WSL roundup: Arsenal close on Champions League with Villa win
Arsenal produced an impressive second-half display to turn things around against Aston Villa as they tightened their grip on third place in the Women’s Super League. Ebony Salmon opened the scoring against the run of play for the hosts but it would be their only shot of the match.
Arsenal came out firing after the break, eventually enjoying 37 shots in the match. Victoria Pelova brought the Gunners level before Lotte WubbenMoy headed home a second. Stina Blackstenius netted a third, despite a strong suspicion of offside and handball from the Swedish striker but the officials noticed neither, much to Villa’s chagrin. The result means Arsenal are eight points clear of fourthplaced Liverpool with five games to go, and should qualify for the Champions League.
Beth England scored her first goal of the Women’s Super League season to secure a 1-0 win for Tottenham at Bristol City. It took England fewer than two minutes to settle the game. The striker produced a trademark clinical finish, controlling a Grace Clinton pass before beating two defenders and finding the bottom corner.
England missed the start of the season with a serious hip injury, returning to action in December, but she failed to find the net in her first eight league appearances of the season.
Robert Vilahamn, the Tottenham head coach, said of England: “She had a good week, she trained very well and she was really hungry for this game. You can tell that the finish is pure class. I am really happy she scored a goal because she deserved it.”
Elisabeth Terland’s late winner helped Brighton to leapfrog Leicester in the table after an entertaining second half. The Foxes took the lead through Jutta Rantala but the Seagulls recovered as Madison Haley and Katie Robinson turned things around. The hosts thought they had secured a point when Lena Petermann levelled in the 84th minute but Terland had the final word.
Goodison Park hosted the Merseyside derby but it was a subdued goalless draw. The football and the crowd disappointed with only 9,457 in attendance to watch an injury-ravaged Everton take on Liverpool.
“I’m happy for everybody who showed up, I hope they had a really good time,” the Everton manager, Brian Sørensen, said. “Of course we want to grow the game as much as we can. I don’t have an answer as to why there wasn’t more because it’s Sunday, 1pm, there should be.”