Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action
Foxes get what they deserve
Leicester City’s manager, Lydia Bedford, said before a 2-0 defeat of Birmingham pulled her team off the bottom of the table that “getting three points on Sunday doesn’t secure our WSL status”. She is right of course, but the impact of a first win and the side’s first points in the top flight – having had the worst start of a promoted side – is a real sign that the team are no longer willing to be the competition’s cannon fodder. The new year gives the opportunity to continue the fresh start under Bedford after some much-needed rest. For the Foxes, clawing themselves off the bottom before the winter break is just reward for the investment in the women’s set-up and support for the team that the club have provided in recent years, which stand in stark contrast to the struggles of Birmingham. Suzanne Wrack
• Match report: Leicester 2-0 Birmingham
Toone helps United fly Marc Skinner is starting to shed the cloak of following in Casey Stoney’s footsteps. He was never going to outdo her impeccable touchline fashion but Manchester United had a comfortable afternoon in a 5-0 win against Aston
Villa. Ella Toone is thriving in Skinner’s free-flowing style, two goals against Villa taking her tally for the season to five. After the game Skinner said: “She has that quality and it’s my job to keep pushing her and seeing what ceilings she can break. She has great tenacity, great qualities with the ball.” It may be that Skinner can finally get the fans on side after a shaky start as United’s manager. Renuka Odedra
Goal-dry Villa walking a tightrope Carla Ward’s Aston Villa have lost six of their past seven league games and Leicester’s win over Birmingham will worry them. Villa do have a safety net, sitting nine points above Birmingham and seven ahead of Leicester, but abysmal defensive form and scarcity of goals are leaving them looking uninspired. United dominated and shut out what little Villa offered in attack. It’s been a story of Villa’s season of sorts, with the team progressing only 7.8 metres up-field per sequence this season on average – the shortest distance of any team. They desperately need goals to pick up points or they risk slipping into the one relegation place. RO
Korpela keeps Spurs’ Champions League hopes alive
Tottenham continue to hold third spot after a narrow win over Everton. The 1-0 victory courtesy of a Jess Naz curler into the top left corner secured Spurs first WSL win over Everton. But it was the goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela who ensured that Spurs nabbed all three points. Everton had plenty of shots on target, keeping Korpela busy. The Finland international made a particularly special save, stretching to her right to palm away a Grace Clinton shot hit from outside the 18-yardbox. A top-three finish would deliver Champions League football for Spurs, who closed the gap to second-placed Chelsea to one point after the champions’ game against West Ham was postponed. RO
Covid postponements add to pressure on teams
Coronavirus has again disrupted the WSL after positive cases resulted in three postponements. The results of the games that did go ahead put pressure on Arsenal and Chelsea – whose matches were called off – as United and Spurs both won. None of Brighton, West Ham, Reading and Manchester City, all of whom harbour top-three hopes, played and they have been left with a gap to bridge. RO