Women’s Super League

MARC SKINNER will press for transfer reinforcements for Manchester United who suffered their third defeat in four WSL duels with Arsenal.A history-making Vivienne Miedema strike was among the goals that saw the Gunners beat United 2-0 in view of England boss Sarina Wiegman.
Vivianne Miedema became the first player in WSL history to score against every single team she has come against in the leagueCredit: Reuters
Marc Skinner is keen to strengthen his side in the next two transfer windowsCredit: Getty
Miedema’s shot was among the efforts that saw the league leaders seal a win that momentarily extended their points tally over Chelsea.
The strike saw the Dutch star become the first player in Women’s Super League history to net against every single club she has faced in the division.
The result put a dent in the Red Devils chase for a Champions League spot
And the club are now ten points behind the Gunners with Skinner hinting at January and summer transfer window reinforcements.
The United chief, whose team play Leicester next, said: “We’re going to try in January for the right players.
“I expect over the next two windows, you’ll see more players come in that will help this group with the talent they have.”
United’s loss to Arsenal was the second time they were beaten by a top-two side this term with the Blues trouncing them 6-1 in September.
When asked if there was a gulf in class in between United and the title-chasers, Skinner replied: “No, there was a gap in moments.

“I’ve been in the league a long time. I remember when Chelsea didn’t have Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder up front.
“I remember when Arsenal didn’t have Miedema and Nikita Parris and Tobin Heath.
“We have this wonderful badge, this wonderful team and wonderful club and, of course, expectations are super high, but I won’t diminish those expectations, but we have to be realistic.
“Our players will need those reinforcements if we’ve got tough games like this.”
Skinner also sympathised with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Norwegian was sacked as the club’s Prem boss earlier in the day.
The Leigh Park Village boss added: “Ole will remain the legend of this club. And he was nothing but supportive of the women’s team.
“This happens in football and he will be missed.”
United had a decent start early on and some positive forays forward with Alessia Russo’s shot from distance prompting a block around the fifth minute.
But the visitors swiftly grew into the game moments with Beth Mead cracking the woodwork from inside the box after wrongfooting her marker.
England boss Sarina Wiegman watched as Arsenal defeated Man United 2-0Credit: Reuters
Ella Toone, who signed a new United deal, worked her way into good space into the right in the box but was unable to threaten with her 18th-minute cross.
And the league leaders forced a classy save from Mary Earps with the Red Devils stopper tipping Kim Little’s strike over the bar near the half-hour mark.
The England stopper also easily dealt with a Noelle Maritz shot following some fine build-up play involving Miedema and Steph Catley moments later.
The second half saw Jordan Nobbs come on for Little with the Gunners captain thought to have suffered a groin injury.
And the Gunners upped the tempo with Miedema evading Katie Zelem to wallop in the visitors’ first past Earps in the 47th minute.
A few late challenges began to fly in momentarily with Katie McCabe cautioned for a heavy late challenge on Kirsty Hanson.
And McCabe was sent tumbling to the turf herself in the 54th minutes with Aoife Mannion conceding a pen which the Republic of Ireland star dispatched with ease.
The final half-hour saw United battling to get a goal back. They came close to netting with Zelem forcing a close-range stop from Manuela Zinsberger in the 62nd minute.
Katie Zelem forced a goos save from Manuela ZinsbergerCredit: Zuma Press
And the Gunners, who had another penalty shout, before seeing out a 2-0 result to stay top before the international break.
Team boss Jonas Eidevall said: “From a personal point of view, I’m still learning the league, the club the players. Of course, I’m very pleased with the results [this season]
“We don’t view this as a finished project. We need to develop and perform every matchday.”
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HAYLEY RASO helped Manchester City end their losing streak at home with the team sealing their first Academy Stadium win in the WSL this term.The super sub’s two-minute brace was among the efforts that saw City crush Aston Villa in a 5-0 rout.
Two late goals from Hayley Raso were among the efforts that helped Manchester City defeat Aston VillaCredit: Getty
The 5-0 win saw City move to sixth in the table and level on points with Villa before their game against BirminghamCredit: Getty
And the hefty win and clean sheet was a welcome result for Gareth Taylor with his team leapfrogging the Villans to sixth before the international break
On the performance of Raso and her team-mates, Taylor said: “With Hayley, we’ve got an exciting player who’s got bags of pace and bags of energy. 
“I just think it was vital to win today and I spoke to the players about making sure we use this when we come back and remembering the positive energy that we showed.”
Before the match, Carla Ward said Villa would aim to frustrate their opponents.
And for the first 45 minutes, that plan appeared to work with City notching three shots on target.
An Ellen White effort prompted a brave stop from Hannah Hampton, with the England keeper coming out swiftly to swipe the ball from her feet in the 16th-minute.

