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Liverpool's Faye Kirby made a sensational WSL debut, but it wasn't enough to keep Chelsea at bay as the Blues earned a late 2-1 win Back Match Report WSL: Chelsea v Liverpool Liverpool's Faye Kirby made a sensational WSL debut, but it wasn't enough to keep Chelsea at bay as the Blues earned a late 2-1 win Liverpool FCW 4 May 2023 By Paul Donegan Sam Kerr scored a late winner for Chelsea as they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday evening in the WSL. Emma Koivisto had given the visitors an early lead before Niamh Charles equalised for the Blues just before half time. The win sees Chelsea close the gap on the Manchester clubs at the top of the league to four points behind United and one behind City with two games in hand on them both. This was Chelsea’s first league match since their 3-0 win over Aston Villa on the 2nd April, having been in FA Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League action since then. Emma Hayes made one change from their draw in Barcelona last Thursday with Lauren James coming in for Maren Mjelde who had jarred her back. They started in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Charles and Guro Reiten playing in the wing-back roles, Eve Perisset was one of the back three with James joining Kerr up front. Matt Beard made four changes for Liverpool from their disappointing result and performance against Leicester at the weekend. Out went Rachael Laws, Leighanne Robe, Fuka Nagano and Katie Stengel. Coming in for them were goalkeeper Faye Kirby, who was making her WSL debut, Rhiannon Roberts, Gemma Bonner and Miri Taylor. They lined up in a 5-3-2 formation with Koivisto and Taylor Hinds playing as wing backs and getting forward when they could. When defending, the defence and midfield played very close together so it felt like there were about eight players for Chelsea to get through at times. The home fans may have still been eating the free hot dogs promised by Hayes after the original game was called off after six minutes due to a frozen pitch in January when the visitors took the lead in the 2nd minute. After winning the ball in midfield, Liverpool attacked with Natasha Dowie’s cross finding Koivisto running in unmarked at the far post who finished past Ann-Katrin Berger. Erin Cuthbert had Chelsea’s first effort at goal eight minutes in but shot over from 25-yards. A Perisset free kick was easily claimed by Kirby in the 11th minute. Bonner blocked Kerr’s effort four minutes later. Kirby got down low to save a Reiten shot shortly after. Liverpool saw a long-range effort from Dowie was easily caught by Berger. The Reds were defending well and looked organised, blocking a Chelsea effort before Kerr put a shot wide. Kirby made a good one-handed save to stop Kerr’s flicked header in the 23rd minute. Jessie Fleming shot wide a minute later The visitors were slow taking a throw in after half an hour and got warned by referee Abigail Byrne. Koivisto was booked for the same offence a few minutes later. During a break for treatment to an injured Liverpool player, Hayes took the chance to have a chat to her players and changed formation to 4-2-3-1. She admitted after that she probably took too long to make this change as they were missing Mjelde playing the back three. This change also allowed their play-makers to be somewhere else on the pitch which Hayes said they felt they needed. Chelsea equalised soon after this tactical change but the goal came from a set piece. Perisset put in a corner which Charles headed into the net in the 41st minute. Liverpool had the final chances of the half during the four minutes of stoppage time with Shanice van de Sanden seeing an effort saved then Dowie’s shot which was blocked by Perisset. Chelsea had the first opportunity in the second half but James saw her effort comfortably saved. The Blues players did a bit more switching of positions when they made a double substitution in the 54th minute with Fleming dropping back alongside Melanie Leupolz in midfield, Pernille Harder came on and went in the middle behind Kerr with Jelena Cankovic going in the right-side attacking position. Liverpool’s two wing backs almost combined but Koivisto deep cross couldn’t find Hinds running in at far post. Cankovic was putting in some dangerous crosses but no-one could get on the end of these or direct the ball towards goal. Liverpool brought on another defender in the 68th minute when Robe replaced Taylor meaning Roberts was pushed slightly further forward into a defensive midfield position. Kerr put a chance over in the 73rd minute, before Harder was allowed to run towards the but her shot went wide a minute later. A final slight positional change for Chelsea in the 80th minute saw Cankovic drop back into midfield when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was brought on and she went on the right side. Reiten had ball in net for the hosts in the 82nd minute but the flag was up for offside. Chelsea did score a second, and what turned out to be the winner, in the 86th minute. Fleming’s shot from outside the area hit the woodwork and Kerr was first to the rebound to score despite Kirby getting a touch on the ball. During the eight minutes of added time, Harder saw an effort blocked, and then a long ball forward was headed on by Kerr to Harder but Robe tackled before the Dane could shoot. The final whistle went seconds later. After the match when speaking to the press, Hayes said that Chelsea’s performance had showed they had not played a WSL match for a month, “we needed this game to get back into WSL, it is such a different game”. She felt they were asleep for the first 10 minutes of the game and this might be a “little bit of a hungover from the semi-final (UWCL against Barcelona), playing in front of 72,000 people and then 1,600, there is an adjustment and the first half reflected that”. She continued by saying they “found new levels of grind and new levels of dig today” to get the win. Beard said afterwards that he was disappointed for the Liverpool players as he thinks they “deserved a point” because of the way they defended. He