Women's Super League

Other Women's Super League clubs need to follow Chelsea's example and invest in their teams, according to former England midfielder Rachel Yankey.

The league leaders spent more than £1m in the January transfer window, adding USA defender Naomi Girma and England midfielder Keira Walsh to Sonia Bompastor's squad.

"[Chelsea] are setting the standard," said Yankey on the BBC's Women's Football Show. "If you're Sonia Bompastor you must be rubbing your hands together because you're building a team [and] someone's actually investing.

"The club are believing in your vision and getting you the players that you want and [are] prepared to put money behind it. That sets the standard for the league and it's for other teams to follow.

"Other clubs need to look at Chelsea and actually invest in the women's team and support the women's team… but the proof will be in the pudding because you have to win the Champions League when you get all these big players so the pressure is on."

For more analysis watch the Women's Football Show, where you can catch all the highlights from the weekend's six matches.

Tim Oscroft
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

United's 1-0 win at Tottenham will not linger long in the memory, but it could prove to be vital if they are to retain any hope of catching Chelsea or seal qualification for the Champions League.

They are the tightest defence in the WSL, having conceded just five times this season and not at all in over four-and-a-half hours of play since Rebecca Kraak's goal for Man City in the Manchester derby.

But the game's outstanding moment was when Elisabeth Terland latched onto Jayde Riviere's cross to clip home a superb volley for the game's only goal after six minutes.

United could have had more, with Ella Toone going the closest when her chip shaved the post later on in the first half.

Spurs improved after the break, but weak efforts from Jessica Naz and Clare Hunt were as close as the home side got.

Image source, PA Media

Elisabeth Terland's sixth-minute volley was enough to give Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Tottenham as they returned to second in the Women's Super League. Here is what the managers had to say after the game:

Man Utd manager Marc Skinner, speaking to Sky Sports: "No not really, [it wasn't close]. I think it wasn't an exhilarating game by any means. Some of the games haven't been this weekend. For us it was just about control, I felt we had quite a lot.

"Tottenham had a couple of moments but that was all they had in the game really.

"Second half they probably started a little bit better than us but we changed up, got a little bit more energy in the team and then I felt again we had control right to the end."

Tottenham head coach Robert Vilahamn, speaking to Sky Sports: "If you sum up the whole game we competed with them, they had a few chances, we had a few, quite even, even if they are the better team.

"They started much better than us. They scored the goal, really good pressure on us as well. That's what has made them win the game but I think the second half showed we are competing with them.

"I actually think the second half shows we are closing the gap, even if there's still a gap.

"If you look at box defending and how we concede goals sometimes, obviously we don't win the duels, the opponents have really good players but if you don't win those duels they score that goal and that's the goal they won the game with."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Dario Vidosic thought Maisie Symonds' 48th-minute sending off "killed the game" and fatigue from fixture congestion also played a part as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace.

Symonds was shown a straight red card on her 22nd birthday for a high challenge on Aimee Everett, with Brighton leading 1-0 at the time. Palace equalised in the 88th minute.

"I thought that killed the game a bit, that red card," Vidosic told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We still had a couple of good opportunities at the end but I think the accumulation of the fatigue as well made it quite tough.

"Probably one we'll look back on and think it's two points dropped but that's football."

Vidosic added that their recent run of fixtures - which has seen them play five games in 16 days - made it "tough" for his team to compete when down to 10 players.

He said: "We still tried to play. Probably towards the end with the fatigue it was a little harder, they were committing more to the attack trying to get their equaliser.

"Even with a player less I think we defended well. We still played well, could have done better at times. I think for the girls this was tough.

"Already it was tough with the fatigue from the lack of training and the schedule but then to go down basically with a player less made it that little bit harder."

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Natalia Arroyo said the result was a "cruel" welcome to the league, while Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor admitted her side benefitted from "a lucky win".

For 82 minutes Aston Villa went toe-to-toe with the champions at Villa Park with Sarah Mayling's unfortunate own goal the difference between the two sides.

Arroyo's Villa team looked unrecognisable from the side that started the WSL season with just two points from their opening six games.

Interim boss Shaun Goater has steadied things in recent weeks, leading them to two wins from his five matches in charge.

And against the reigning WSL champions in Arroyo's first match in charge Villa produced their best performance of the season and almost took the lead in the second half when Kirsty Hanson struck the underside of the crossbar.

"We feel disappointed because we were so, so close," former Real Sociedad manager Arroyo told BBC Two at full-time.

"I'm unhappy because the girls were pushing really hard and it's a strange goal.

"Even when we didn't get the points, to get the feeling that the strongest team in the league struggled at Villa Park is good for us."

Villa are 10th in the WSL table - just four points clear of bottom club Crystal Palace - and face Leicester who are 11th in their next WSL match in two weeks' time.

A performance like the one they produced against Chelsea should be too much for the Foxes, though.

Image source, Getty Images

Sarah Mayling conceded a late own goal to deny Aston Villa a battling point against Women's Super League leaders Chelsea as the Blues continued their formidable winning run. Here is what the managers had to say after the game:

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor, speaking to BBC Sport: "I would say again satisfied about the result but not about the performance. I think credit to Villa, they were really well organised and they wanted more to have a good result today than us.

"Sometimes it happens in football, you can not be any time 100% but yeah we need to take this as a lesson and learn form that because today I think it was a lucky win.

"I told them at the end when you are not able to perform at 100% you always have to find a way to win the game and I think this is what we did today.

"Not easy again but the best teams have the power to do that and I think this season we are really efficient and clinical in front of goal. We had not a lot of opportunities but the ones we created we were able at least to score once.

