As the Women's Super League season nears its climax, there is still plenty to be decided at both ends of the table.
Manchester United set the tone for another weekend of thrilling top flight action with a dramatic late win over Carla Ward's spirited Aston Villa side. Local rivals Manchester City also registered a crucial victory to keep their own title hopes alive, coming from behind to beat Reading by four goals to one.
Defeat means the Royals remain rooted to the bottom of the table, following Leicester City's 4-0 rout of Liverpool, and Tottenham's dramatic draw with fellow strugglers Brighton.
Here are five talking points from this weekend's Women's Super League action
Manchester United show title credentials
Heroic comebacks. Last-gasp winners. Triumphs over adversity. All hallmarks of a title-winning team. All hallmarks of Marc Skinner's Manchester United side.
When Millie Turner rose to nod home Katie Zelem's free-kick in the third minute of stoppage time on Friday night, there was a palpable sense that maybe, just maybe, this could be United's year.
It hadn't been plain sailing for the Reds at Bescot Stadium. A sublime Rachel Daly header saw Aston Villa take the lead just nine minutes into the contest in the West Midlands, before Leah Galton restored parity for the visitors with a fine, sliding finish.
United weren't level for long, though - the talismanic Daly rifling home her 17th goal of the campaign to give Villa the lead heading into the break. It is at this juncture lesser teams may have crumbled. But, as United have proved on so many occassions this term, they're made of sterner stuff.
Marc Skinner has assembled a side who thrive under pressure - who flower, rather than wilt, under the burdensome glare of the spotlight. So it proved, when Nikita Parris levelled up the scoring on the hour mark, and then again when Turner's imperious leap yielded the match-winner in the dying embers of stoppage time.
“The great Manchester United men’s teams never game up, it’s called Fergie time for a reason,” Skinner told the media after Friday's five-goal thriller. “The reality is that there is a mentality behind that concept.
“This result shows much more about our mentality and it’s a massive sign of what we can achieve. Those are signs of a team that is on the up and growing. We can achieve what we want to do if we keep that attitude.”
United are now three points clear at the top of the WSL table - seven points above their most formidable title rival, Chelsea, who have three games in hand on the current league leaders. Marc Skinner's side have three games left to play before the end of the season, including a mouth-watering clash with second-place Manchester City. But, as they proved again on Friday, United will not - and should not - fear anyone, and their quest for a first ever WSL title looks like it might just bear fruit.
Leicester not dead yet
For a large portion of this breathtaking, bewildering WSL season, it seemed like Leicester City's relegation was a foregone conclusion.
At the turn of the year, the Foxes had failed to pick up a single point; their dire domestic form brutally encapsulated in their 8-0 defeat to Chelsea in December 2022. But, under the stewardship of Willie Kirk, Leicester have slowly but surely begun to turn things around.
The Foxes recruited shrewdly in the January transfer window, with goalkeeper Janina Leitzig - on loan at the King Power from Bayern Munich - proving to be a revelation. And Leicester's determination to avoid an imminent exile to the Championship was on full display on Saturday afternoon, when they treated Liverpool to a 4-0 drubbing in the East Midlands.
Josie Green's deflected strike gave the Foxes the lead just 15 minutes into the contest before Carrie Jones doubled the hosts' advantage with an explosive, long-range effort. Goals from Ashleigh Plumptre and Missy Goodwin compounded Liverpool's misery in the second half, with the victory lifting Leicester off the foot of the WSL table and up into 10th place.
"Everybody has talked about us being under pressure, we absolutely are, but we’ve never hidden away from that fact," Willie Kirk said after the game.
“We’ve told the players they’re under pressure and every time we’ve done that, they’ve responded. We’ll continue to do that.”
Kirk's statement perfectly epitomises Leicester's steely resilience and will likely inspire a sense of foreboding among the Foxes' relegation rivals heading into the final weeks of the season.
Reading in trouble
Leicester City's ascent from the bottom of the WSL table saw Reading become the unlucky incumbent of the league's sole relegation spot.
The Royals are two points adrift of safety, having played a game more than many of the teams above them, and did little to allay fears that they could soon find themselves operating in English football's second tier with Sunday's chastening 4-1 defeat away to Manchester City.
Kelly Chambers' side made a bright start to the clash at the Academy Stadium; Sanne Troelsgaard finding the back of the net with a smartly-taken effort with less than 60 seconds on the clock. But Manchester City - who are chasing a Champions League spot and have not yet abandoned hopes of clinching a second WSL title - rallied quickly, with goals from Chloe Kelly, Bunny Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Steph Houghton ultimately securing a comprehensive victory for Gareth Taylor's side.
Reading have a tricky run in to navigate in the remaining weeks of the season. Next weekend's meeting with fifth-placed Aston Villa will be followed by a trip to fellow strugglers Tottenham, before the Royals host reigning champions Chelsea on the final day of the campaign.
After eight consecutive seasons in the WSL, Reading stand on the precipice of relegation. And time is running out for Kelly Chambers' side to escape that dismal fate.
Beth England to the rescue
When it comes to signings of the season, it's hard to overlook Beth England.
The Tottenham striker arrived at Brisbane road from Chelsea in the January window, and has already scored eight goals for Vicky Jepson's side. The fact that Spurs have won just one game since the turn of the year is certainly not a reflection of the 28-year-old's prolificacy in front of goal.
Indeed, that England's strike proved instrumental in securing that solitary victory - against Leicester in March - speaks volumes about just how critical her contributions have been since making the switch across London.
The striker was once again on hand again to divert Spurs away from disaster on Saturday afternoon. Elisabeth Terland had put Brighton - who, like Spurs, have spent much of the campaign mired in relegation disquietude - ahead inside ten minutes at the Tottenham Hostspur Stadium. England's smart header offered an immediate response for the hosts, however Brighton restored their advatage through Lee Geum-min in the second half.
With time running out, England drilled an effort past Lydia Williams to salvage a draw for Spurs, who are now just three points off the bottom of the table.
"With her experience, she can pull a goal out of anywhere," interim coach Jepson said, reflecting on England's scinitillating form. "We’ve seen that with Spurs. She’s deserved the opportunity to go and put on the Lionesses shirt and represent her country at a World Cup."
While only time will tell whether England has done enough to convince Sarina Wiegman to reserve her a seat on the plane Down Under this summer, those of a Tottenham persuasion will be hoping there is no let up in her domestic form. If there is, they could be in big trouble.
No let up in race for Golden Boot
With just a few weeks of the domestic season remaining, the race for the Golden Boot is heating up. And the WSL's two pace-setters in front of goal were both on target this weekend as the pursuit for a slice of individual glory enters its concluding stages.
A Rachel Daly double was almost enough to earn Aston Villa a point on Friday night, though Carla Ward's side ultimately saw their hopes dashed by Mille Turner's late winner. Still, Daly did her chances of securing a starting spot in the Lionesses frontline no harm, notching her 16th - and then subsequently her 17th - goal of the season in expert fashion.
But if the 31-year-old is to finish the campaign as the crème de la crème of the WSL'S goalscoring heroes, she will have to outscore the formidable Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw. Manchester City's No. 27 became the league's outright top score with her 18th goal of the season on Sunday, as Gareth Taylor's side romped to a 4-1 victory over Reading.
It's been a stellar season for the Jamaican, who became City's highest-scoring women’s player across a single season earlier this term. Regardless of whether it is her or Daly who bags the accolade come the end of May, both players deserve enormous credit for the heady heights they have reached this season.
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