WSL talking points: hot-shots hit marks as Manchester United go second

A 12-minute Khadija Shaw hat-trick helped Manchester City pinch an emphatic 5-2 triumph against Tottenham arsenic they inch person to nan WSL title. Shaw, a beardown contender for subordinate of nan season, scored her 18th extremity successful 18 convention games. It was besides her 4th consecutive hat-trick astatine location against Spurs and nan fastest ever successful nan league’s history. All 3 goals were headers arsenic nan visitors crumbled nether City’s aerial prowess successful set-piece situations. Shaw’s individual 15-goal full against Spurs is now besides nan astir goals 1 subordinate has scored against a azygous force successful nan league. The nine and supporters will some beryllium hopeless to spot nan Jamaica striker enactment ondespite her statement expiring successful nan summer. Andrée Jeglertz’s broadside now request only 8 points to unafraid nan title and Shaw urged her teammates to enactment focused, saying: “Keep going, support our heads down, support focused,” she said. “Don’t watch nan sound successful nan market, watch nan sale.” Renuka Odedra

It has been a frustrating play for Chloe Kelly. Hampered by a knee problem early on, she past suffered a ligament wounded successful nan aforesaid area backmost successful December that kept her retired of action until precocious January. Those fittingness issues are intelligibly down her now judging by her capacity astatine nan Emirates successful Arsenal’s 5-0 triumph against West Ham. She marked her 2nd back-to-back 90-minute outings pinch 2 goals and an assist, a capacity that injected power into a notable attacking display. “We missed Chloe erstwhile she was distant pinch injury,” nan caput coach, Renée Slegers, said. “She’s backmost now and she’s nan champion type of Chloe Kelly.” It is simply a invited return to shape for nan nine arsenic they participate a important portion of nan season. Confidence is precocious among nan Gunners – this was their ninth consecutive triumph successful each competitions and they recorded different cleanable expanse that marked 98 days since they past conceded successful nan league. Sophie Downey

Chloe Kelly slots location her first of 2 goals, and nan 3rd of Arsenal’s 5 against West Ham. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

After a affirmative five-game winning run, Chelsea dropped nan shot arsenic they were held to a 1-1 tie astatine London City Lionesses. Sonia Bompastor rang nan changes, pinch an oculus connected their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal, and it appeared to energise them arsenic they dominated nan first half. Chloe Sarwie, who is 17, was nan latest academy merchandise to beryllium handed a commencement and nan young left-back caught nan oculus on pinch 19-year-old Lexi Potter. The book flipped aft nan break, however, arsenic Bompastor shifted her full protect portion owed to expanding wounded problems. An ankle wounded to Aggie Beever-Jones saw Sjoeke Nüsken return up a much attacking role, a move that saw Erin Cuthbert extremity nan crippled astatine right-back. London City sensed nan disruption and took advantage arsenic they peppered nan Chelsea extremity successful nan second stages, firing 14 shots pinch six connected target. Isobel Goodwin’s 82nd-minute equaliser was, therefore, hardly undeserved. For Chelsea, however, gaining conscionable a constituent proved a assemblage rustle for their hopes of securing European shot adjacent season. SD

It was play successful nan dying minutes of nan crippled astatine nan Unity Stadium arsenic Manchester United pinched each 3 points distant from Everton successful a 2-1 victory. The consequence would person been a immense alleviation arsenic it keeps United successful contention for Champions League shot adjacent season. Melvine Malard headed successful astatine nan adjacent station successful nan 94th infinitesimal to springiness Marc Skinner’s broadside a important win. It was moreover much important arsenic it lifted United supra Chelsea into second. “It’s an epic triumph because if I took you done nan week, we’ve mislaid nan cup last which is devastating, everyone feels that,” Skinner said. “We past spell distant to West Ham midweek, don’t rather get complete nan line, get backmost astatine 4 o’clock connected nan Thursday morning, get up, travel successful to do an hour’s training session, because that’s each we tin do pinch nan squad size we have.” RO

The Aston Villa striker Kirsty Hanson became only nan 2nd WSL subordinate to scope a double-figures extremity tally for this play arsenic she scored for nan 10th clip successful this run and strengthened her position successful 2nd spot successful nan Golden Boot race, down only nan runaway leader Khadija Shaw. Hanson’s 84th-minute victor gave Villa a 2-1 turnaround triumph distant astatine struggling Leicester, a debased decorativeness that went done Janina Leitzig’s legs, exemplified really good Hanson is thriving successful a much cardinal role. When discussing really she has recovered specified belief successful her ain finishing, she told nan BBC: “It’s nan belief that nan club, nan team, nan unit and nan players person successful me.” Tom Garry

Kirsty Hanson deflates Leicester pinch her precocious victor for Aston Villa. Photograph: Molly Darlington/WSL Football/Getty Images

Liverpool’s winless distant shape continued contempt a decent capacity successful their goalless tie distant against an out-of-form Brighton side. The Merseyside nine are now without a triumph successful 10 consecutive distant convention matches, drafting conscionable 2 of those, since a 2-1 triumph astatine Brighton successful April 2025. They came very adjacent to winning this 1 successful second-half stoppage clip but were denied by Maelys Mpomé’s last-ditch clearance disconnected nan statement for nan location side. Nevertheless, contempt their struggles connected nan road, it proved to beryllium a bully constituent for Gareth Taylor’s team, arsenic they moved 5 points clear of nan relegation playoff spot, though Leicester person a crippled successful hand. TG