Relieved Chelsea do just enough
Chelsea had a real scrap on their hands at St Andrew’s as they edged past a resilient Birmingham. The hosts, fighting relegation, put in an admirable performance to disrupt the champions’ rhythm but a Pernille Harder penalty in the 71st minute gave Chelsea the three points as conditions worsened amid heavy rain. “Thank goodness, to be honest,” said a relieved Emma Hayes as her team retained the initiative in the title race. “I don’t think we should let it get to that point. However, let’s credit Birmingham. They were fighting for their lives; they fought for every ball. [They were] a real credit to their club and they made it extremely difficult.” With the championship and relegation to be decided, a dramatic final week of the FAWSL awaits. Will there be more twists and turns? SD
A double dose of Miedema magic
“We want you to stay.” Those were the cries ringing around Meadow Park, directed at Vivianne Miedema, as she scored twice to lead Arsenal to a 7-0 dismantling of Aston Villa. The Dutch striker’s contract runs out this summer. Her supposed destination? Barcelona. Jonatan Giráldez’s team have been ripping it up in the Primera División, and are in the Champions League final after putting five goals past Wolfsburg in front of 91,648 at the Camp Nou in the semi-final first leg. Would Miedema slot into his team? Sunday’s double suggested as much; she was denied a hat-trick only by Sian Rogers’ outstanding goalkeeping. Although Jonas Eidevall mentioned incorporating “the Barça culture” in his post-match press conference, Arsenal’s manager may have to go to some lengths to persuade Miedema to reject the dream move. Perhaps snatching the title from Chelsea’s grasp in their last game could do the trick. MN
• Match report: Arsenal 7-0 Aston Villa
What a strike from Vivianne Miedema! She's scored two already! ⚽⚽
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 1, 2022
Arsenal have made a strong start in this #WSL clash.
Arsenal 2-0 Aston Villa
📺💻📲 Watch on @BBCOne & @BBCiPlayer#BBCFootball #BBCWSL
Determined United show attacking flair
“Manchester United teams try to attack – they love attacking, they love scoring goals; this is a real spirit of a Manchester United team,” said Marc Skinner of his team’s offensive display against West Ham. Foot on the pedal from the first whistle, they bounced back in style from last week’s goalless disappointment against Aston Villa. With United afforded more space than they should have been, Katie Zelem was able to spray quarter-back-style passes around the pitch and the pace of Leah Galton and Ona Batlle down the flanks was integral. Their three goals came from Martha Thomas, an own goal and Galton but it could and should have been more. It was a high-quality performance to fill them with confidence before a crucial final-day showdown at Chelsea. SD
Mollie Green (pictured) scored a 97th-minute long-range free-kick to complete a remarkable escape from relegation for Coventry United. The club were 10 points adrift of Championship safety after being deducted 10 points in early January as punishment for going into administration.
But Green's goal at Vicarage Road sent their opponents Watford down as Coventry finished one point above them. "I hit it really sweetly and the rest is history," Green told BBC CWR. "I'm speechless. I can't believe we've done it. We've put absolutely everything into it. We've got a massive belief and togetherness and it paid off today." Coventry won four and drew four of their final eight league matches. Guardian sport
Shaw doubles league goal tally
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw had a remarkable game against Brighton as she hit four goals in Manchester City’s 7-2 victory which maintained their top-three hopes. Jamaica international Shaw, who signed for City last summer, headed into the fixture with four Women’s Super League goals. But she was in a scoring frenzy on Saturday and had two within 12 minutes. The forward fired home two more goals in the second half, which led her teammate Chloe Kelly to question Shaw’s pre-match routine. “To get four is an unbelievable feeling,” Shaw told the club website. “That’s the objective, that’s what my team looks to me for: to score goals. Kelly asked me what I had for breakfast! It was the same thing I had for breakfast all year!” City sit a point behind third-placed Manchester United but with a crucial game in hand. Beat bottom-placed Birmingham on Wednesday and City will control their own destiny in the race for third place and Champions League qualification. SR
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐎𝐓 😮
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) April 30, 2022
Lauren Hemp's delivery today has been 🤌🤌 pic.twitter.com/XAlFTwKFEr
Spurs lack finishing touch
Everton, who have failed to win in their past seven matches across all competitions, were able to hold Spurs to a 2-2 draw at Walton Hall Park. The visitors have let third place slip in recent weeks, so perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising that they were unable to see off their opponents. But with Tottenham having 23 shots, including 10 on target, this game was shaped by their lack of finesse – a problem since their 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in January. Allowing Megan Finnigan to equalise in stoppage time was painful punishment. Wednesday’s north London derby could be an opportunity to make amends as well as do serious damage to Arsenal’s title hopes. MN
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Leicester bag valuable point in relegation battle
Leicester held Reading to a 0-0 draw to secure a valuable point as they battle with Birmingham to avoid relegation. Birmingham’s win over Brighton last Saturday gave them renewed hope of staying up. But with Leicester claiming a point and Birmingham losing, the bottom club must win both their remaining games – at Manchester City on Wednesday and Villa on Sunday – to stand a chance of surviving. Leicester have only a visit to Tottenham left and could have done just enough to make sure their first year in the WSL cannot be their last. SR
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 21 | 49 | 53 |
| 2 | Arsenal Women | 20 | 50 | 49 |
| 3 | Man Utd Women | 21 | 25 | 42 |
| 4 | Man City Women | 20 | 28 | 41 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 20 | 3 | 29 |
| 6 | West Ham Women | 21 | -8 | 27 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 21 | -14 | 25 |
| 8 | Reading Women | 21 | -15 | 25 |
| 9 | Aston Villa Women | 21 | -26 | 21 |
| 10 | Everton Women | 21 | -23 | 19 |
| 11 | Leicester Women | 21 | -38 | 13 |
| 12 | Birmingham City Women | 20 | -31 | 8 |
