Women's Super League: Liverpool beat Chelsea to narrow gap

Liverpool's victory takes them within two points of Chelsea

Women's Super League champions Liverpool boosted their hopes of retaining the title with a 2-0 win against joint leaders Chelsea.

A penalty from Gemma Davison and a goal from Lucy Bronze put the Reds within two points of top spot.

Top team Birmingham City are ahead of Chelsea on goal difference, with Liverpool lying third.

Fourth-placed Manchester City can also move within two points of the lead if they win at Bristol Academy on Monday.

Davison opened the scoring from the spot after she had been brought down in the penalty area by central defender Laura Bassett.

Striker Natasha Dowie and midfielder Fara Williams both missed chances to double the lead as Liverpool kept up the early pressure.

But defender Bronze made no mistake, racing through to play a neat one-two with Davison before firing a shot in off the bar.

Chelsea striker Eni Aluko had a goalbound effort saved by keeper Libby Stout as the visitors tried to hit back.

At the other end, however, Blues keeper Marie Hourihan had to pull off a much better save from Dowie to deny the Reds a third goal before half-time.

Straight after the interval Icelandic midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir headed narrowly over the Chelsea bar.

In Blues best spell of pressure South Korean midfielder Ji So-Yun went close with a 15-yard effort.

But Liverpool were still looking the more likely scorers, and only another fine stop by Hourihan prevented Davison from netting her second goal.

Chelsea pressed in stoppage time, Aluko having a header saved by Stout, but the Reds held firm to complete what could prove a vital victory in the title chase.