Women’s Super League

GARETH TAYLOR hailed Lauren Hemp for helping Manchester City punish Chelsea whilst contending with an ear infection. Filippa Angeldahl’s angled strike and Hemp’s fierce finish sealed a 2-0 victory halting City’s 11-game winless WSL run against the Blues.
Filippa Angeldahl’s stunning opener paved the way for a hardfought Man City victory against ChelseaCredit: Alamy
The win for Gareth Taylor’s side saw the title race become much tighter with just three points seperating Manchester United and Man City from Arsenal who are fourthCredit: Alamy
Steph Houghton and Lauren Hemp impressed for Gareth Taylor’s against ChelseaCredit: Reuters
It saw Gareth Taylor’s aces go second above Chelsea before their clash with fourth-placed Arsenal this coming Sunday. 
The City gaffer said: “We looked dangerous on the break and I was mulling over getting fresh legs on 
“But I think sometimes, when you’re in the moment like that, it’s really difficult. 
“The one change we made was more because Lauren has been suffering and she didn’t train on Saturday. 
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“She is suffering with an ear infection and pushed herself to the limit in this game.”
City’s Sunday afternoon win at the Academy Stadium was watched by Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican sprint king is in town to take part in Soccer Aid as captain of a world XI side.
The 100m world-record holder is said to have asked Hemp for her shirt after the game.  
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And the fleet-footed winger quipped it was a case of “fast meeting faster” in a humorous tweet with a picture of herself and Bolt holding her club jersey.
City defender Esme Morgan said: “Lauren ground away, scored an amazing goal and she does graft so hard. 
“She’s always there fighting, pressing  and battling, and I’ve heard Usain Bolt just asked for her shirt and she’s just so impressed. 
Morgan added: “Lauren came up to me after the game and said ‘Esme, guess who just asked for my shirt?’ 
“I was racking my head through the Chelsea team thinking, ‘who has she had a battle with who might have wanted it after?’. 
“When I couldn’t think of anyone, she said Usain Bolt. I couldn’t believe it! It must be the pace.
Before the match Man City had drawn six and lost five of their last 11 WSL games against Chelsea with their last win registered in May 2017.
The match was watched by Sarina Wiegman with the England boss due to name her squad before the Lionesses’ games against Brazil and Australia in April. 
Emma Hayes’ side got off to a fast start in attack with Sam Kerr and Lauren James jetting into the box within the opening two minutes. 
But City took control of the first spell taking advantage of a short clearance with Angeldahl firing home an angled 11th-minute opener. 
Hemp made it 2-0 nineteen minutes later with a finely struck effort with the visitors facing pressure in the final third. 
Chelsea, missing the presence of Millie Bright who is temporarily sidelined by injury, rang the changes before half-time. 
James and Sophie Ingle made way for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Niamh Charles with Hayes shoring up her defence and midfield. 
The second spell saw the Blues attempt to boost their attacking efforts with a Maren Mjelde’s injury-time shot over the bar, among their strongest efforts.
Emma Hayes’ side aim to return to winning ways when they face Lyon next in a Champions League quarter-final deciderCredit: Reuters
The result saw the title holders fall to their first WSL loss of the season before their Champions League quarters decider with Lyon on Thursday.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said:”We’ve got to move on as quickly as possible. 
“I don’t think people realise how tough it is to come up here with our third away game in seven days, really really tough.
“We’ve still got a game in hand, we need to maximise that. It’s fantastic for the league that the title race is like this.”
Taylor concurred that the title was still Chelsea’s to lose while acknowledge had taken a huge step forward in their battle to win it. 
Gareth Taylor hopes to keep Man City’s title chase momentum going when his team visit ArsenalCredit: Reuters
He added: ‘To be in this position now from where we were is top. 
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“We’ve not done anything yet, we’ve still got some important games to come, six games left,  a lot of challenges in front of us but we go into it with high levels of confidence. 