And Keira Walsh’s curled effort flew over the bar several minutes later before Jess Park miscontrolled her volley in front of goal.
The hosts had a glorious chance to take a lead minutes before the half-time with White’s dinked effort prompting stunning flying save from Hampton who turned 21 this week.
The second spell saw City up the ante netting twice in two minutes.
If we’d stayed in our shape we might have done differently, but you have to try and test yourselves against these teamsCarla Ward
First through Caroline Weir slotting home in the penalty box after Lauren Hemp’s 48th-minute cutback.
And then Georgia Stanway’s hooked effort following a corner kick.
The visitors had a gilt-edged chance to reduce the deficit with substitute Emily Gielnik narrowly missing an opportunity to poke home Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s cross.
City went on to increase their lead with Raso netting in the 77th minute followed by Hemp’s tap-in moments later.
Lauren Hemp was on target for City along with Caroline Weir and Georgia StanwayCredit: Getty
And Australia ace Raso wrapped up the win with her half-volley putting the hosts five up with Ward rueing formation changes to her side.
The Villa boss said: “We come in at halftime and we’re happy, but we had a disastrous second-half. Five minutes in we catch ourselves 2-0 down and that can’t. happen.
“If we’d stayed in our shape we might have done differently, but you have to try and test yourselves against these teams, and it’s not worked out this time.”
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BIRMINGHAM CITY have dropped the axe on Scott Booth’s reign as manager after just FIVE MONTHS.Blues opted to fire the former Glasgow City boss following his team’s 4-0 Conti Cup group stage loss to West Ham on Wednesday.
Birmingham City have parted company with Scott Booth with the team picking up just a draw from seven gamesCredit: Getty
Booth was appointed Birmingham manager only five months ago following Carla Ward’s departure with Ward taking charge of Aston VillaCredit: Getty
And The Telegraph reports the move has stunned players at the Midlands side with Booth thought to be a highly regarded figure within the squad.
Birmingham, who narrowly survived relegation last term, have notched up one point from their first seven WSL games this season. 
The team’s General Manager, Sarah Westwood said: “Scott joined the club at a difficult time and was tasked with building a squad capable of competing in the BFAWSL.
“We are grateful to Scott for assembling a group of players who we believe are good enough to start picking up points.
“This decision was not an easy one but has been made in the best interests of the Football Club.
“I know how determined Scott was to succeed but, unfortunately, results have fallen short of our expectations.
“With 15 games remaining, we feel now is the right time to make a change to give ourselves the best possible chance of climbing the table.
“The challenge now is to ensure that we identify the right person to lead Birmingham City Women and get the best out of our players.”

Blues sacking of Booth comes just three days before the league strugglers – who are second from bottom – take on title-chasers Chelsea.
The club confirm assistant head coach Paul Elliott will take charge of the team when they face the Champions at Kingsmeadow.
They face a potentially tricky duel with Manchester City after the international break
And Gareth Taylor’s side hopes to bounce back from a disappointing run of four losses in seven top-flight games.
Aberdeen-born Booth, who managed Scottish League One side Stenhousemuir, from February 2014 to February 2015, was appointed on a three-year contract by Birmingham in June.
Before his arrival, Booth led Glasgow City to four Scottish Women’s Premier League titles and one Scottish Women’s Cup between 2015 and 2019.
Blues, who are one of the WSL’s founding clubs, are yet to pick up a win in the top-flight this season.
The Midlands outfit are thought to have the smallest budget to work within the women’s top-flight.
And the Telegraph claims funding concerns flagged in a players’ letter sent to the board last season are yet to be completely dealt with.
Birmingham are due to play Chelsea next in the WSLCredit: Rex
Under Booth, the club had overhauled their squad in the summer transfer window following the departure of 10 senior players.
Their new arrivals include influential Republic of Ireland centre-back Louise Quinn who became club captain this term.
Hannah Hampton and Sarah Mayling were among the aces who left with the duo joining former Brum boss Carla Ward at Aston Villa.
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EMMA HAYES has tipped Sam Kerr to break goalscoring records at Chelsea after choosing to extend her Kingsmeadow career.The Blues boss, whose team plays Servette in the Champions League, was speaking a day after the striker signed a two-year contract extension.
Emma Hayes says Sam Kerr wants to win club football’s biggest prizes with ChelseaCredit: Rex
The new deal between Kerr, who sealed a headline-grabbing November 2019 switch from US side Chicago Redstars, will see her remain at the club until 2022. 
Hayes told reporters: “We all support Sam to achieve everything she wants and I think she will go on to score record numbers of goals for this team.
“For us to compete and go even further, her learnings will be critical.
“She is such a big game player, but not a big timer and I have to make that really clear.
“Sam is an amazing teammate who has humility, works hard work and is a great person to be around.
“But make no mistake, she wants to be on the winning team and competing for the top trophies or else she wouldn’t stay here.
“We expect her to continue to drive those standards and be recognised as one of the best football players in the world.”

