The big news out of the weekend was Chelsea dropping points in the Women’s Super League (WSL) for just the third time this season, giving Arsenal and Manchester United unexpected hope of a late-season title chase.
Elsewhere in England, Aston Villa claimed their first league win since December with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur’s winless run stretched to seven after a 1-1 draw away to Leicester City and despite some late drama, Manchester City saw out a 2-1 win away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
In Italy, Inter struck twice in stoppage time to claim an unlikely win at home to Juventus as Como heaped the misery on Napoli with a 2-0 sin in Cercola. Over in Spain’s Liga F, a second-half brace from Ana Azkona handed Athletic Club a win over Deportivo La Coruña after fellow Basque side Eibar had triumphed over Levante.
In the Frauen-Bundesliga, Carl Zeiss Jena claimed their first win of the season away to Köln before Lineth Beerensteyn stole the show for Wolfsburg firing in four of the best against Essen. Finally, in France, a healthy 4-0 win over Fleury was enough for Lyon to confirm their top of the table finish with three games to spare as Paris FC clinched the third playoff berth behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Can Arsenal, Man United make a title race after Chelsea stumble?
It’s been quite the month for Chelsea. After beating Manchester City in the League Cup final and then toppling Nick Cushing’s side again to reach the semifinals of the Champions League, this weekend’s clash with mid-table West Ham looked a fairly routine assignment.
However, there’s always scope for an upset in the WSL and so it proved on Sunday, as the Hammers came from 2-0 down to snatch a late point against the league leaders thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser from Shekiera Martinez. Sonia Bompastor’s side looked some way from their best as they failed to win a league game for only the third time this season. Elsewhere, victories for Manchester United and in-form Arsenal — 2-0 over Everton and 4-0 at Crystal Palace respectively — have added an unexpected layer of jeopardy to the title race.
Of course, Chelsea remain the overwhelming favourites, with a six-point cushion at the top of the WSL table. But, with four matches still to play this term, Bompastor’s side have shown they are fallible, and their commitments in Europe could take their toll in the coming weeks. Arsenal also have Champions League engagements on the horizon, but with forward Alessia Russo arguably in the form of her career, they certainly have the potential to push Chelsea all the way. And with United still to host the league leaders at Leigh Sports Village, there could still be plenty to play for between now and the end of the campaign. — BL
Aston Villa boost survival hopes as Liverpool underwhelm
When the final whistle blew at St Helens Stadium on Sunday, the relief from Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo was palpable. Until this weekend, Arroyo was yet to see her team pick up a point in the WSL since being appointed head coach back in January.
Against Liverpool, Villa showed the sort of fighting spirit they will need in abundance to ensure what has been a dismal campaign does not end in relegation. The visitors came from behind on Merseyside to clinch their first league win since December, with Kirsty Hanson’s strike and an own goal from Jenna Clark cancelling out Marie Hobinger’s earlier penalty.
The victory sees Villa move four points clear of bottom-placed Crystal Palace, and there were plenty of positives for Arroyo and her players to carry into the final four games. That said, Liverpool were abject for much of the contest and will need to improve drastically if they are to have any hope of beating Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals after the international break.
With star forward Olivia Smith sidelined, Liverpool struggled to create chances against Villa and lacked the flair and tenacity they have shown since Amber Whiteley took interim charge of the club in February. After suffering a heavy defeat to Arsenal last week, this was not the response fans will have been hoping for. — BL
Inter’s stoppage-time shocker
There’s no question that Inter’s lack of consistency has been their Achillies heel this season, too often leaving the hard work of the team for naught. One thing Inter have shown this campaign, as they’ve picked up from where they left off from last term, is no shortage in endeavour and pluck. With patchy form coming into their clash against Juventus on Sunday, the Nerazzurre won the battle of wits against the would-be champions, hanging in and staying the course to win 3-2 despite falling behind twice.
In previous seasons, there would have been no comeback from the hosts after Sofia Cantore’s 88th-minute strike, but Inter continued to drive forward and two minutes after winning a penalty Tessa Wullaert converted, Haley Bugeja sent the ball towards goal for Elisa Polli to prod home in the 95th minute.
