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Both Arsenal and Manchester City had significant wins on the road against Liverpool and Tottenham, respectively, in order to stay in contention with the top team in the Women’s Super League, Chelsea, who are also the defending champions.
Vivianne Miedema, who returned to the field in October after a 312-day absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, scored her first goal since December 2022 in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Prenton Park.
Leah Williamson made a comeback from her ACL injury and played as a substitute in Arsenal’s Conti Cup win against Reading during the week. She was included in the Gunners team by manager Jonas Eidevall, who was celebrating his 41st birthday and 100th game in charge. However, she did not get to play.
In the month of January, Emily Fox, who was signed and named player of the match, played a crucial role in the setup for both goals. Caitlin Foord scored Arsenal’s second goal with her left foot, making them the first team in WSL history to reach 500 points.
The outcome brought Arsenal to the same level as City with 28 points, which is three points behind the Blues.
The reason for City’s higher goal difference is primarily attributed to Khadija Shaw’s strong performance, as she scored her 12th goal of the season, tying for the top spot in the WSL, during their 2-0 win against Tottenham.
In November, City had defeated their opponent by seven goals. Though Spurs put up a tougher fight this time, Shaw, who is tied with Lauren James as the WSL’s leading goal-scorer, still made an impact with her goal on Sunday.
Gareth Taylor’s team gained the upper hand after nine minutes when Tottenham’s defender, Amy Turner, scored an own goal. Shaw secured the victory for the team.
The Spurs remain in sixth place after Robert Vilahamn’s team lost their four-game winning streak, despite a strong performance at Brisbane Road.
Nikita Parris scored twice to secure Manchester United’s 2-1 win against Aston Villa and relieve the pressure on head coach Marc Skinner, who had been facing demands from certain fans to step down.
After suffering defeats in three of their last five league games, United has fallen behind the top three and is now 10 points behind the leaders. However, they are still in the running for securing a spot in the Champions League for next season.
Parris scored both of her goals in the first half as United secured their second home league victory of the season. Rachel Daly scored one goal for her team on the hour mark, but it was a controversial penalty decision.
Villa’s defeat added to their challenging week, as they await a decision on their potential expulsion from the League Cup. This follows the incident of fielding Noelle Maritz as a substitute during their 7-0 win against Sunderland on Wednesday, which was deemed ineligible.
In a different location, Janice Cayman led Leicester to a 1-0 win against Everton, marking the second time the Foxes have beaten the Toffees in five days since their 5-1 Conti Cup triumph on Wednesday.
Bristol City is still in the relegation spot in the WSL and is looking for only their second victory of the season. They lost 2-1 to West Ham in a match between the bottom two teams.
In the 13th minute, Honoka Hayashi scored the first goal, but Amalie Thestrup equalized after the game resumed. However, Viviane Asseyi’s goal in the 55th minute secured a crucial win for her team, putting them three points ahead of their opponents.
Source: independent.co.uk
