Skinner’s places officers at the spot
Manchester United’s supervisor, Marc Skinner, raged over two penalty appeals waved away via the referee, Cheryl Foster, of their 1–0 defeat on the WSL champions, Chelsea. “They’re stonewalled when I watch them both,” he stated. “We must put money into the officers, we need to put money into the encompassing era that may assist. We’ve come to the champions’ house flooring and put our stamp on it – you wish to have the ones issues to head for you.” Skinner also pointed to other incidents this season and warned of the impact of poor decisions on the destination of the title. “It’s the same as what happened in the Arsenal game [against Chelsea in the Continental Cup final]where [Caitlin] Foord goes into the box and Kadeisha [Buchanan] brings her down – it’s a penalty. They need to be picked up, they’re obvious. If they are not obvious we would swallow the medicine and get on with it. We have learned about our resolve and resilience this season; we didn’t crumble. We shouldn’t have to address it, not in big games when we go on to this stage and these are big for what the league looks like in the next eight games. That’s huge decisions.” SW
Williamson’s midfield masterclass
Jonas Eidevall reserved reward for the midfield efficiency of Leah Williamson after Arsenal’s 4–0 defeat of Reading. It was once “definitely her best match I’ve seen her play in midfield”, he stated after Arsenal completed an eight-day stretch with 3 wins, 9 targets, one conceded and a League Cup trophy. “Sometimes I believe like you do not get her dealing with ahead sufficient in midfield. We were given her dealing with ahead, however in additional complicated positions. How nowadays performed out was once more than likely the optimal state of affairs for having Leah as a central midfielder since you get one of the vital best possible passers on this planet however you get it 15 meters upper up than you do as a central defender and she will wreck strains and have interaction within the ultimate 0.33. That in reality helped our assault. Arsenal stay fourth, 3 issues at the back of second-placed Manchester United and third-placed Manchester City with a sport in hand on each and every. SW
Could Tottenham be relegated?
Tottenham’s fit towards Liverpool was once billed as crucial fixture within the struggle for survival and ended with Spurs doubtlessly dealing with the drop. They misplaced 2-1 and are two issues forward of bottom-placed Leicester. Tottenham’s defeat was once their 9th in a row within the league since an 8–0 win over Brighton in October. They have 3 victories from 14 fixtures and 8 video games left, together with Wednesday’s at house to Leicester. The Spurs supervisor, Rehanne Skinner, stated: “You must be disillusioned, another way you do not care, do you? You can see the dedication, the paintings ethic; There’s struggle inside each and every unmarried participant that is coming at the pitch. That’s one thing that we need to cling directly to.” SR
Everton’s goal search goes on
Everton drew 0-0 at Leicester to extend their goal drought. Aggie Beever-Jones had a few chances but was denied, the best effort bringing a great save from Janina Leitzig. Everton have not scored in their past three top-flight games, their longest run without a goal in the league since a five-match stretch in 2018. They have also not scored in six of their 14 WSL fixtures. Only Leicester (nine) and Liverpool (seven) have failed to score more often. SR
Signs of optimism at Brighton under Merricks
It has been a tumultuous week for Brighton, but their performance against Manchester City in a late 2-1 defeat showed glimmers that the tide could be starting to turn. Since Jens Scheuer’s departure on Monday, they have faced the toughest of tests, but, despite defeat, have discovered a resilience they can build on. Amy Merricks is in her second tenure as interim manager this season and with marked improvement on both occasions it is hard not to feel she should be promoted permanently. Before Sunday’s game, she called for her players “to compete from minute one till the tip” and they responded. They had two goals disallowed before Elisabeth Terland canceled out Bunny Shaw’s opener. A tenacious second half followed and they looked to be holding out for a vital point until the unstoppable Shaw pounced in the 89th minute. The result will hurt, but the performance may be the springboard they need with more important battles to come in the race for survival. SD
Villa show development with gritty win
Finding a way to win when not at your best is a sign of a team making progress. That was the story for Aston Villa as they held on against West Ham. Encounters between these sides are always highly competitive and it was the visitors who found an edge when they needed it most. The game ebbed and flowed and it was a question of who could finish their chances. Villa were clinical – two shots on target, two goals – as Rachel Daly and Jordan Nobbs produced the end product they desperately needed. They had to show their gritty side as they saw off West Ham pressure after Viviane Asseyi pulled one back. Hannah Hampton was commanding between the sticks and the defense resolute to ensure no damage was done. The win extended Villa’s gap over Everton in the fight for fifth as their unbeaten league run into 2023 continues. SD