Although the Bianconere remain seven points clear at the top with four games to play, there’s little question that they’ve been wavering over the second phase of the season and are now without a win in their last three outings. For a team that’s looked so assured since the first matchday of the season, primed to reclaim their title after two seasons from the summit, there is maybe a little cause for concern for Massimiliano Canzi and his team’s inability to get over the line and wrap the title up. — SL
QUICK HITS
EIGHT: An afternoon of positives. As Eric Idle once suggested, it’s well worth focusing on the bright side of things. For Brighton on a frustrating afternoon at home, there were plenty of positives to take from their loss against Manchester City. Against a City team with a point to prove after a miserable run of games against Chelsea, it was the Seagulls who bossed the possession and ended up firing twice as many shots at goal as their opposition, but they were undone by sloppy finishing. Indeed, the only goal the hosts could muster came in stoppage time from second-half substitute Charlie Rule, on her return to action for the first time in 15 months. It was never going to be about the finished product from Brighton in Dario Vidošić’s first season, but they’ve shown, when they have enough players fit, they’re not a side to be pushed around.
SEVEN: Première Ligue draws to its predictable conclusion. For the 18th time in 19 seasons, Olympique Lyonnais have finished top of the standings in France. But, thanks to the advent of the playoff phase (introduced last season), that’s only half the story for the Fenottes. Lyon claimed the top spot with a 4-0 win over Fleury, putting them beyond the reach of second-placed PSG who hammered six past Saint-Étienne, with Paris FC’s 2-0 loss to Montpellier doing little to stop them from claiming the third berth. With three match weeks still left of the regular season, Dijon are in pole position to claim the last semifinal spot as last season’s fourth-place finisher, Stade de Reims, have been pushed into the relegation zone as their winless run has stretched to seven games.
SIX: Beerensteyn’s golden break. Unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League by a rampant Barcelona, Wolfsburg returned to league action needing to keep themselves in the mix for European qualification next season. Despite taking the lead through Marina Hegering, Lilli Purtscheller hauled Essen level and that could have been enough to knock the Wolves off course. However, finding the back of the net four times — in spite of skying a second half penalty — Lineth Beerensteyn pulled the hosts clear of any danger to keep them nipping at Frankfurt’s heels and sent herself five goals clear of Laura Freigang in the golden boot race. Following a bruising and insipid game against the Catalans, it would have been a relief for fans to see the Wolves put in an aggressive, attacking showing.
FIVE: Levante continue to teeter. A lot has been said about the financial woes of Levante and the players the women’s team has lost over the last year and a half, as has their slid into the bottom reaches of Liga F but as it stands, Levante are not in the relegation zone. However, with a lone point acting as a buffer between themselves and Real Betis, the Granotes once again squandered the chance for some vital breathing space as their fell to a 1-2 loss at home to Eibar. Undone just 15 minutes in by a sumptuous strike from Mariana Cerro, the hosts struggled to recover in a meaningful away, clearly missing the attacking talent they once had, with Eva Alonso’s goal in the 83rd minute a mere conciliation.
FOUR: Como’s blueprint for success. Goals from Alex Kerr and teenager Zara Kramžar were enough for Como to claim their 10th win of the season away to a struggling Napoli side. Just three points off qualifying for the championship phase, Como have been one of the success stories of the season. A team freshly minted ahead of the 2024-25 season, owned by the Mercury/13 group, with a different outlook on football ownership, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Azzurre this season but there’s no question, their first season has been a hit.
THREE: Jena claim first dub. With just one team set for relegation this season (as three come up from the 2.FBL), there has been a certain amount of breathing space for both Köln and Carl Zeiss Jena this season with Turbine Potsdam always set for the boomerang back down. But it’s still been a season of real struggle for both teams, who’ve often looked like they just want the season to be over with so they can go back to the drawing board. And with Effzeh having shown some improvements this calendar year, few would have expected Jena to pick up their first win of the season in Cologne on Friday night but when Paula Hoppe failed to hold onto Isabella Jaron’s swirling strike, Melina Reuter fired home the loose ball giving the visitors a rare lead to hold onto something they did with aplomb even after being reduced to ten just 10 minutes later.
TWO: Luckless Spurs. With just one goal — a conciliation in a 2-1 loss to Man City — in their last six outings, Drew Spence’s neat volley just after the hour at the King Power Stadium can only have been a relief for the Lilywhites as they find themselves as short on luck as form. Ultimately, it was another chance for a win not taken by Spurs, but after falling behind to an own goal from Josefine Rybrink — her second in as many games — their first point since January should be something to mollify the visitors in Leicester.
ONE: Azkona keeps Athletic in the hunt. There is still plenty of football left to be played in Liga F and just one point adrift of third-placed Atlético Madrid, Athletic Club will feel they’ve got the most to play for as the league heads into its last six match days. Although the Basques haven’t been free-scoring this season, Ane Azkona has been one of their better attacking weapons and although her brace on Sunday was relatively run of the mill, it’s the all-important box ticking and game navigation Athletic need to keep up with if they want to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season. — SL
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