admitted they “rode their luck at times” but considering everything that happened, they deserved something. After the disappointing performance against Leicester, he was happy with the commitment and desire the players showed against Chelsea. Both sides are at home on Sunday in the WSL with Chelsea taking on Everton and Liverpool host Manchester City. Line ups Chelsea (3-4-1-2) (changed to 4-2-3-1 during the first half): Berger, Perisset, Carter, Eriksson (c), Charles, Cuthbert (Cankovic 54’), Leupolz (Kaneryd 80’), Reiten, Fleming (Ingle 88’), James (Harder 54’), Kerr Unused substitutes: Musovic, Abdullina Goals – Charles 41’, Kerr 86’ Liverpool (5-3-2): Kirby, Koivisto, Roberts, Matthews, Bonner, Hinds (c), Taylor (Robe 68’), Kearns (Humphrey 82’), Holland (Lundgaard 60’), van de Sanden (Stengel 68’), Dowie Unused substitute s: Laws, Cummings Goal – Koivisto 2’ Booked – Koivisto, Kirby Referee – Abigail Byrne Attendance – 1,664

Reading face defeat at home as the Blades take a comfortable win 3-1 on the road Back Match Report Sheffield United earn all three points in Reading Reading face defeat at home as the Blades take a comfortable win 3-1 on the road Sheffield United FC Women 24 October 2023 By Paul Donegan Sheffield United beat Reading 3-1 in the Women’s Championship at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Sunday. The Blades goals were scored by Ashley Hodson, Isobel Goodwin and Charlotte Newsham whilst Tia Primmer got the Royals late consolation one. Reading had a few early corners, including one where some of their players ran from behind the goalline before it was taken, but these came to nothing. Sheffield United’s Sophie Barker had first shot at goal in the 7th minute but this was easily gathered by the hosts keeper Emily Orman. The home side saw Freya Gregory’s long-range effort deflected over three minutes later. Tara Bourne’s free kick hit the post in the 13th minute as the away side went close. Rachel Dugdale’s was causing the Blades defence some problems with her long balls forward. The Royals next opportunity came in the 17th minute but Sanne Troelsgaard’s long-range effort sailed over the crossbar. Lauren Wade cut in and saw her shot from 20-yards tipped over by Sheffield United’s goalkeeper Fran Stenson in the 23rd minute. Wade had another effort at goal from the edge of the area two minutes later but this one was pushed away by Stenson before being cleared. The visitors took the lead in the 33rd minute when Hodson got onto a loose back pass, went around the goalkeeper and finished from a wide angle. There was some miscommunication in the Blades defence shortly after that almost let Reading in before the ball was cleared. There were half chances during the remainder of the half but nothing to test either goalkeeper as the away side went in ahead at half time. Three minutes into the second half, Sheffield United made it 2-0 when Goodwin won the ball off Easther Mayi Kith, run into the area then finished low into the corner of the net. Jodie Hutton shot over in the 51st minute as the visitors looked to add a third. The Blades seemed determined to be first to the ball and were rushing Reading in the early stages of the second half. The home side saw a curling free kick miss everyone in the area three minutes later. On the hour mark, the hosts had another opportunity when Stenson kept out a low effort from Dugdale before the ball was put behind for a corner. Hutton sent a free kick from 25-yards over for the away side in the 65th minute. Newsham made it 3-0 for the visitors in the 72nd minute when after Hutton’s great ball across had been played back to her by Bourne, she tapped in from near enough on the goalline. In the 78th minute, Stenson made a good save to deny Josie Longhurst as the Royals looked to get a goal back. The home side finished the match well and scored a consolation goal in the fifth minute of additional time when Primmer finished from close range after Stenson had made another save. The final whistle was blown a few minutes later meaning Sheffield United have now won three of their last four league matches. After the weekend’s results, Sheffield United move up a place in the Championship to eighth whilst Reading drop three places to ninth. Both sides next games are after the international break on Sunday 5th November when the Royals visit Birmingham City, and the Blades are away to Southampton. Line ups Reading: Orman, Dugdale, Houssein (Longhurst 60’), Primmer, Wade, Hendrix (Cooper 59’), Mayi Kith, Estcourt, Gregory, Woodham (c), Troelsgaard Unused substitutes: Annets, Smith, Elwood, Medows Tuson, Jarvis Goal - Primmer 90’+5 Booked – Primmer, Woodham Sheffield United: Stenson, Newsham, Barker (c), Bourne, Sigsworth (Haywood 78’), Rayner (Kinzett 90’), Goodwin, Hodson (Wilcock 90’), Hutton (Connolly-Jackson 85’), A. Brown, R. Brown (Graham 85’) Unused substitutes: Heeps, Docherty, Page, Adebowale-Arimoro Goals – Hodson 33’, Goodwin 48’, Newsham 72’ Booked – R.Brown Referee – Grace Lowe

Ultimate Football Heroes: Lionesses by Emily Stead Ultimate Football Heroes: Lionesses Ultimate Football Heroes: Lionesses by Emily Stead Celebrating the success of the phenomenal Lionesses, this book follows four key players in their journey from the playground to the pitch, as they prepare for the biggest match of their lives. Learn how star players Lucy Bronze, Ellen White, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead stepped up to help the Lionesses secure the title of European Champions 2022. Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to superstar professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share. Available to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lionesses-European-Champions-Ultimate-Football/dp/1789466881/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/257-3022985-0041206?pd_rd_w=sBA28&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=52Y9N1NYHXDY411HMK13&pd_rd_wg=eMXJ4&pd_rd_r=d05131df-0701-4d16-98ec-20c2bfbb5bbe&pd_rd_i=1789466881&psc=1

