Chelsea stay perfect in WSL after gritty 4-2 win over Brighton

Chelsea stretched their winning run to nine in nine Women's Super League (WSL) games, but they were pushed all the way by Brighton & Hove Albion, who fell 4-2 despite a valiant display in adverse conditions at Kingsmeadow on Sunday.

Chelsea stay top with 27 points, followed by Manchester City, who thrashed Leicester City 4-0, on 22 points, and Arsenal, who strolled to a 4-0 win over Aston Villa, on 18.

With a gusty wind and pouring rain making conditions tough, both sides' insistence on playing the ball out of the back resulted in a number of nerve-racking situations and a couple goals that neither side will relish seeing back.

Chelsea were 3-1 up and cruising following Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's goal in the 51st minute, which the winger had little knowledge of, but a mistake by Blues keeper Hannah Hampton allowed Kiko Seike to score for the visiting Seagulls in the 71st minute, sparking a frenzy for an equaliser.

Seike went close again late on, but her shot was diverted behind for a corner, and Chelsea's win was sealed when Sjoeke Nusken scored her second goal of the game from a stoppage-time corner at the near post.

Manchester United had a poor run of form prior to the international break, but they rebounded with a 4-0 home win over Liverpool to move above Brighton and into fourth place in the table with 18 points, trailing Arsenal on goal difference.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Everton 2-1 thanks to a brace from Beth England, while West Ham United defeated Crystal Palace 5-2 despite surrendering two goals in the first 11 minutes of the game.

SportsLigue