“It’s still Chelsea’s title to lose if we look at it that way but it’s a real positive step for us and gives us great confidence going into this next period.” More

JULIE BLAKSTAD believes there may be a silver lining to Manchester City’s quarter-final exit from the FA Cup. It leaves Gareth Taylor’s side free to focus solely on overtaking their rivals in a four-way fight for this season’s title. 
Julie Blakstad believes expects this season’s title race to remain really tight until the end of this seasonCredit: Alamy
The midfielder’s side are set to face Chelsea at a sell-out Academy Stadium clashCredit: Reuters
Blackstad says playing in last season’s Conti Cup and FA Cup finals has been the highlight of her first year as a Man City playerCredit: Getty
A home win for the Citizens against Chelsea today would be a significant step in their bid to claim the WSL crown for the first time under Taylor.  
It would see them go level on points with Marc Skinner’s Man United side and one ahead of the Blues who have a game in hand.
Blakstad, 21, told SunSport: “There are both positives and negatives to going out of the FA Cup.
“Now we can put all our attention into the league. 
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“We would have preferred to advance in the competition.
“However with things going the way they did, we can fully focus on the league and it’s going to be a really tight race.
“There are some tough games coming up.
“It’s probably good for us to get more training time in between league fixtures and we can really focus on those seven (WSL) games we have left.”
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City’s league cup-winning and FA Cup final exploits last year are among Blakstad’s favourite memories of her first year at the club.  
The midfielder, who is among Norway’s rising stars, sealed a January switch from seven-time Norwegian top-tier champions Rosenborg. 
Since then, she has helped the Academy Stadium giants to a memorable Conti Cup win last March.
Back then, they beat  Chelsea 3-1 at Plough Lane with Blackstad making a second half substitute appearance.
She also featured in last term’s FA Cup final where Taylor’s side fell to a 3-2 loss to Emma Hayes’ Blues after taking the battle for the trophy to extra time. 
Blakstad added: “When we won the Conti Cup final, that was for me a big achievement and quite early after I came to the club. 
“It was a really big thing to play in the FA Cup final even though we lost, 
“Having a crowd of almost 50,000 people watching the game and with that atmosphere was a big moment 
Before her WSL move, Blakstad who grew up in a village located 59 miles from Norway’s capital Oslo, spent two years at Rosenborg. 
The club, founded in 1917, competes in the country’s top football league known as the Toppserien. 
And Blakstad sees the contrast in pace and physicality in Norway’s top tier and the WSL as one of the biggest differences between the divisions. 
The City ace, named in Uefa’s ‘ten players to watch list’ in 2021, adds “The level is much higher here and that was what I expected. 
“It’s a good thing when you move out that you actually take a step forward. 
“The biggest difference is how quick the players are both in the legs but also in their heads in terms of their play. 
“The game is much quicker, and more physical as well on the pitch.”
Blakstad admits swapping Norway for life in England’s third most populated city has been an interesting experience. 
The midfield ace said: “When I first came here, everyone was so helpful, and it was nice settling in. 
“But I would say it’s a difference for me living in a big city like Manchester when I’m used to going out hiking and out in the forest.”
Today City hope to pick up their first win against Chelsea in the league for the first time since May 2017. 
The game could see Blakstad take to the field against national team-mate Guro Reiten who has registered four goals and nine assists in 13 WSL appearances this term. 
Blakstad expects Guro Reiten will be key figure at the World Cup this summerCredit: Getty
Blakstad said: “She has been incredible both for her club and also our national team. 
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“For Norway it’s important when we go into the World Cup that we have players doing really well at a club like Chelsea.
“Guro is going to be important for us this summer.”  More

JONAS EIDEVALL hopes Arsenal’s demolition of Tottenham will be a confidence booster for his aces’ battle with Bayern Munich. The Gunners shredded Spurs defence in a 5-1 trouncing before their Champions League quarters second leg clash with the German giants.
Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal have built good momentum ahead of their Champions League and WSL games against Bayern Munich and Manchester CityCredit: Getty
Stina Blackstenius broke the deadlock for the Gunners five minutes into the 5-1 defeat of TottenhamCredit: Getty
Spurs’ only goal of the game was netted by Bethany England from the penalty spotCredit: Getty
The Arsenal chief’s team fell to a narrow loss last time in out in Europe’s top club contest, with Bayern claiming a 1-0 win in the first leg. 
Eidevall, whose side will face the German giants at the Emirates, said: “We’ve built a good momentum coming into these games against Bayern Munich and against (Manchester) City.
“Now it’s up to us to execute it. Hopefully we go into the games with a good bit of self-confidence.
“You can’t prioritise one or the other because we’re at the stage with this league where it is so competitive. 
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“You need to try to do your very, very best to win these games and an away game here (at Tottenham) is always going to be a challenge 
“But Bayern are in the same situation. They’ve played against Wolfsburg and that is not a game they can take easy.”
The pitch at Brisbane Road, which Tottenham share with Championship side Leyton Orient, was not in pristine condition on Saturday afternoon. 
But it appeared to make little difference to Arsenal when they took an early lead through Stina Blackstenius’ rocket shot. 
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Eidevall added: “You need to try to do your very, very best to win these games and an away game (at Tottenham) is always going to be a challenge 
“But Bayern are in the same situation. They’ve played against Wolfsburg and that is not a game they can take easy
“It is two teams with tough games and we will be ready to go on a grass pitch that’s a little bit better on Wednesday.”
Blackstenius gave the Gunners a fifth-minute lead with her thunderbolt finish catching goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela cold and out of position.
Caitlin Foord doubled Arsenal’s advantage dancing her way unchallenged through Spurs defence in the 29th minute. 
The hosts pulled one back with Bethany England converting a 39th-minute spot-kick after Katie McCabe’s handball following Ashleigh Neville’s shot. 
But the second spell saw Arsenal run Spurs ragged with Little netting a pen in the 66th minute after McCabe was fouled by Amy Turner. 
Jodie Taylor made her first appearance for Arsenal after rejoining the club for a second spell earlier this monthCredit: Getty
Foord bagged her second shortly after before Frida Maanum rifled home a goal of the season contender to round off a difficult afternoon for Spurs. 
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Tottenham boss Vicky Jepson said: “When they go 3-1 up it was probably the nail in the coffin.
“The final whistle goes in a North London derby and it should never be that scoreline.” More

PAUL KONCHESKY would support halting evening games during Ramadan so the WSL’s Muslim players can break their fast. The West Ham gaffer spoke out after Prem and EFL refs were asked to grant similar stoppages. 
Paul Konchesky would back pauses in WSL games so players who are Muslim can break their fast during RamadanCredit: Getty
West Ham ace Hawa Cissoko is among the WSL stars who will be fasting in daylight hours during RamadanCredit: Reuters
Ramadan began on Thursday and is one of the holiest months when Muslims abstain from eating and drinking in daylight hours. 
Irons centreback Hawa Cissoko and Aston Villa’s Kenza Dali are among WSL players set to fast over the next month. 
Konchesky, whose side play Manchester United this evening, said: “We must back these players. 
“We need to have all their cylinders firing and if that means Hawa gets to break fast during a game and we have to stop for two or three minutes, so be it. 
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“Not just for Hawa but for every person that fasts during Ramadan in the WSL.” 
Tonight’s game will see Konchesky in the Old Trafford away dugout as West Ham Women’s manager for the first time since his appointment last May. 
And the match could see Irons stalwart Kate Longhurst equal Gilly Flaherty’s record of 177 WSL appearances. 
Konchesky added: “That’s a massive thing for Kate. For any player that makes 177 appearances in WSL it’s a fantastic achievement. 
