How do Arsenal play against Chelsea, only for Manchester United to end up winning? Sunday is how.
The most anticipated fixture of the Women’s Super League season featured a late twist in the tail as Sam Kerr’s late header earned champions Chelsea a point at the Emirates, with United’s subsequent 6-0 win against Liverpool in Leigh bringing Marc Skinner’s side right into the middle of a stirring title race.
With the midway point of the campaign upon us, all three teams can claim to have the title in their own hands.
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Arsenal had deservedly led in the game of the weekend, Kim Little’s penalty early in the second half giving them the lead at a time when they were the only team truly threatening the goal. It took Emma Hayes’ visitors 70 minutes to even get a shot on target, but they truly began to put the Gunners under pressure in the dying stages in front of 46,811 people in north London.
And Kerr’s emphatic header from a wonderful cross by substitute Jelena Cankovic gave the champs a split of the points. But while Chelsea will have been buoyed by their late rescue of a draw, their first failure to win in 10 games has allowed United to move within three points with a game in hand and a superior goal difference.
United hammered local rivals Liverpool at Leigh Sports Village in a performance which deserved a bigger stage. The game was over as a contest fairly quickly, with Lucia Garcia opening the scoring with a deflected effort from Ona Batlle’s cross in the sixth minute and Alessia Russo doubled the lead with a low drive from Ella Toone’s pass.
Hayley Ladd added a third with a header just before the break, and Millie Turner’s redirected shot off Emma Koivisto, Martha Thomas’ second-touch finish and a Rachel Williams header from Ladd’s cross wrapped up the huge victory.
United move ahead of Arsenal into second place on goal difference, and while the Red Devils’ game in hand doesn’t take place until mid-February they do in theory have the chance to go ahead of Chelsea by matching the Blues’ results between now and then. But Arsenal also enjoy the benefit of an extra game to play, with only a four-goal difference separating them and United.
With each of the three big guns having dropped only five points so far this season, and Manchester City only three worse off, the WSL could bring all the title drama this term if the Premier League gets decided early.
There’s also some new intrigue at the bottom after Leicester City picked up their first win of the campaign over second-bottom Brighton & Hove Albion. The Foxes’ 3-0 victory takes them to within four points of Brighton and Reading, Women’s Super League season’s while also putting a bit of extra pressure on new Seagulls boss Jens Scheuer.
