Chelsea down but not out in Europe
Chelsea may have lost 1-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but afterwards they were relatively buoyant. Playing against the possession-heavy and quick-moving Catalans is one of the trickiest tests in football. “You have to be in the tie. We’re in the tie,” said the Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes. She is right but Barcelona walked away the more content side. Yes, they did not capitalise on their dominance to a greater extent, but their play (and injuries to Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan) forced Chelsea to change shape, to a back five. As the Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh put it: “We always score a lot of goals at Camp Nou.” Chelsea have a near-impossible task in Spain but shaking players free of Barcelona’s press long enough for them to release Sam Kerr will be key to any hopes of a colossal upset. SW
Arsenal defy odds in Wolfsburg
The crumpled bodies of the Wolfsburg players and noise from the raucous pocket of Arsenal fans spoke to the momentum shift in the second Champions League semi-final. Arsenal’s comeback from two goals down to take a 2-2 draw to the Emirates was truly impressive in the context of their injury crisis and depleted bench. The mental strength it takes to come back after conceding to big sides is somewhat new to Arsenal but the manager, Jonas Eidevall, said: “Either you are always just connected to the result or you see a challenge as an opportunity to learn and to grow. And if you look at it that way and stay process-oriented and always try to find the details, it is all down to the players and their mentality that they keep finding that way.” The tie may be level but Arsenal have belief and a huge home crowd awaits in the home leg next Monday. SW
Manchester City keep up title chase
Manchester City gave a loud and clear message to the teams at the top of the table with an emphatic 6-2 win over West Ham. The message? City are still going for the title and this win keeps them a mere three points behind Manchester United. Chloe Kelly was a key performer and threw the West Ham defence into disarray on several occasions. She scored two goals in quick succession in the first half after going six games without one. The game ended with five different City scorers. Steph Houghton, who was celebrating her birthday, joined the goal-fest together with Laura Coombs, Bunny Shaw and Mary Fowler. RO
TWO IN TWO MINUTES FROM CHLOE KELLY 😱#BarclaysWSL @ManCityWomen pic.twitter.com/7d036KE1z2
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) April 23, 2023
Fatigue hits Brighton in busy week
An afternoon in which the pendulum of momentum constantly swayed in the relegation battle was mirrored as Brighton made the long trip to Prenton Park. There was heartbreak for the visitors when they squandered a lead to fall to defeat, their first in the WSL under Melissa Phillips. It was perhaps a step too far for the Seagulls whose relatively thin squad were playing their third game in eight days, two involving lengthy trips up to the north-west. Fatigue, therefore, was inevitably a factor as Ceri Holland hit a double for Liverpool in the second half. Phillips’ team will be thankful that those around them also dropped points, ensuring they remain 10th in the table, two points clear of Leicester in the one relegation place. A big positive for them will be the performances of Elisabeth Terland, who scored her third goal of the week. The young Norwegian striker is hitting form at the perfect time as Brighton continue to fight for their survival. SD
Six-goal thriller showcases best of WSL
The 2022-23 WSL season has delivered some twists and turns already and a 3-3 draw between Tottenham and Aston Villa was no different. It perfectly advertised how the WSL is beginning to evolve beyond the shadows of predictability and into the light of “anything can happen”. In the second half at 3-2, it looked like Spurs were on the road to pulling off a stunning comeback win against in-form Villa. But Rachel Daly had other plans as she netted her 15th goal of the season. End-to-end relegation battles, goals, quality football and even knee slides will only continue to widen the appeal of women’s football. RO
Right place, right time!@RachelDaly3 doing what she does best 👏#BarclaysWSL @AVWFCOfficial pic.twitter.com/yda4lpQgTD
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) April 23, 2023
Reading’s woes continue in controversy
Endless frustration and an inability to build momentum have been the story of this season for Reading, encapsulated by their loss to Everton on Sunday. A brace from Justine Vanhaevermaet gave them a flying start but their inability to defend pacy counterattacks eventually brought another gut-wrenching defeat. It was 90 minutes that epitomised the Royals’ season with irritation at the officiating bubbling over after the match. Kelly Chambers had a point: the penalty for Everton’s second goal should not have been given. However, Reading’s first, a spot-kick itself, was also not a foul. Resolute in defeat, Chambers was adamant that her side showed they are up for the fight. However, they will need to dig deep and find solutions quickly, sitting one point off the drop with others around them finding form. SD
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd Women | 18 | 38 | 44 |
| 2 | Man City Women | 18 | 23 | 41 |
| 3 | Chelsea Women | 16 | 28 | 40 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 17 | 29 | 38 |
| 5 | Aston Villa Women | 18 | 4 | 30 |
| 6 | Everton Women | 18 | 3 | 27 |
| 7 | Liverpool FC Women | 17 | -10 | 19 |
| 8 | West Ham Women | 18 | -17 | 17 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 18 | -16 | 13 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 17 | -32 | 12 |
| 11 | Reading Women | 18 | -20 | 11 |
| 12 | Leicester Women | 17 | -30 | 10 |