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“She has been an excellent servant for us and it would be nice for her to do that at a club she supports.”
Man United, who have lost just twice in the league this term, will host a West Ham side  winless in five games since beating Tottenham away in December 
However Marc Skinner is wary of the Irons potential to steal points on the road. 
 The Red Devils boss, 39,  said: “They’ve not got the results they want, but I take that more as a warning than anything else. 
They’re going to try and fight and will play with Paul’s energy and we have to be ready for that.”
Having lost 2-0 at home to United last September, Konchesky is expecting a tough challenge in this fixture. 
Marc Skinner’s United side are aiming to pick up a second win in the league against West Ham this termCredit: Getty
The Irons boss said: “They are always going to be a big test. They’ve got some fantastic football players’.
“We know it’s going to be a tough test but it’s something we’re going to cherish and we’re looking forward to it.
“Hopefully we can be the ones who can upset them’. More

RACHEL WILLIAMS plans to live in the moment if she nets against West Ham today at Old Trafford. The Manchester United ace was among the scorers the last time the title chasers played at the Theatre of Dreams in the WSL.
Rachel Williams netted during Manchester United’s 5-0 defeat of Aston Villa at Old Trafford in DecemberCredit: PA
A win today for Marc Skinner’s Red Devils would see them go top of the table before Chelsea’s trip to Manchester on SundayCredit: Getty
West Ham are looking to pick up their first win in the league since beating Tottenham 2-0 in DecemberCredit: Getty
Williams entered the fray in the 85th-minute of a clash with Aston Villa.
It took the tenacious forward just eight more to find the back of the net for Marc Skinner’s side during their 5-0 win. 
Williams, 35, said: “I was just sitting there and kept looking at the manager hoping he would give me the nod to come on. 
“Then when I came on I just thought ‘go on the pitch and do what I’ve done best throughout my career’.
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“To score at Old Trafford is a ground to tick off the list. 
“I’ve played at a few (big grounds) now, and I don’t think I even celebrated to be honest.
“I should have gone a bit more mad, ran to the fans – so if I get my chance again in the game against West Ham
“I’m definitely going to live in the moment”
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Williams, who joined United from Tottenham last July, is aiding her team’s pursuit of their first WSL crown. 
The Red Devils are second and two points behind Chelsea in the WSL with the Blues carrying a game in hand. 
Defeat of the Irons during Women’s Football Weekend would see them keep pace with their title rivals. 
The duel at Old Trafford is among the top-flight WSL games being played at bigger stadiums this weekend with the aim of attracting bigger crowds.
On being in a battle for the WSL title, the versatile forward added: “I’ve been in it twice before but it wasn’t at the level it was like now.
“You take each game as it comes. You can only control what’s in your hands.
“Get your job done, that’s ticked off. Everything else you can’t control, you can just hope. 
“It won’t be an easy run with where the game’s at. 
“I will keep my head down and where we end up is where we deserve to be.”
Williams, who is the WSL’s first Golden Boot winner, is no stranger to winning trophies including an FA Cup with Birmingham City in 2012.  
Whilst sat at Wembley watching last May’s men’s and women’s finals she made herself a promise to reach one with United.   
Last Sunday saw the team make history, knocking out Lewes to enter the contest’s semis for the first time.
And Williams, who has juggled her career with running a plastering business, hopes United can dispatch Brighton at this stage in April. 
She added: “I love the FA Cup and I went to the men’s and women’s finals last year. 
“I sat there and thought ‘next year, I’m going to be in this final.’ I just wanted to be in another final. 
“No matter how I do it, I will do all I can to give myself the best chance to be there. 
“Now to be in the semi-final and one step closer – and do that in the United shirt in my first season – for me I’m already happy.  
“United have never been in the final.
“Every day I’m looking forward to what we do and seeing what people are achieving here. Hopefully we’ll get there.”
Williams is among the veteran stars of the WSL having played in the league since its inception in 2011. 