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The Blues’ current all-time leading scorer is playmaker Fran Kirby with whom Kerr has established one of the most feared strike partnerships in Europe.
The England ace broke the Blues’ goal record previously set by Eni Aluko, when she notched up her 70th for the league champs in December 2020.
Hayes expects Kerr, who was last season’s WSL’s Golden Boot winner last, will look to improve on her tally of 21 goals in 22 top-flight games last term.
And the Australia skipper has become an influential figure for up-and-coming talent in Chelsea’s academy.
Kerr has established a formidable partnership in front of goal with Fran KirbyCredit: Getty
Hayes added: “We’ve got a young striker in the club, Emma Thomas, a really good prospect.
“I’m pretty certain she will be soaking up every minute she can when she trains with Sam or when she’s watching her because she’s a great role model for our players.
“Every player should be watching her day-in, day-out to see her movement and decision-making on the ball.”
Chelsea’s clash with Swiss side Servette comes four days before their home duel with Birmingham on Sunday.
By then the champions will be playing their third match in the space of seven days.
Clubs’ playing loads have been a hot topic this week with Arsenal chief Jonas Eidevall describing his team’s schedule as ‘almost inhuman’.
To be able to compete on all fronts, you have to trust the entire benchEmma Hayes
The League leaders’ suffered a massive blow with their centre-back Leah Williamson ruled for the rest of this year with a ‘significant’ hamstring injury after playing three times in six days.
With matches racking up for WSL teams competing on all fronts this season Hayes insists squad rotation is crucial.
The Chelsea chief said: “I can’t speak on Jonas’s behalf. What I will say is that you have a squad for a reason.
“I have to utilise the squad here and make sure that I keep everyone healthy.
“We’re used to playing a game every three or four days and have been for a long time now.
Hayes believes squad rotation will be crucial for Chelsea and WSL sides with the busiest fixture schedulesCredit: Conor Molloy/News Images
“We’ve got a hell of a schedule coming up.
“After the international camp, we play the FA Cup Final on Sunday (December 5); Juventus on Wednesday (December 8) and Reading on Saturday morning.
“It is what it is, and I trust the group of players we’ve got the everybody has to be ready for those games.
“To be able to compete on all fronts, you have to trust the entire bench.”
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MARC SKINNER believes Gareth Taylor will fight tooth and nail to get his side back to their best form after the Man City boss was quizzed on his future.Skinner’s Manchester United side will take on Taylor’s players in the Conti Cup days after Chelsea crushed City at home in the league.
Man Utd boss Marc Skinner has backed Gareth Taylor and Man City to bounce back from their loss to ChelseaCredit: Getty
Gareth Taylor’s Man City will be looking for a win against United in their league cup group stage clashCredit: Sportimage
And the result- which was one of their worst-ever losses in the top-flight- has led to questions on whether the Academy Stadium chief should consider his position.
Skinner, 38, said: “Gareth has been in the game a long time, so he understands when you’re at a club like Manchester City, you’re expected to get the results that continue to push you in the direction you want to be. 
“He believes in what he does, he believes in the football his players play, he will continue to fight for this team to get the best results out of them.” 
Skinner also reckons WSL managers will come under increased scrutiny with the league’s historic, megabucks TV deal putting bosses and teams under a bigger spotlight.
A Nielsen Sports study predicted the women’s top-flight could be on course to attract a UK TV audience of 14.5 million.
This would make the league the nation’s fourth-most viewed domestic division.

The Red Devils boss added: “We (managers in the WSL) are in a position where we’re open to that scrutiny.
“We’ll always be open to opinions as long as it doesn’t become personal.
“I don’t think there’s a manager in the game that doesn’t want their team to win.
“And so long as everyone knows that, then we’ll always be open to opinions. We have to deal with that.”
 Skinner also backed City aces Georgia Stanway’s and Alex Greenwood’s view that public opinions on WSL players and managers on social media should not evolve into online abuse.
The Leigh Park Village gaffer said: “I personally come off social media because, you as there is sometimes quite a lot of negativity on there.
“Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway did a really good interview where they spoke about scrutiny (of players via social media) becoming personal.
“I think as long as the focus is on the game strategy and football we are open to it.”
If the right players appear, then we will be looking to enter (the January transfer market)Marc Skinner
Skinner hinted United’s Conti Cup matches could see some of the club’s Academy starlets given some minutes with their Under-21 players having won their last four games in the academy league.
And the Red Devils boss has not ruled out the possibility of strengthening his side in January with his team vying for a Champions League spot.
Skinner hinted that Manchester United may consider strengthening in the January transfer windowCredit: Reuters
Skinner added: “We will always look. A club like Man Utd cannot sit in the moment.
“It has to continue to try and push forwards. That includes players here.
“If the right players appear, then we will be looking to enter (the January transfer market). We need healthy competition.”
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