Women's Super League

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Leicester City Women have completed the loan signing of forward Karla Torres from Independiente Santa Fe.

The 18-year-old Colombian international is Leicester's third signing of the January transfer window.

Torres joins Leicester until the end of the 2024-25 campaign and will be available for the FA Cup fixture against Manchester City on Sunday, 9 February.

She scored 12 goals in 27 league appearances for Independiente Santa Fe in Colombia's top flight.

The deal is subject to visa, league and international clearance.

Leicester signed striker Hlin Eiriksdottir from Swedish side Kristianstads on a two-and-a-half-year deal on Thursday.

City also brought in Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark to replace Lize Kop, who left to join Tottenham, earlier in the window.

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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said a conversation with "thoughts, feelings and questions from both ends" took place with Chloe Kelly before she joined the club from Manchester City on loan.

The England forward was a late addition on Thursday's deadline day as the Gunners beat competition from Manchester United to sign the 27-year-old.

"It was a conversation with thoughts, feelings and questions from both ends, and it was very good," Slegers said.

"We both opened up – I tried to open up about what Arsenal is and what she could mean for us, and she opened up about what she can bring to us and what her ambitions are, so it was a very good conversation."

Kelly is ineligible to play on Sunday when Arsenal face City in the Women's Super League.

On how Kelly is after posting emotional statements on social media surrounding her situation at City, Slegers added: "I think those questions, you're better off asking her because I haven't spoken to her much yet about the situation

"We are convinced that she will come to us, to Arsenal, to contribute and show her qualities and ambitions, so we're very excited."

Here are more key lines from Slegers before Sunday's game (kick-off 12:00 GMT)

• She confirmed Kim Little has had surgery on a broken finger suffered against Crystal Palace after "pushing through" two games.

• On new signing Jenna Nighswonger, she said: "She's at a very high level and we're also very excited to see how we can grow her and where her potential brings her."

• On another tough test in Manchester City so soon after facing Chelsea: "We believe in what we're doing, we trust the players, we have a great squad, we do things together, we're competing on four fronts. Obviously, we were gutted with the loss last Sunday but that's the reality now and we're going to push forward."

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Liverpool have signed Chelsea left-back Alejandra Bernabe on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2023 and signed a three-year deal with the Blues.

She made her Chelsea debut in 2024 and featured in Wednesday's 5-0 win over Durham in the Women's League Cup quarter-finals.

"For me it's a pleasure to be here," Bernabe said. "I know that this is a big club and also I hear the love from outside about this big club, so it's a pleasure to be coming here.

"I've had a look around and it's so beautiful. I know it has a history and the amazing facilities they have and everything. I think it's the perfect place...it's just amazing and I can't wait to get started."

Bernabe is Liverpool's third loan signing of the January transfer window after the arrivals of Bayern Munich midfielder Sam Kerr and Chelsea midfielder Julia Bartel.

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor said he is not concerned that Chloe Kelly has moved to a team that could challenge his side for trophies and Champions League places.

Kelly joined rivals Arsenal in a loan deal on deadline day after being the subject of heavy transfer speculation throughout the past month.

Arsenal are fourth in the Women's Super League table and currently out of the Champions League qualification spots.

However, the Gunners sit just one point behind City and have a better goal difference than Taylor's side.

Asked if he was concerned Kelly's move could strengthen Arsenal's position, Taylor said: "No, not really. I think once a player expresses a desire to leave and try to go on to a move that was the right one for her, I think we have to look at what the best offer was.

"Arsenal made the best offer so it was a simple one for us."

Kelly will not be available to play against her parent club when City host Arsenal in the WSL on Sunday (12:00 GMT kick-off).

Here are more key lines from Taylor's news conference:

• He is looking forward to working with the new signings that have joined the club.

• New signing Laura Wienroither is "adaptable" and "comfortable in playing a few positions.

• Taylor said City's 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Saturday was "very impressive".

• Laura Coombs will not be available this weekend after picking up an injury in the warm-up before the Villa game.

• Khadija Shaw is "pretty close" to being able to play a full 90 minutes.

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Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn believes Bethany England "should be one of the candidates" for a place in Sarina Wiegman's England squad.

England is Spurs' top goalscorer this season with seven goal in the Women's Super League this season, only two behind Manchester City's Khadeija Shaw, who tops the standings with nine goals.

"She's performing very well right now and the way she's playing is massive for us," Vilahamn said. "I am not sure how she [Wiegman] wants to use the nine role and if she brings Beth back to the national team. She should be one of the candidates, absolutely.

"All teams need their goalscorer. Last season it was Martha Thomas. This season it's been Bethany. You need one of them to be consistent. The best thing about England is how she is as a person and a leader. She's a great role model for the younger ones to represent the club."

Here are more key lines from Vilahamn before Sunday's game against Manchester United (kick-off 18:45 GMT)

• New signing Josefine Rybrink will be in the squad and could make her debut.

• On playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he said: "Playing at that stadium in front of our fans is the best game every year".

• Vilahamn said Sunday's game is a good test "to see where we are at" and added: "we had a tough spell of games after summer when we played the big teams. I am ready to go again to see if we have a good chance to get a win."

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Liverpool boss Matt Beard has asked for referees to protect players after as he criticised a challenge on Oliva Smith by Leicester defender CJ Bott.

Earlier this month, Beard said Smith is "probably going to get hurt" if challenges against her continues to go unpunished.

"If I look at the tackle at Leicester, I mean, you've seen the scar on the top of the thigh down to the knee - it's a red card," he said on Friday.

Speaking before Liverpool's game against West Ham on Sunday (14:00 GMT), Beard said Smith had been "upset at times because she feels targeted".

"I remember saying to her against Brighton it's a compliment because seems obviously fear her," he added.

"But it won't be a compliment if she ends up seriously injured. All we ask, and it's not just me, all we ask is that the players are protected."

Here are more key lines from Beard's news conference:

• He said the "gap is just getting bigger and bigger" between Chelsea and the rest of the league after the Blues signed Naomi Girma for a world-record fee.

• Jasmine Matthews and Niamh Fahey remain sidelined.

• Fuka Nagano missed the mid-week FA Cup game against West Ham with a fever, but she should be available on Sunday.

• Despite winning 5-0 in the FA Cup on Wednesday, Beard said the Hammer are "always tough to play against".

• He also added that "the league and the cup completely different pressures".