Williams has netted three goals in ten top tier appearances for the Red Devils this seasonCredit: Getty
At club level the forward has played for Doncaster Rovers Belles, Birmingham, Chelsea and Notts County Ladies as well as Leicester, Tottenham and now United. 
Her 18-year career has also seen her make 13 senior England appearances as well being part of the Team GB squad at the 2012 Olympics. 
This term Williams is aiding the Red Devils’ pursuit to play for the Champions League as well their push for the WSL title. 
The WSL star recalls balancing her plastering job with playing in the contest with Birmingham in 2012. 
She added: “It was weird back then working (as a plasterer) and then having to play in the Champions League. For United it would be massive. 
“It is one of the aims a lot of people want to achieve this year.
“To get that experience with this team – it’s not a guarantee – it’s in our control and we want to get there. 
Williams hopes to help United reach this year’s FA Cup finalCredit: Getty
“It will be so much more heightened than it was back then.
“When I was in it with Birmingham I didn’t really understand it and it was just another game.
“But with the importance of it now, and that it can also be a dream to play in the Champions League game.
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“For us we just have to stay on track for that.”  More

MATT BEARD was left bemused after Liverpool saw a goal chalked off as they denied Everton a win at Goodison Park.Katie Stengel made it even-stevens with her leveller securing a 1-1 draw from the dramatic Merseyside derby. 
Everton captain Gabby George netted at Goodison Park on her 100th appearance for the ToffeesCredit: Getty
Katie Stengel equalised for the Reds in the first half of an energetic Merseyside duelCredit: Getty
The game finished 1-1 after 97 minutes with Everton facing Tottenham nextCredit: Getty
However the Reds were baffled by Leighanne Robe’s goal being disallowed for an alleged infringement on Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.  
Liverpool boss Matt Beard told Sky Sports: “We should have won the game. 
“I saw the disallowed goal and I can’t believe it to be perfectly honest, it’s crazy. 
“We had enough chances tonight to get the win anyway. That’s another decision that has cost us three points.
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“I thought we created numerous chances, we just lacked composure in the final third.
“We frustrated Everton, but they put their bodies on the line. Courtney Brosnan was their best player by a country mile.”
Close to the half hour mark the hosts took the lead in the derby at attended by a record 22,161-strong crowd. 
Skipper Gabrielle George struck on her 100th Toffees appearance with her angled 27th-minute cross sailing over goalkeeper Rachael Laws. 
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But the visitors upped the ante in attack with Yana Daniels slotting an effort inches wide after Missy Bo Kearn’s sliced pass in the 36th minute. 
The Reds later levelled with Stengel’s quick turn and whipped in a 40th-minute finish after Taylor Lewis drilled the ball into her path. 
And Rikke Sevecke fired a shot over for the hosts after pouncing on Laws’ punched clearance from a 44th-minute cross. 
Liverpool cranked the pressure in the second spell.
But they were left bemused after Robe’s goal was disallowed for an alleged Ceri Holland foul on Brosnan with 39 minutes left.   
Stengel saw a shot deflected over the crossbar by Megan Finnegan after a classy cut back from substitute Shanice van de Sanden. 
And the hosts saw Jess Park’s curled finish chalked off due to the forward’s handball. 
Liverpool had some big chances late on in a frantic finish to the game.  
Brosnan made a goalmouth clearance in the second minute of injury time with Stengel looking to poke home
Matt Beard’s side will be targeting an away win when they visit West Ham after the international breakCredit: Getty
And the Toffees stopper palmed Holland’s curved shot around the post in the 97th minute. 
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The draw denied Liverpool for their first away victory this season with Everton now winless in four games.
Toffees boss, Brian Sorensen, whose team will play Tottenham next told Sky Sports: “We need to have composure making sure we play the chances as big as we can, instead of being a bit too eager to get the cross in or finish from distance.” More