Women’s football

GARETH TAYLOR insists there are ‘no easy’ WSL fixtures after Manchester City’s eighth win on the bounce since losses to Aston Villa and Chelsea. The Citizens overcame Brighton 3-1 to keep pace in the title race before their derby clash with Man United on Sunday. 
Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City aim to go level on points with Man United after their first derby clash this seasonCredit: Getty
Marc Skinner’s side have been in fine form losing just one of their eight WSL games to date netting 21 goalsCredit: PA
City are currently three points behind their neighbours and Arsenal before their Etihad duel with the Red Devils on December 11.
Taylor’s side hope to gain ground on both clubs and WSL leaders Chelsea in the race for top three and the title. 
As of Monday morning more than 40,000 match tickets have been bought by fans ahead of the game which kicks-off at 2:00 pm.
When asked if wins for City’s rivals had played on his team’s minds, the Academy Stadium boss said: “You expected them to win the games they played and they did. 
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“People probably expected us to win as well and that’s probably some of the problems with the game at the moment
“People see the game on paper and think well that’s it, but then there are no easy games. They can be difficult.”
Chloe Kelly looked to have open her WSL goal account for this term when her corner kick found its way into the back of the net in the 11th minute
But the England star’s delivery was deflected into the net by Seagulls defender Jorja Fox.
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Julie Blakstad’s header and Laura Coombs thumping finish saw the hosts extend their lead to 3-0 with Brighton’s Lee Geum-min netting an injury-time consolation. 
City’s clash with the Red Devils could see Taylor team go level on points with United should they defeat Mark Skinner’s side.
The last encounter between the teams ended in a 4-1 Women’s FA Cup fifth round victory for the Citizens in February this year.
Back then Lauren Hemp, Khadija Shaw and former City stars Caroline Weir and Ellen White were on the score sheet
However, the club will face a high-scoring United side who have lost just once in the league so far this term, keeping five clean sheets in eight games.
But Taylor is believes his side have a good chance of gaining ground on their neighbours.
Taylor added: “We have a good opportunity at the weekend at home – albeit at the Etihad – to claw even more ground back.
“Certainly after (losing) the first two games to be where we are now is a great effort from everyone. ”
Manchester City will take on Liverpool in a Conti Cup group stage duel before facing Man UnitedCredit: Alamy More

MARK SKINNER urged Manchester United to remain relentless with their standards after they crushed Aston Villa 5-0 in front of a record Old Trafford crowd. Five clinical finishes including an Ona Batlle stunner saw United momentarily go top of the table before Chelsea’s 8-0 drubbing of Leicester City. 
Katie Zelem opened the scoring for Manchester United with the Red Devils skipper making her 100th WSL appearanceCredit: Getty
Alessia Russo netted her third goal in three successive WSL games as Man United followed up their win against Arsenal with a defeat of Aston VillaCredit: Getty
Ona Batllle was one of five different players on the scoreboard for the Red DevilsCredit: Reuters
The result saw Villa, who had Hannah Hampton back in goal for the first time since a 2-0 win against the Foxes in September, fall to their heaviest loss in the WSL this term after eight games.
And Man United notched up their seventh win from eight matches in front of a 30,196-strong crowd, the largest to watch them at the Theatre of Dreams.
The outcome saw Skinner’s side – who had five different players on the scoresheet keep up the pressure on the Blues and Arsenal.
And they remain second and level on points with the Gunners with Chelsea returning to pole position after their emphatic win.
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Red Devils chief Skinner, whose stars face Man City next, told Sky Sports: “As a manager you have got to be happy with the result which of course I am.
“But we want to put performances on and as a group we wanted to be better in the first half and take that into the second. 
“We need to keep our standards high and the players felt that too. They enjoyed it but we expect more for ourselves.”
Forward Ella Toone added: “We are feeling really confident that we can go out and produce big performances like this one. 
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“Our standards are so high that we are not 100% happy with our performance and we want more from ourselves. 
“We demand so much more, but we are happy with the three points and the five goals.
Katie Zelem opened the scoring for the hosts on her 100th WSL appearance
The United captain pounced a fumble from Hampton to smash the ball home from yards out in the 13th minute. 
And Leah Galton made it 2-0, slotting the ball home after a deft defensive-splitting pass from player of the match Toone. 
Villa saw an Alisha Lehmann goal disallowed for an offside in the first spell’s closing stages before Alessia Russo extended United’s lead in the second half with her third goal in three successive games. 
Rachel Daly and Lehmann forced a couple of impressive stops from Mary Earps before Batlle lashed the ball over Hampton’s head to make it 4-0 to Skinner’s side in the 76th minute
To their dismay the hosts saw a Galton finish ruled out after the referee had blown her whistle for Anna Patten’s foul from behind on the United forward. 
However Rachel Williams topped off the victory in injury time by burying her first goal in a Red Devils shirt to wrap up the 5-0 win.
Villa boss Carla Ward, who had just two fit players on her bench, vowed her side would bounce back after their fourth loss in eight games. 
Ward, whose team play Sheffield United in the Conti Cup before a league duel with Arsenal, said: “We’ve got to take learnings from this and the character of this group will be tested. 
“One thing this result won’t do is define our season.
“My players have been absolutely exceptional this season, so these days happen sometimes. 
“It’s difficult to have two fit players on the bench because you’re sitting there and thinking ‘your hands are tight, you can’t do much.’ 
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“We’ve got players coming back from injury and the transfer window coming up.
Rachel Williams netted her first goal in a Man United shirt with an injury time strike for Skinner’s sideCredit: Getty
“We have to get back on track and try to get over this as quickly as possible.” More