Natalia Arroyo reflects after an own goal destroys Aston Villa's hopes of taking a point away from leaders Chelsea Back Match Report “This is a starting point of something bigger” says Villa boss Arroyo Natalia Arroyo reflects after an own goal destroys Aston Villa's hopes of taking a point away from leaders Chelsea Aston Villa Women 4 February 2025 By Aimee Logan Chelsea continued their unbeaten run in the WSL this season, after an own goal from Sarah Mayling gifted the title leaders the full three points at Villa Park. The Blues have dominated the WSL so far this season, they remain undefeated with 12 wins and only a single draw in the competition so far under manager Sonia Bompastor. Only a fine margin divided Aston Villa and Chelsea last time out, a goal from Rytting Kaneryd giving Chelsea the victory: she started on the bench for this fixture. In the opening 15 minutes of the fixture, there were chances for both teams to take advantage of a counter attack, the best chance was handed to the home side where a mistake from Hampton provided Villa with a goal-scoring opportunity but her quick recovery defended the close-range chip from Nunes. Chelsea were quick to dominate the home opposition after some careless football in the defensive third. The referee awarded The Blues with multiple corners but despite the impressive deliveries, there wasn’t a player in the six-yard-box to knock it home for Bompastor’s side. After the convincing spell from the away opposition, Arroyo’s side stood-out for the remainder of the first 45, consistently punishing Chelsea for their errors with the away team’s defensive line criticality keeping Villa from scoring first. The final chance of the first half came from Chelsea’s Lauren James who fired the ball just wide before the whistle was blown for the break. The only substitution made at half-time was Chelsea’s Guro Reiten, being replaced by Rytting Kaneryd who would have hoped to build on some of her team’s positive attacks. However, the home side came back out fighting and didn’t give The Blues an opportunity for a shot on target for the first 15 minutes of the second half, until a shot from range from Macario ricochets into D’Angelo’s hands. After substitutions from both sides, the game remained an end-to-end battle with chances for both sides to score an opener. The best opportunity for the home team to punish Chelsea followed an impressive team counter-attack, finished with Hanson hitting the crossbar after the ball narrowly exceeded Hampton’s fingertips. It was Bompastors side who were awarded the first and only mark on the scoresheet, though, after Villa’s defensive mistakes left an opening for Chelsea leading to a messy own-goal from Mayling. A disappointment after Villa held their own for the entirety of the game and deserved to take a point away from the game. The score ended Villa 0-1 Chelsea, the title leaders going 10 points clear at the top of the table. Post-match, both managers reflected on their teams performances in the fixture with Arroyo stating that she is “sad but proud” of her teams’ performance. She determined that her team needed to “make a bigger impact in some details” because “the only big chance they [Chelsea] had, they put the ball in”. I asked if Arroyo could see the improvements in the Villa side since they last lost 1-0 to Chelsea back in September, she acknowledged that at the start of the season, the team “struggled in the first half” . Her team is “totally in” and “ have trust” in her as the new head coach. “I had the feeling that they [the fans] were there,” she added. “I loved the atmosphere, hopefully we can put more people in the stadium, but if not, it's nice what they were doing.” Bompastor also reflected on her teams’ slightly lackluster performance that earned them the full points away at Villa Park stating that “the starting XI wasn’t good enough” , adding “that’s my responsibility”. “I don’t really care about the fact we have been unbeaten, it will happen one day” The Blues’ boss relayed. She wants the team “ to focus in every game, because if we are able to perform in every game until the end, we will be in a really good position to have the title.” I asked Chelsea’s manager about new signing Keira Walsh, who completed her first few minutes in a Chelsea shirt against Villa and Bompastor could already recognise what she is going to bring to the team. “She’s so smart, she brings the calmness”. “We’re really happy to have her and I think she’s really happy to be with us.”

Bristol rise to the top of the table after an emphatic 3-0 win over Crystal Palace Back Match Report WC: Bristol City v Crystal Palace Bristol rise to the top of the table after an emphatic 3-0 win over Crystal Palace Bristol City Women 24 October 2022 By Paul Donegan Bristol City continued their undefeated start to the season when they beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday at the Robins High Performance Centre. After having two goals disallowed during the first half, Shania Hayles gave the home side the lead in the 41st minute. Emily Syme scored their second in the 48th minute, and Abi Harrison added the third four minutes later. Ffion Morgan saw her shot hit the crossbar later in the second half for The Robins as they had chances to win by more. Having beaten Palace 4-0 in the Conti Cup recently, Bristol City had the first chance in this game withing the first 30 seconds of the start when Ffion Morgan was just unable to get onto Harrison’s cross across goal. The home side did have the ball in the net in the 14th minute but Harrison’s effort was ruled out for offside. Crystal Palace had their first opportunity a minute later when Blanchard cut in but sent her effort well over. Harrison was unable to convert a cross in the 18th minute, and Fran Kitching made a fantastic save from close-range to deny Morgan five minutes later. In the 24th minute, Syme saw her header deflected wide. Palace were having the occasional chance and in the 26th minute a dangerous cross from Blanchard was cleared. Kitching made another good save in the 28th minute from Morgan, and Bristol City found the net again three minutes later but it was disallowed after referee Amy Fearn spotted an offence from a corner. In the 40th minute, Elise Hughes was just unable to get her head