Aston Villa manager Natalia Arroyo: "We feel disappointed because we were so, so close. It's not a game where deserving or not deserving really makes the difference. I'm unhappy because the girls were pushing really hard and it's a strange goal.

"[It is] quite cruel but that's probably the welcome to this league. I'm very proud of our performance, how we were able to stop the ball and also have the ball and find some gaps to make them suffer.

"Even when we didn't get the points, to get the feeling that the strongest team in the league struggled at Villa Park is good for us."

Elizabeth Botcherby
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

At the back end of the 2023-24 campaign, Liverpool were the picture of consistency, winning their final four matches of the season to secure fourth place in the table.

Such form, however, has proved difficult to replicate this season, with Matt Beard's side heading into Sunday's meeting with West Ham in seventh place and having failed to string together consecutive wins in all competitions in 2024-25.

However, they broke that trend at the St Helens Stadium, following up Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Hammers in the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over the same opponents, courtesy of Leanne Kiernan's 33rd minute goal.

It wasn't a pretty performance. They lacked the clinical streak in front of goal which they'd shown a few days earlier in Dagenham and endured a nervy final 10 minutes as they fought to protect their slender advantage against a flurry of West Ham corners.

But no matter how you win them, three points are three points, and having registered back-to-back home wins for the first time since last May (they defeated Brighton 2-1 on home soil in January), they can finally start to look up.

Liverpool are now nine points clear of bottom-placed Crystal Palace and just three behind fifth-placed Brighton.

And with a tricky run of league fixtures to come – Man City, Man United and Arsenal are among their next four opponents – these three points couldn't have come at a better time.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A draw was a fair reflection of the balance of play, but at this stage of the season, only wins will do for Crystal Palace.

Once again, a costly mistake made their job much more difficult.

Palace went behind through a calamitous own goal after 18 minutes when defender Lily Woodham, under little pressure, passed back to goalkeeper Milla-Maj Majasaari - but the ball rolled under the Finn's foot and trickled into the net.

What will frustrate Palace supporters is that their team were looking very comfortable defensively up until Woodham's own goal.

Laura Kaminski's side have the league's worst defensive record, having conceded 35 goals in 13 matches.

Majasaari lost concentration for just a second - and once the ball had rolled beyond her, she was never catching it before it hit the net.

Sure Palace did find a late equaliser to end a run of five straight defeats.

But the WSL's bottom side should never have found themselves behind in the first place.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal saw off Manchester City in a seven-goal thriller in a frantic Women's Super League meeting at Joie Stadium. Here is what the managers had to say after the game.

Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor: "[The mood in the team is] not great, of course. The players we have are very honest. We know we didn't perform and execute to the level we know we are capable of.

"The positives were that we fought back and showed our qualities. Aoba [Fujino] was a real thorn in Arsenal's side. We need to pick the players up to be ready to go again. This group are usually pretty good at fighting back.

"You win, you move on to the next game with confidence. You don't win, you have to pick the players up to be ready for the next game. We usually strike back and fight back every single time."

On errors in defence: "We gave away goals and Arsenal probably gave away goals. We are shipping goals at the moment.

"We can't deny that Alex Greenwood not being there has been really difficult. Rebecca Knaak has done well but it's a big job for her and a big step up. We haven't been able to really refresh the backline. We just need to improve, train and get better in all of those situations."

Arsenal boss Renee Slegers: "I was hurt of course after the loss against Chelsea. We analysed it. I asked 'who are we? What is the Arsenal way? What is our identity? How will we win games against top opposition?' The girls were all with us.

"We did something very well against Bristol City with a lot of changes and early goals and I think we did it again. It was obviously important to us.

"It wasn't the end of the world from a performance perspective against Chelsea but the loss of the three points meant a lot. I think the group is so strong from game to game and also within the games that we can show resilience and come back – which is what we did today."

Tim Oscroft
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The final scoreline was an emphatic one, and Everton powered away from Leicester in the second half but how the Foxes faded will worry manager Amandine Miquel.

Kelly Gago's early opener had rocked Leicester back but they responded well, and after Shannon O'Brien's smart finish they matched Everton for much of the first half.

But all three Everton goals after the game resumed betrayed a lack of concentration by Miquel's side, with Toni Payne finding plenty of space to cross to Katja Snoeijs in the penalty area for Everton's second.

Their third may have come from a training ground corner exercise, but Hanaka Hayashi was allowed too much time and space outside the area before shooting home just inside the post.

Payne drove down the left to cross to Gago for the fourth, and with Leicester wilting in the closing stages, Everton could have increased their winning margin.

There is still plenty of time left in the season for things to change, but Everton should remain comfortably in mid-table while Leicester, just three points and one place above Crystal Palace, remain deep in trouble.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Joie Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

There is becoming a familiar pattern in Manchester City's defeats.

An insistence on playing out from the back has led to individual errors and teams are exploiting them.

Arsenal could not have dreamed for a better start at Joie Stadium on Sunday as they led 2-0 within eight minutes.

City eventually fought back but it took all their energy and Arsenal only threw more at them in the second half, eventually pulling away to win 4-3.

Both sides were poor defensively and both sides gifted goals - but it is a common theme for City this season and is getting more concerning.

They have dropped to fourth in the table despite hopes of challenging for the title before the season had started in September.

In contrast to City's regression, Arsenal continue to be on the up under manager Renee Slegers and though this was far from a perfect display, they showed enough resilience and composure to come away with three points.

The Gunners were written off early on but they have shown they can compete with their rivals and have boosted their hopes of securing a top three finish.