Arsenal hope title hangs by a thread
Arsenal’s title quest hit a major setback when they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against West Ham on Sunday. After a dominant performance to take a 1-0 lead in the first half, Jonas Eidevall’s team dropped the ball completely, with disastrous consequences. Arsenal have lost three games in the WSL this season and the statistics do not support a late title claim: previous champions have never lost more than twice. Probably the biggest concern is that these three defeats have all come against teams they are capable of beating (Liverpool, Tottenham and now West Ham). Eidevall said of the latest setback: “We are really disappointed about it. It’s a frustrating lesson to start the second half as slowly as we did, but we need to focus on the things we can control; These are the next matches.” Emilia Hawkins
Match report: West Ham 2-1 Arsenal
Harris’ Brighton era begins with defeat
All eyes were on Leigh Sports Village as Brighton took to the field for the first time under Mikey Harris. Brighton’s new interim manager took the reins just three days ago following the shock sacking of Melissa Phillips. There didn’t seem to be much change at the start for the Seagulls, who pressed well at times but posed little threat, as they had all season long. They eventually led Manchester United 2-0 and managed just two shots on target, both from Elisabeth Terland. United’s Marc Skinner has arguably been under more constant pressure than Phillips this campaign, and similar frustrations have continued. Despite a win that left them just four points clear of the Champions League places, they struggled to score at times and recorded one of their lowest xGs of the season. Skinner will thank his lucky stars for the form of Nikita Parris, whose brace has improved to eight throughout the season. Sophie Downey
Relating to: WSL recap: Liverpool save Spurs while Manchester United sink Brighton
Manchester City continues its winning streak
With the exception of Chelsea, Manchester City are arguably the in-form team this season and have extended their impressive run to seven consecutive wins at the Joie Stadium. It wasn’t pretty at times for Gareth Taylor, who was forced to work hard by a resilient Leicester, but they dug in and found a way to secure a 2-0 win. With Khadija Shaw not among the goalscorers, it is rare for City’s dynamic wingers to come to the fore once again. The form of Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly was remarkable and they finally unraveled the Foxes’ stubborn defense as the game drew to a close. Both finishes were eye-catching in their own right – Hemp began performing acrobatics before Kelly scored directly from a corner two minutes later. It was a result that kept the pressure on their next opponents, Chelsea, when the league restarted 11 days later. SD
Jones shows Villa how it’s done
Bristol City’s Carrie Jones showed Aston Villa attackers how to make it 2-2 with a 25-yard screamer at the Bescot Stadium. Following a weak strike from Villa midfielder Kenza Dali, Jones controlled the loose ball, looked up to take his place and fired past a helpless Daphne van Domselaar into the top right corner. Speaking after the game, Bristol City manager Lauren Smith appeared unsurprised by the midfielder’s strike. “When Carrie picks it up, when she places herself in it… it only goes one place. Clinics operate in these areas. Aston Villa, however, were far from clinical. While the home team had 72% of the ball, they recorded 36 shots compared to the guest team’s four shot attempts. Despite Carla Ward’s side dominating the game, Bristol City stood firm as Villa increased the pressure, resulting in a goal-line lead of two at the end. They’ll need more last ditch defense and stun attacks if they’re going to survive this year. Xaymaca Awoyungbo
Chelsea win overshadowed by penalties and cards
Everton midfielder Clare Wheeler was the center of attention as Everton lost 3-0 to WSL leaders Chelsea at Kingsmeadow. The Australian gave away two penalties at half-time; The first was probably understandable but still harsh. Johanna Rytting cleared the ball well before catching Kaneryd. Guro Reiten gave the champions the lead when he drilled the spot-kick past Courtney Brosnan. The second match after 72 minutes was clearer; Wheeler struggled to catch up and tackled Mayra Ramírez, who looked fantastic in her first Chelsea start. All this was too much for Everton manager Brian Sørensen; He was later shown a yellow card after confusion about the substitution he wanted to make, and then a red card for dissent. XA
“Great goal from Chelsea”
Chelsea Captain Erin Cuthbert entered the penalty area and fired a beautiful shot past Brosnan and into the final corner ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Rl5CdJBT1l
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 4, 2024
Tottenham conceded to drop two points again
As the clock ticked down at Prenton Park, it looked like we were about to witness something as rare as Tottenham keeping a clean sheet. They managed to keep clean sheets in only two of their last 29 league matches towards the weekend. Make this 30. As the game entered extra time, Marie Höbinger carefully avoided a challenge on the edge of the penalty area and sent the ball behind Barbora Votikova, ensuring the match ended 1-1. Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn was nevertheless pleased with the team’s performance, including the defence. “They defended very well as Liverpool didn’t have many chances and the goal actually came from miscommunication,” he said. “So I’m happy with how we pressed and how we defended.” Marcus Christenson