on a Fliss Gibbons cross for the away side. The home side took the lead four minutes before half time. Kitching got her hands on Hayles’ low shot but was unable to stop the ball from crossing the line. Anna Filbey made a superb clearance off the line a minute later to deny Harrison. Palace broke down the other end which ended with Chloe Arthur putting the chance over. The Robins had a barrage of chances just before the break but were denied by saves from Kitching and blocks by Palace players. The rain that had started during the first half had got heavier after half time. Three minutes into the second half and the hosts made it 2-0 when Syme’s first time strike from the edge of the area found the corner of the net. Bristol City made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute. Morgan put a cross in which was headed in at the far post by Harrison. Hayles had a good chance to score City’s fourth in the 56th minute but shot wide when one on one with the goalkeeper. A minute later and Morgan saw her strike from 25-yards hit the crossbar and bounce away. Aimee Palmer then put a free kick from 35-yards out over. On the hour mark, Harrison was unable to get a touch on Morgan’s low cross across goal. The visitors did have the odd chance but Paige Bailey-Gayle couldn’t get past Bristol City goalkeeper Fran Bentley, and Gibbons was stopped by a good tackle after running through. Harrison saw her shot from 12-yards saved in the 79th minute, and Jodie Hutton’s dipping effort went over two minutes later for the hosts. Kitching made another save to deny Morgan in the 82nd minute. Morgan had another effort from close range saved five minutes later. Palace had the final chance of the match but Hughes put her effort wide. After the weekend’s matches, Bristol City remain three points clear of London City Lionesses at the top of the Championship. Lauren Smith’s side will look to continue their good start to the season when visit Charlton Athletic on Sunday. Dean Davenport will look to pick Crystal Palace up after three defeats in a row in all competitions when they travel to Durham on the same day. Line ups Bristol City: Bentley, Cataldo, Layzell, Bruce (Wilde 90’), Powell, Palmer (c) (Woolley 78’), Syme, Mustaki (C.Bull 69’), Morgan (Boddy 90’), Harrison, Hayles (Hutton 69’) Unused substitutes: Clark, J.Bull, Teisar Goals – Hayles 41’, Syme 48’, Harrison 52’ Crystal Palace: Kitching, Doran, Everett, Filbey, Waldie, Haines (c) (Barton 89’), Blanchard (Bailey-Gayle 62’), Guyatt (Olding 76’), Arthur (Peplow 62’), Gibbons (Sharpe 77’), Hughes Unused substitutes : Negri, Johnson, Reilly, Noble Booked – Waldie 46’, Peplow 66’ Referee – Amy Fearn Attendance – 671

Chelsea advance to the semi-finals as they hunt down a third successive FA Cup after cruising past Reading 3-1. Back Match Report FA Cup Quarter Final: Reading v Chelsea Chelsea advance to the semi-finals as they hunt down a third successive FA Cup after cruising past Reading 3-1. Getty 19 March 2023 Rosa Maitland Current FA Cup champions, Chelsea, booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final thanks to goals from Jess Carter, Maren Mjelde and Guro Reiten. With a busy week ahead on the road for Emma Hayes’ side she named a line-up with six changes to the team that beat Manchester United last weekend. Amongst others, attacking duo Sam Kerr and Lauren James dropped to the bench with Niamh Charles leading the line. Kelly Chambers, who was keen for her side to bounce back after their 4-0 defeat to Arsenal last week, made just three changes with Lily Woodham returning to the side following a spell out with injury. The last time the Blues travelled to Berkshire, Reading inflicted a rare 1-0 loss to the current WSL champions. The Royals’ will be hopeful for a similar scoreline as they aim to make the FA Cup semi-final again after a penalty loss in the same stage in 2019. It was a relatively quiet start from both sides with both teams enjoying spells of possession, although nothing to test either keeper. Charles’ had the first chance of the game as she took advantage of Grace Maloney’s poor pass, but the striker struggled to find the target. Reading had their fair share of chances, with most joy coming from the wings but the quality in the final third was lacking. Chelsea started to grow into the game and control the majority of possession. The visitors broke the deadlock midway through the first half when an initial corner was not dealt with by the Reading defence. Reiten picked up the ball before delivering an inviting cross to unmarked Carter at the back post who was able to tap it in. Minutes after Chelsea opened the scoring the visitors had a chance to add a second. Brooke Hendrix conceded a penalty after clattering into the back of Charles. Mjelde was able to calmly send the ball in the bottom left corner after sending Grace Maloney the wrong way. Reading responded well to going two behind and pulled one back for themselves only for it to be ruled offside. Sanne Troelsgaard Nielson picked up on a loose pass before emphatically thumping it home after a long wait the referee chalked it off for offside. Lily Woodham was a threat down the left hand side and delivered a good ball into the box, but the final finish was missing from Charlie Wellings whose header went just wide. Halftime: Reading 0-2 Chelsea Chambers made one change a half time with Gemma Evans replacing Brooke Hendrix. Chelsea found their third, just five minutes into the second half following a clinical passage of attacking play. A pinpoint through ball by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was met by Alsu Adbullina who unselfishly squared it to Reiten to make it 3-0. Following the third goal the home side struggled to see much of the ball and Chelsea looked to dominate and see out the game. Maloney had to remain switched on as she made a strong save to deny Charles her goal and Chelsea’s fourth. Charlie Wellings found herself in space after a Chelsea defensive error but fired her shot across goal. After her goal was ruled out offside earlier Troelsgaard found the back of the net for the second time, and this time it stood. Wellings