have usually been the side pressing their opponents high up the pitch. This season, they’ve struggled to keep up the energy in the second half, allowing teams to pin them back, which has created more opportunities for them to concede and fewer for them to get the ball forward.

It’s been a problem since the beginning of the season, and yet Montemurro has been unable to find a solution.

Arsenal’s next match is against Manchester United. And while their form has picked up as of late (culminating in a 4-0 win over Birmingham City last weekend), even if they win, they’ll still be behind United in fourth.

At this point, Arsenal have a very little chance of winning the title. For them, the bigger goal has to be finishing in the top three and qualifying for the Champions League. Chelsea’s London rivals may not be a real cause for concern, but Arsenal still has every reason to try and salvage what has been a somewhat disappointing year.

An exciting weekend of action in the FA Women’s Super League led to some serious movement in the FAWSL table. Here’s how it all went down.

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 1, WEST HAM 0

Last week, Brighton shocked the world by ending Chelsea’s 33-game unbeaten streak, coming from behind to beat FAWSL’s top team in their home stadium. The win in itself was a shock, but the fact that the week prior, Brighton had succumbed themselves to a loss against Bristol City, who are bottom of the league, made the victory against Chelsea all the more remarkable.

The challenge for Hope Powell’s side this week was to build off that performance and ensure their focus didn’t waver. Coming up against West Ham, Brighton knew the London side would be aggressive in their approach, given that they’re barely above the relegation spot and are currently fighting for their FAWSL lives.

Brighton scored early on and were thereafter happy to give West Ham time on the ball (West Ham had 54% possession, compared to Brighton’s 46%). They defended deep and stifled West Ham’s already out of form attack, limiting the visitors to zero shots on target.

Not the most exciting win for Brighton, but they moved into seventh place, pushing Tottenham Hotspur into eighth. They’ll have a chance to maintain that lead when they play Tottenham next week. West Ham, who are two points above Bristol City, have the daunting task of taking on Chelsea next.

CHELSEA 3, ARSENAL 0

Speaking of Chelsea, it’s clear that their loss against Brighton was a blip. The London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea is always a big deal, and this year was no different, with the match having major implications on the title race.

Despite this, it was quite an easy match for Chelsea, and it never felt like they had to get out of second gear, with Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder running the show during the 3-0 win. Alongside Sam Kerr, the duo has shone for Chelsea all season, with Emma Hayes clearly getting the best out of them.

On the other hand, Arsenal are in somewhat of disarray, and the back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Chelsea have more or less ended their title hopes. Vivianne Miedema is constantly being forced to play a deeper role because her teammates have struggled to get the ball to her feet, hindering the usually prolific striker.

Arsenal play Birmingham City next and are now in a race to secure third in order to ensure that they play Champions League football next season.

MANCHESTER CITY 3, MANCHESTER UNITED 0

Manchester City may have been favored, but their 3-0 win over Man United still came as a shock to most. United, who were top of the table in early January, have not had a great run of form as of late, losing three out of their last five matches. Injuries have affected the squad, which leaves Stoney having to face the final stretch of the season without Tobin Heath, Leah Galton (who was injured against Manchester City), as well as Lauren James and Alessia Russo.

Man City, who have gone unbeaten in their last ten league games, are now five points behind Chelsea in second, though they do have a game in hand. They had a slow start to the season, and although Sam Mewis shone, defensive issues were a problem.

However, with Abby Dahlkemper transferring to the club in January, and with both Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood playing up to their potential, City are back in contention for the title. Next week, they visit Birmingham City, while United will hope to get back in form against Aston Villa.

CHELSEA 5, BRISTOL CITY 0

After their win against Arsenal, Chelsea played Bristol City only a few days later, and while this was seen as a good chance to rest players, Hayes named an exceptionally strong starting XI for Chelsea’s match against Bristol, clearly not wanting a repeat of the match against Brighton.

Kirby, Harder, Kerr and Beth England all ended up on the score sheet, scoring five goals with ease past bottom-of-the-table Bristol.

Hayes is clearly thinking ahead to the end of the season, should the title come down to goal difference. With that in mind, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Chelsea let up or rotate their strongest XI much for the rest of the season. They take on West Ham next week, while Bristol City face Reading.

READING 1-1 EVERTON

Both Reading and Everton started the season strong, Everton especially, but dipped by midseason.

Reading scored in the first-half, with a fantastic volley from Rachel Rowe, and it looked like they had all three points wrapped up. Everton waited to find their rhythm, but they did manage to score in the 77th minute, with a header from Nicoline Sorensen.

