LONDON — Title hopes of Manchester United and Arsenal suffered setbacks when they were held to scoreless draws in the Women’s Super League, allowing Chelsea to replace United at the top of the table after a superb 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United drew 0-0 with Everton and Arsenal was shut out by West Ham United in the late match, while in between Chelsea beat Spurs to move to the top of the standings.
The Blues have 31 points, two more than United and five ahead of Arsenal, who has game in hand over the top two.
Fourth-placed Manchester City, who beat bottom side Leicester City 2-0, is behind the Gunners on goal difference.
On a frustrating afternoon for Manchester United, Ella Toone hit the post in the first-half as the home side created several good chances but Everton, fifth in the table, showed steely resolve to keep them at bay.
The Toffees’ Irish international keeper Courtney Brosnan combined some superb saves with the occasional slice of luck as she kept a clean sheet, with her best stop denying Katie Zelem midway through the second-half.
In London, Tottenham striker Beth England scored against her former club but it was not enough to stop Chelsea from going back to the top thanks in part to a superb solo goal from Lauren James that helped to secure the three points.
James was the name on everyone’s lips after her solo goal lit up Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Tottenham – earning the player-of-the-match award as her team.
Yet after the game, her manager Emma Hayes made sure James didn’t get carried away. “She’s fantastic but she’s got to learn some other things like the last parts of the game – getting back into position,” the Blues boss told BBC Two.
“That’s for me to deal with with her. On the ball, she’s outstanding but we need to be patient. She needs to keep developing both sides [of her game].”
England, who joined Spurs from Chelsea in January, cancelled out Jess Carter’s eighth-minute opener for the Blues, but James crowned a mazy run from the right wing by drilling in a calm finish to put them in front again.
Guro Reiten, recently awarded Norway’s Golden Ball as the nation’s best player in 2022, added a third goal for Chelsea, who had to endure a nervous finale after Spurs substitute Nikola Karczewska made it 3-2 in the 88th minute.
“We stayed in the game the whole time and that is a big step forward,” said Tottenham coach, Rehanne Skinner.
Arsenal failed to take advantage of Manchester United’s misstep despite creating a slew of goal-scoring chances as Mackenzie Arnold pulled off a string of fine saves to secure a scoreless home draw for West Ham.
After some early-season struggles, Liverpool climbed to eighth with a 2-0 win over Reading, while Julia Zigotti Olme’s second-half equaliser earned a point for Brighton & Hove Albion away to Aston Villa.
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