did well to keep the ball in play before finding Troelsgaard who did well to hold of Millie Bright and find the left corner. Reading continued to look for a second to increase the pressure on Chelsea, but the visitors remained stubborn in their defending and Reading struggled to find the qualify in the final third. Fulltime: Reading 1–3 Chelsea The current FA Cup champions profess to the semi-finals, despite Reading’s chances they struggled to make them count and their focus will now turn to the WSL. Chambers’ side will now prepare for two crucial games against Brighton and Leicester. Meanwhile, Emma Hayes’ will prepare for her sides’ trip to Lyon in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions league quarter final, before travelling to Manchester City in the WSL. Line-ups Reading: Moloney, Bryson (Wade 65’), Mukandi (c), Wellings, Eikeland, Hendrix (Evans 45’), Mayi Kith, Moore, Rowe, Woodham, Troelsgaard Substitutes: Burns, Evans, Wade, Caldwell, Jane, Vanhaevermaet, Meadows Tuson Goal: Troelsgaard 70’ Chelsea: Musovic, Bright, Ingle (Akpan 65’), Carter, Reiten (Claypole 65’), Eriksson (c), Fleming (Blades 89’), Mjelde, Rytting Kaneryd (Brown 90’), Charles (Leupolz 80’), Adbullina Substitutes: Berger, Leupolz, James, Kerr, Buchanan, Claypole, Akpan, Blades, Brown Goals: Carter (23’), Mjelde (25’), Reiten (50’)

Chelsea clinch a win over West Ham at the Chigwell Construction Ground Back Match Report WSL: West Ham v Chelsea Chelsea clinch a win over West Ham at the Chigwell Construction Ground Paul Donegan 11 March 2022 By Paul Donegan After a day dominated by off the field news, Chelsea took on West Ham, who were unbeaten at home in the league, on Thursday evening at the Chigwell Construction Stadium looking to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the WSL. Chelsea started off brightly and Pernille Harder saw a header hit the post from a Jonna Andersson corner in the first 2 minutes. Sam Kerr had a header easily saved in the 8th minute and shortly after Ji put a shot wide. In the 17th minute, Bethany England saw an effort saved and seconds later Sophie Ingle saw a long range shot go over. Chelsea did take the lead after 21 minutes when after West Ham gave the ball away, Andersson passed to Harder who took a touch and shot into the corner of the net. Three minutes later Chelsea increased their lead when Harder headed back to Niamh Charles who scored with a shot from outside the area that took deflection on its way in. West Ham’s first effort came in the 26th minute when Tameka Yallop saw her curling, dipping effort tipped over by Zecira Musovic in goal for Chelsea. The resulting corner was scrambled clear by Chelsea. It was 3-0 to Chelsea after 33 minutes when Ji’s delightful through ball was headed in by Harder for her second goal of the match. Yallop saw a header saved in the 38th minute as West Ham looked to get a goal back before half time. Two minutes later, in a repeat of the corner routine from earlier in the half, Andersson crossed but Harder this time saw her header go over. West Ham had a good chance to get a goal back two minutes before half time when Katerina Svitoka headed wide Kate Longhurst’s cross. West Ham started the second half well and scored three minutes after the break when Longhurst’s cross was volleyed in by Dagny Brynjarsdottir. West Ham continued to be the better side and Svitoka saw a long range shot go wide after 51 minutes and 10 minutes later the same player saw a header caught by the Chelsea goalkeeper. Chelsea didn’t have a second half chance until the 63rd minute when they made it 4-1 when after a bit of pinball between West Ham players in their own box, the ball fell to Kerr who finished from inside the area. Chelsea blocked a West Ham chance after 65 minutes as they looked to get back into the game again. After coming on a substitute in the 75th minute, Lois Joel had two late chances for West Ham when she saw a header saved after 81 minutes and three minutes later saw a shot from the edge of the area saved low down. A big win for Chelsea as they move five points behind Arsenal in the league with two games in hand. Teams West Ham United: Arnold, Parker, Flaherty, Cissoko, Longhurst, Hasegawa, Brynjarsdottir, Svitkova (Joel 76’), Wyne (Evans 57’), Yallop (Filis 76’), Walker (Leon 57’) Unused substitutes: Stringer, Snerle, Leat, Cairns, Houssein Goal - Brynjarsdottir 48’ Chelsea: Musovic, Carter, Bright, Nouwen, Charles, Ingle, Ji (Reiten 67’), Andersson (Abdullina 76’), England (Spence 67’), Harder (James 79’), Kerr Unused substitutes: Mjelde, Berger Goals – Harder 21’, 33’, Charles 24’, Kerr 63’ Referee – Carl Brook

Stevenage earned a 4-2 victory over rivals Royston Town Back Match Report Royston Town v Stevenage Stevenage earned a 4-2 victory over rivals Royston Town Edward Payne 27 March 2023 By Barry Ross Mathilda Fidler was the catalyst for Stevenage FCW to reach their second semi final of the season as they defeated Royston Town in a competitive match at Garden Walks on Sunday. With the knowledge that both sides will contest the County Cup final in a month’s time, this match could have been seen as the dress rehearsal, had it not been for the two league games that had already taken place. Those occasions had led to a victory for the team playing at home, however, that advantage was immediately nullified as Stevenage got off to a blistering start. Kelsey Millen showed early attacking endeavour and sent a superb ball through the defence to Fidler who fired the ball low into the net and stunning the home side. Royston soon settled into the game and worked to regain parity. Annie Georgiou sent a long range effort goalwards from around 25 yards, but Mia O’Brien was equal to it and turned it expertly around the post. There was no such luck for O’Brien when the equaliser arrived. This time, Georgia Miller was in space at the edge of the box and took control of the ball as it was headed clear from a corner. Her shot was placed brilliantly out of reach of the diving O’Brien who was left with no chance. Photo: Edward Payne The game continued at pace and with both sides battling to gain the ascendancy. Amy Gooderham had