Both sides had second half chances for a winner, but it wasn’t meant to be, with the sides remaining in fifth and sixth respectively, both on 19 points, and Everton only ahead on goal difference. Reading will hope for an easy match against their next opponents Bristol City, while Everton will be in London next week for their match against Tottenham.

An exciting weekend of action in the FA Women’s Super League led to some serious movement in the FAWSL table. Here’s how it all went down.

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 1, WEST HAM 0

Last week, Brighton shocked the world by ending Chelsea’s 33-game unbeaten streak, coming from behind to beat FAWSL’s top team in their home stadium. The win in itself was a shock, but the fact that the week prior, Brighton had succumbed themselves to a loss against Bristol City, who are bottom of the league, made the victory against Chelsea all the more remarkable.

The challenge for Hope Powell’s side this week was to build off that performance and ensure their focus didn’t waver. Coming up against West Ham, Brighton knew the London side would be aggressive in their approach, given that they’re barely above the relegation spot and are currently fighting for their FAWSL lives.

Brighton scored early on and were thereafter happy to give West Ham time on the ball (West Ham had 54% possession, compared to Brighton’s 46%). They defended deep and stifled West Ham’s already out of form attack, limiting the visitors to zero shots on target.

Not the most exciting win for Brighton, but they moved into seventh place, pushing Tottenham Hotspur into eighth. They’ll have a chance to maintain that lead when they play Tottenham next week. West Ham, who are two points above Bristol City, have the daunting task of taking on Chelsea next.

CHELSEA 3, ARSENAL 0

Speaking of Chelsea, it’s clear that their loss against Brighton was a blip. The London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea is always a big deal, and this year was no different, with the match having major implications on the title race.

Despite this, it was quite an easy match for Chelsea, and it never felt like they had to get out of second gear, with Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder running the show during the 3-0 win. Alongside Sam Kerr, the duo has shone for Chelsea all season, with Emma Hayes clearly getting the best out of them.

On the other hand, Arsenal are in somewhat of disarray, and the back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Chelsea have more or less ended their title hopes. Vivianne Miedema is constantly being forced to play a deeper role because her teammates have struggled to get the ball to her feet, hindering the usually prolific striker.

Arsenal play Birmingham City next and are now in a race to secure third in order to ensure that they play Champions League football next season.

MANCHESTER CITY 3, MANCHESTER UNITED 0

Manchester City may have been favored, but their 3-0 win over Man United still came as a shock to most. United, who were top of the table in early January, have not had a great run of form as of late, losing three out of their last five matches. Injuries have affected the squad, which leaves Stoney having to face the final stretch of the season without Tobin Heath, Leah Galton (who was injured against Manchester City), as well as Lauren James and Alessia Russo.

Man City, who have gone unbeaten in their last ten league games, are now five points behind Chelsea in second, though they do have a game in hand. They had a slow start to the season, and although Sam Mewis shone, defensive issues were a problem.

However, with Abby Dahlkemper transferring to the club in January, and with both Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood playing up to their potential, City are back in contention for the title. Next week, they visit Birmingham City, while United will hope to get back in form against Aston Villa.

CHELSEA 5, BRISTOL CITY 0

After their win against Arsenal, Chelsea played Bristol City only a few days later, and while this was seen as a good chance to rest players, Hayes named an exceptionally strong starting XI for Chelsea’s match against Bristol, clearly not wanting a repeat of the match against Brighton.

Kirby, Harder, Kerr and Beth England all ended up on the score sheet, scoring five goals with ease past bottom-of-the-table Bristol.

Hayes is clearly thinking ahead to the end of the season, should the title come down to goal difference. With that in mind, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Chelsea let up or rotate their strongest XI much for the rest of the season. They take on West Ham next week, while Bristol City face Reading.

READING 1-1 EVERTON

Both Reading and Everton started the season strong, Everton especially, but dipped by midseason.

Reading scored in the first-half, with a fantastic volley from Rachel Rowe, and it looked like they had all three points wrapped up. Everton waited to find their rhythm, but they did manage to score in the 77th minute, with a header from Nicoline Sorensen.

Both sides had second half chances for a winner, but it wasn’t meant to be, with the sides remaining in fifth and sixth respectively, both on 19 points, and Everton only ahead on goal difference. Reading will hope for an easy match against their next opponents Bristol City, while Everton will be in London next week for their match against Tottenham.