WILLIE KIRK believes the WSL is equipped to become a bigger division with the addition of two more sides to the 12-team league. And the Leicester manager, 44, joked he would be ready to see more clubs added next week with his side currently bottom of the table.
Leicester City take on Chelsea at home next before travelling to Liverpool for the last WSL game of the yearCredit: Getty
The Foxes are yet to pick up a point in the WSL after seven games playedCredit: Getty
The Foxes will take on Chelsea at the King Power tomorrow in what will be their first match against the Blues since Kirk took charge on November 3rd. 
And the Leicester City chief, who came close to guiding his players to their first point this term last month, hopes to get off the mark with Reading currently four ahead.
Kirk told reporters: “A  number of teams are investing significant amounts of money now and I think the game is ready to be expanded and the WSL is ready to take an extra couple of teams. 
“Maybe I’m slightly biased because of the position we’re in.
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“But I do think the fine lines in the league can be really tough to deal with because after a few games,  if you get off to a bad start, it can make a real difference. 
“However, I do remember when it was an eight-team league and that was even tougher. 
“It’s heading in the right direction and I think we can have more domestic games.
“An extra four games a season by including an extra two teams would help us with those peaks and troughs and get more consistency with the fixture list and more consistency with home games.
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“We’re trying to build fan bases and some teams have one home game a month.”
Kirk’s comments come at a time of much debate around fixture schedules and managing player loads with a number of WSL aces contending with anterior cruciate ligament problems and other injuries.
Chelsea chief Emma Hayes, 45, and Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, 39,  are among managers who have flagged concerns in regard to how domestic and international games are scheduled. 
And in her column for Dutch newspaper AD Gunners ace Vivianne Miedema, 26, said ‘the playing calendar’ for male and female players at football’s highest levels is ‘simply too full’.
When asked for his view on the loads being put on players, Kirk said: “I think it’s the peaks and troughs that are really difficult to manage.
“Emma (Hayes) has probably had some frustrating periods where she (and Chelsea) have maybe only had two games across three weeks, but then she’s got a three-game week, four weeks out of five.
“It’s the peaks and troughs that are really difficult to manage. If this is more consistent I don’t think it would be a problem.”
Leicester will play a Chelsea side who have won 16 of their last 17 games.
The team are currently top of the league having lost just once so far this term. 
The Blues won their two previous WSL games against the Foxes scoring 11 goals across both including a 9-0 victory in March. 
Leicester’s last match in the league saw them fall to a narrow 1-0 loss to West Ham with Isibeal Atkinson netting for the Irons in the 88th minute. 
And Hayes believes her players will be up against a defensively stubborn Foxes side on Saturday. 
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A win for Chelsea at the King Power would see them stay top of the table before their home duel with ReadingCredit: PA
The Chelsea boss said: “I know that they have been really stingy defensively so we expect them to be a tough outfit to break down.
“We are looking forward to playing on a top class surface in a top class stadium which is what everyone wants, it’s another good opportunity.” More