a good opportunity after Shianne Swarres set her free, but after a neat shift to the right, the ball was sent just wide of goal. At the opposite end, Poppy Smith was left one-on-one with O’Brien who raced out and saved well with her legs to prevent the goal. Smith may have been unlucky but she received a huge slice of luck with a few minutes of the first half remaining. This time, O’Brien’s legs could only take the pace off the ball after Smith took advantage of a loose ball in the defence. Vicky Neal raced back and she looked to have cleared the ball off the line but the official, whose sight was obscured by Neal herself, gave the goal despite protestations from the captain for the day. With time almost up for the half, Boro’ won a free kick on the left flank which Nicole Farmer lined up. Her shot went high and over Amy Martin who could not prevent the ball from bouncing into the net and ending a pulsating first half with both sides level. Photo: Edward Payne With the threat of extra time looming, both sides wanted to put the game to bed before the ninety expired. Stevenage had the first chance of note when Erin Price met a Millen corner with her head, sending a looping header that threatened to go in but bounced off the crossbar and out for a goal kick instead. It took three minutes for Stevenage to regain control of the tie. Swarres lofted a ball over the top for Gooderham to race onto. Her control was good and her shot powerful, but Martin was equal to it. She could only parry the ball, however, and Fidler was on hand to guide the ball into the empty net. The Crows were never going to drift silently into the cup abyss and fought tooth and nail to peg Boro’ back. It was difficult for either team to get into a flow with a flurry of stoppages and infringements, but with the game on a knife edge it needed a calm head. Enter captain Lucy Webster. Her effortless running caused the defence trouble, but it was her accuracy that eventually did it for Royston. Rosy Wodhams took control of a melee in the middle of the area and threaded a ball into Webster who took aim with her right foot sending the ball neatly past Martin and securing the tie for Stevenage. Manager Fadi Mazloum said afterwards “I know Tilly’s qualities and we put her in the Development squad to get her rhythm. I feel like it’s here now, to get two goals in a game like this and the Player of the Match award too. We knew we had the quality, we just needed to work harder than them and it paid dividends” The cliché goes that football was the winner in games like these. It would be churlish to use that line in a game where Stevenage advance in a trophy that they have not contested for many years. However, with the County Cup final looming on the 23rd April, it is apparent that anybody attending will be treated to an absolute belter on this evidence. Line-Ups Royston XI: Martin, Fox-Barker, Georgiou, Page, Houghton, Gunn, Hendricks, Miller, Croucher, South, Smith Subs: Lucas, Holt, Todd Goals: Miller, Smith Stevenage XI: O’Brien, Neal (c), Farmer, Brooks, Swarres, Price, Bodily, Millen, Nebbitt, Gooderham, Fidler Subs: Webster, Shephard, Schofield, Wodhams, Hendy Goals: Fidler (2), Farmer, Webster

London City Lionesses v Bristol City Photographer Ryan Asman London City Lionesses put on a stout display against top of the table rivals Bristol City to close the gap to just three points with a 2-0 win. Midfielder Atlanta Primus netted a five-minute brace in the early stage of the second half, rewarding the Pride for their first half efforts which had the Robins on the ropes more than once. Winger Jamie-Lee Napier had come the closest to opening the scoring before the 45' mark with two almost identical chances created by Amy Rodgers. The holding midfielder played a spectacular game and showed off her illustrious skillset both defensively, with quick feet and adroit ball shielding, and in attack by providing sublime through balls that cut through Bristol's backline like a knife through butter. Goalkeeper Fran Bentley was also called up into action to put a stop to Shanade Hopcroft's excellent deadball deliveries, notably when captain Harley Bennett was the one getting on the end of them. Bentley made a number of good saves throughout the match and did well to deny the Pride's flurry of efforts that might have earned them a third goal. Bristol did work a few chances over the course of the 90' but never quite found their stride despite some nice runs and clever movement from the usually deadly Grace Clinton, Abi Harrison and Shania Hayles. The downfall of the Robins did not necessarily lie in their quality on the ball nor in their attacking passages of play (in fact, both of these were far more well executed than London City), but with their inability to win duels - most apparently in midfield - and possession miscues which allowed London City to easily win back balls. Bristol also did not use London City's weaker areas to their advantage, including the Pride's extremely narrow formation of play. With centre-forward Sarah Ewens playing on the right wing and right-footed Jamie-Lee Napier on the left, London City were constantly holding the ball up and cutting in centrally. This meant wide areas were left exposed and could have been exploited more aggressively. Bristol did not make good enough use of the wings to stretch their opposition out towards the touchlines once possession had been gained in their own half. Instead, the Robins also largely relied on playing through central lanes, however the Pride's midfield trio of Primus, Hopcroft and Rodgers physically made it difficult to progress much further and flying Robins were grounded to a halt. This result means the top of the Championship is mighty close leading into the final weeks of the season and things have just gotten a whole lot more interesting. Words by Charlotte Stacey