THE United States’ women’s national team are to receive £5.4million ($6.5m) after their male counterparts reached the World Cup’s knockout phase in Qatar.This comes after an equal payment agreement established this year between US men’s and women’s soccer authorities.
USA men’s team prize money for reaching the World Cup’s last 16 will be shared with the United States’ women’s sideCredit: Getty
The USA women’s team are set to receive £5.4million after their male counterparts reached the World Cup’s knockout stageCredit: Getty
The historic deal, reached in February, saw US Soccer commit to delivering an equal rate of pay to their women’s and men’s national football sides. 
Back then Alex Morgan, who helped the US women’s team side to World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019, described the move as a “monumental step forward.”
The San Diego Wave striker, who spent four months on loan at Tottenham in 2020, told Good Morning America: “It’s great to take that step forward. 
“I not only see this as a win for our team or women in sport but for women in general.”
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The move saw the federation become the first to provide equal Fifa prize money to men’s and women’s sides competing in World Cup competitions. 
Gregg Berhalter’s  team’s progress to the last 16 of the contest in Qatar has reportedly seen them rake in approximately £11m ($13m) in World Cup prize earnings. 
Under the equal pay deal the team, whose Prem stars include Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, will keep at least £5.4m ($6.5m) after their 1-0 group stage defeat of Iran on Tuesday.
The remainder would go their female counterparts in a move that would see them receive more prize money than they earned from their World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019. 
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The team, currently ranked the number one international women’s side in the world, banked $2m and $4m giving them a total combined prize fund of £5million ($6m). 
The prize pot for Berhalter’s side will increase should they reach the quarter-finals of the Qatar tournament by dispatching the Netherlands in their last 16 match. 
The team whose aces include forward Timothy Weah, son of the Ballon d’Or-winning president of Liberia George Weah, could pull in an additional £14m ($17m) if they reach the quarter-finals. 
This amount would be divided into £7m for each US side. 
The side that emerges triumphant in this year’s World Cup final will earn £35m ($42m). 
The USA women’s team have triumphed in four World Cup tournament’s including the 2019 contestCredit: Getty More

‘ELECTRIFYING’ is how Marc Skinner described the sight of Man United players charging towards a packed Emirates away section during their win at Arsenal. The Red Devils chief, 39, whose team face Aston Villa at Old Trafford, is keen on seeing more allocated away fans sections at WSL duels. 
Marc Skinner’s Man United hope to notch up their seventh win in eight WSL games when they play Aston VillaCredit: Getty
The United boss is keen on the idea of seeing more dedicated sections for away supporters at stadiums hosting WSL gamesCredit: PA
The clash with Carla Ward’s Villa side comes two weeks after United’s 3-2 defeat of the Gunners, and eight days before their trip to the Etihad to take on neighbours Manchester City.
Almost 40,000 tickets have been sold for the Manchester derby game, according to the Citizens.
A considerable chunk are likely to have been snapped up by the Red Devils fans following Skinner’s side across the country. 
The United boss, whose players became the first side to beat the Gunners at the Emirates in the WSL, said: “Our fans are super noisy wherever they are.

“But having them all compacted into a certain area where they’re all together celebrating, that’s what football is all about isn’t it?. 
“I watched the game (against Arsenal at the Emirates) back and when I saw all the players when we scored that third goal running towards our fans, that was the electrifying moment. 

“The goal going in is part of the process, but the celebration together (with the fans) was the biggest moment for us, so I would absolutely recommend it (having away sections).”
Saturday’s match will see United and Villa back in top-flight action for the first time since their respective wins against Arsenal and Reading a fortnight ago. 
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It will also see United quartet Alessia Russo, Ella Toone, Mary Earps and Nikita Parris and Villains striker Rachel Daly back at the Theatre of Dreams for the first time since playing in the Euros opener for the Lionesses in July.
The Red Devils’ last WSL fixture at the stadium, where they defeated Everton back in March, saw them attract their biggest top tier crowd to date with 20,241 in attendance. 
Skinner says that around 30,000 tickets have been sold for the game against Ward’s side this weekend.
And Parris, who netted against Villa in her side’s Conti Cup group stage clash with their rivals in October, is confident United’s support will serve as their “twelfth man” in the game. 
The United forward told MUTV: “The support has been unbelievable.
“They follow us home and away and you can hear them over most home fans. Long may that continue.
“We want to make the fans happy and we want to bring trophies to this club and we need them as a twelfth man.
Nikita Parris hopes to hear United fans drown out the chants of visiting supporters at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
“I think to pack the stadium at Old Trafford with our fans, no away fans will be heard and the away team will be very uncomfortable.”
Villa, who enjoyed a strong start to this term before losing four of their five matches across all competitions in October, have returned to winning ways. 
Their last two wins in the league against Liverpool and Reading have seen the club rise to fifth and just three points behind Manchester City. 
Among the players who have shone for Ward’s side, with Daly currently the WSL’s second highest scorer, is midfielder Kirsty Hanson 
The Scotland international, who sealed a season-long loan move to Villa in September, has featured in all seven top tier games the club have played so far this term. 
And Hanson impressed on her debut when Ward’s side sealed a 4-3 season opening win against Man City at Villa Park in September. 
Skinner added: “Kirsty is doing exactly what we know Kirsty can do. In big spaces she is so direct and really good in one-vs-one situations. 
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Kirsty Hanson has shone during her loan spell at Aston VillaCredit: Getty
“The challenge is, as the game gets tighter, is keeping those qualities that we know she has. Her movement skills are unbelievable.  
“I’m glad she’s happy in terms of playing because she’s showing up. She’s a great talent, and so I didn’t expect anything less.” More