Women's Football Weekend kicks off with a massive Merseyside Derby Back Match Preview Merseyside Derby: Everton v Liverpool Women's Football Weekend kicks off with a massive Merseyside Derby Ryan Asman 24 March 2023 By Charlotte Stacey An evening at Goodison Park will kick off this year’s Women’s Football Weekend with a massive Merseyside derby. Over 20,000 tickets have been sold to catch the 15th meeting between Everton and Liverpool in the WSL. Currently, the Toffees are narrowly ahead with six victories to Liverpool’s five, all other ties have ended evenly. Home Side Everton have progressed steadily this season, rising to the middle of the table whilst rebuilding a sense of identity after a somewhat disastrous run of form last term. The Toffees are currently winless in their last three games after they failed to find the back of the net against relegation zoned Leicester City last week. Despite this dry spell Brian Sorensen’s side are certainly capable of matching, and indeed beating, their Merseyside rivals as they won by three goals to nil in the reverse fixture. Youngsters Jess Park and Aggie Beaver-Jones have proven to be rather elusive for oppositions this season with their pace and trickery making them difficult to keep hold of. Alongside central playmaker Hanna Bennison, the Toffees have real creative potential forming in the middle and attacking thirds. Everton's Courtney Brosnan. Photo: Ryan Asman Further back, goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan also has a fair few standout moments under her belt, notably an almost one-woman effort to deny title contenders Manchester United a goal just a few weeks ago. Expect another big performance from the Ireland international tonight. Away Side Liverpool have performed fairly well and kept themselves afloat in their first season back in the top division. Whilst it hasn’t been a perfect run, the Reds have performed with character and class and shown that they deserve to be competing with the best. Boss Matt Beard has used a number of different formations this season, usually opting for a defensively structured 5-4-1 against pressing sides and more ‘evenly’ spread 4-3-3’s when taking on more resistant teams. Looking at these patterns, it would be fair to predict that Beard will likely use a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 variation this evening. The Reds do not have the most impressive record away from home and have only won one in their last 16 games on the road. However, they are dogged in coming back from behind, having claimed eight points from losing positions this season, and should not be written off until the final whistle has blown. Ones to watch Everton's Gabby George. Photo: Ryan Asman Whilst the home side excite with their zesty wingers, a player that should not be overlooked is Gabby George. The defender has transformed under the management of Sorensen who, by pushing George out to a wide position, has utilised her supportive attacking attributes whilst still benefitting from her defensive prowess. George operates along the left hand-side fulfilling both the left-back and wingback roles when the Toffees opt for a 3-4-3. With tact, George plays the supportive role well becoming an extra body in attacking phases whilst also tracking back and providing her trademark blocks when defending. Undoubtably, George is one of Everton’s most imperative figures. Liverpool's Katie Stengel. Photo: Ryan Asman On the other side, Liverpool’s Katie Stengel is a rather superb centre-forward. The American striker has netted six goals in 13 WSL appearances so far, yet her presence on the field brings much more than just goals. Stengel is a typically relentless central striker, chasing down loose balls, off-the-shoulder runs, instinctively ready to get on the end of crosses and deliveries. Stengel, however, is also an exceptional example of an attacking player “defending from the front”. With aggression, Stengel puts pressure on single opponents and the movement of the ball in attempt to cut out passages of play from oppositions before they start. All in all, the lively Red could prove to be a real nuisance to Everton’s centre-halves. How to watch The match will be shown live on Sky Sports for viewers in the UK with coverage beginning at 19:00 (GMT). The FA Player will also stream the game for those watching outside of the UK, however please also check local listings.

Arsenal exit Continental Cup at the hands of Manchester United. Back Match Report Conti Cup: Arsenal v Manchester United Arsenal exit Continental Cup at the hands of Manchester United. Julian Finney 20 January 2022 By Josh Bunting Arsenal went down 1-0 to Manchester United at Meadow Park as the Gunners hopes of adding another trophy to the cabinet ended on Wednesday night. Alessia Russo’s late header proved to be enough to dump the Gunners out of the Continental Tyres League Cup. Arsenal started with a high intensity, pressing Manchester United from the off ,with Jordan Nobbs getting a shot in but it was directed into the hands of Sophie Baggaley. With 11 minutes on the clock the Gunners put a fine move together ,when Beth Mead poked the ball into Katie McCabe and her cross was a whisker away of finding the sliding Vivianne Miedema at the back-post. McCabe’s crosses were causing Manchester United issues, as she flashed a low ball across the box but neither Miedema or the onrushing Nikita Parris at the back-post could make a connection. Mead , McCabe and Nobbs link up play down the left was giving the Red Devils plenty to think about as McCabe cut inside once more but was well tackled by Kirsty Hanson. Manchester United however came close to opening the scoring on 22 minutes when Nobbs gave the ball away to Martha Thomas,who drove forward playing a low pass into the path of Ella Toone who drilled her shot across goal and wide. The Red Devils started to come into their stride when Thomas held of Viktoria Schnaderbeck on the edge off the box, pulling the ball back to Hanson who’s shot was easily held by Manuela Zinsberger. As the half was coming to a close Arsenal had a half chance via Mead who cut inside however, her low shot was blocked by Maria Thorisdóttir. Arsenal had the first opening of the second half on 51 minutes when Toone brought down Mead outside the area, allowing Mead so swing in a free-kick for Miedema to head over the crossbar. Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall then was to find himself in the book as Thomas clattered Mead heavily with the Swede reacting in an angry manner. Thomas was also booked in the process for her challenge on the Gunners number 9. Eidevall then made his first change of the game as Schnaderbeck was replaced by the returning Leah Williamson who was met by a rapturous reception by the Arsenal faithful. Mead didn’t recover from that earlier knock as she was replaced in a triple substitution that saw two debutants, as Stina Blackstenius and Laura Wienroither came on for Noelle Maritz and Miedema as Heath replaced Mead. Manchester United were inches away from taking the lead in a second half of very few chances, when Vilde Bøe Risa drove a strike just wide from the edge of the area when it looked for all the world it would nestle into the corner of the net. Mark Skinner’s side however did take the lead five minutes from time, when Beattie gave away a free-kick allowing Katie Zelem to float the ball into the box for Russo who came off the bench to head into the back of the net. Arsenal did have one big chance before the end however , Heath getting on the end of a cross before heading wide as the Gunners excited the competition at the quarter-final stage. Eidevall now has to get his side to react in a positive manner when they travel to Manchester City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. Teams Arsenal Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger; Maritz (Wienroither, 70), Schnaderbeck (Williamson, 61), Beattie, McCabe; Maanum, Little; Parris, Nobbs, Mead (Heath, 70); Miedema (Blackstenius, 70) Subs not used: Stenson,Goldie, Boye, Head Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Mannion, Turner, Blundell; Ladd (Boe Risa, 73), Zelem; Hanson (Fuso, 34), Toone, Galton (Batlle, 73); Thomas (Russo, 73) Subs not used: Earps ,Smith, Jones Referee: Tom Reeves

Bromley bow out of FA Cup in heavy 9-0 defeat to confident Millwall Back Match Report FA Cup: Bromley v Millwall Lionesses Bromley bow out of FA Cup in heavy 9-0 defeat to confident Millwall Bromley FC 2 October 2022 By Charlotte Stacey A sunny Sunday afternoon saw a record crowd of 669 pack out Hayes Lane to see Bromley take on the Millwall Lionesses in the FA Cup Second Round Qualifiers. After a bright start from Bromley and a couple of early attacking spells, the visitors slid into gear and scored the opener at the 18-minute mark. Millwall’s Otesha Charles darted through the middle before threading an inch perfect ball to Angel Reid. Reid was able to skip round onrushing goalkeeper Sophie Porou and, despite a valiant goal line block from defender Hannah Paige, send the ball over the line. Millwall’s next goal came just four minutes later after two blocks, again by Porou and Paige respectively, was not enough to keep Reid out for the second time. Things quickly unravelled for Bromley from this point and the Lionesses took full advantage of this netting another three goals in a five-minute period. As was a common theme throughout the first half, the visitors sixth goal came from a through ball that split the centre-backs. This time it was clinched by Gemma Bryan, who after silkily decoying the keeper, calmly struck a perfectly weighted ball into the back of the net. Just before the half time whistle blew, Millwall made it seven when Charles managed to poke another passed Porou after a scramble in the six-yard box. Millwall were in the driving seat heading into the break after finding they were able to slip beyond the backline with off the shoulder runs far too easily and far too frequently. This was made simpler for the visitors by Bromley gifting the Lionesses easy routes to the finish line through 'off' decision making in and out of possession, rash ball placement and ‘clustering’ in the defensive third. To the crowd’s delight the home side took charge of the reigns for the first part of the second half leading to a huge chance for Tanya Holley. After collecting the ball in a prime position, Holley beat out the defender in a 1v1 situation and managed to release a low and hard shot. Her effort flashed just wide and hit the side netting. It was not long, however, before Millwall put their stamp on the scoresheet once again, this time through Reid who was able to snake the ball in from the left and strike it sublimely past the keeper. The Ravens had themselves another big chance just before the 70-minute mark after Holley squared a clever pass to Jade Davenport who had made the run into the area. Davenport dribbled into space before goalkeeper Serena Hand came in with a strong challenge on the ball to direct the effort away. Millwall’s ninth and final goal of the match was a headed effort by Charles from a corner at 75 minutes. Despite the result, Bromley put on a much tidier display in the second half. They were able to pin back Millwall into negative spaces through more disciplined marking and restrict the time and space the Lionesses had front of goal. However, a lack of confidence in their own decision making when in possession meant Bromley were unable to claw one back. Plenty of smiling faces, however, showed the Ravens crowd were in high spirits until the final whistle with players being swarmed by adoring fans after the match. Supporters were also treated to face painting, a half time penalty shootout and a meet and greet with players. Line-ups Bromley: Sophie Porou (GK), Hannah Paige (C), Mercedes Bromfield, Frankie Mardon (25’), Ellie Bovill, Kira Howard, Stacie Taylor, Jade Davenport, Olivia Woolacott, Tanya Holley, Kristodia Danso Substitutes: Becky Bays-Pickett, Samantha Kilroy-Downs, Morgan Parnell, Abi Washington (25’), Katie Busher, Millie Main, Charlotte Bennett Yellow Cards: Bromfield 73’ Millwall Lionesses : Serena Hand (GK), Millie Connell, Jasmine Auguste, Lauren Williams, Poppy Payne (C), Otesha Charles, Milly Penfold, Gemma Bryan (69’), Jade Keogh, Maisie Joyce, Angel Reid Substitutes: Amy Lewington, Sharna Giordani, Lucy Jellett (69’), Mollie Hawkins, Sophie McCormick, Chanel Richards, Amy Nash Goals: Angel Reid - 18’, 21’, 55’ Gemma Bryan – 23’, 35’ Milly Penfold – 25’ Otesha Charles – 27’, 44’, 75’ POTM: Tanya Holley Attendance: 669