WSL round-up: Liverpool stun Man Utd; Chelsea return to winning ways

On Sunday, five Women's Super League matches were played.

Here's what happened.

Manchester United 1-2 Liverpool

Scorers: Toone 3′, Turner OG 32′; Hinds 68′

On Sunday, Liverpool rallied from an early deficit to defeat Manchester United 2-1 in the first of two meetings between these clubs.

Ella Toone kept her cool following a melée in the penalty area after Leah Galton had struck the post and calmly found a way through a crowd of bodies to give United the lead after just three minutes.

After a half-hour lead, Liverpool equalized when Emma Koivisto put enough pressure on Millie Turner to divert the ball into her own net from a near-post cross.

Missy Bo Kearns came close to completing a quick turnaround shortly after, but her attempt was met by a fantastic Mary Earps save, keeping the score at 1-1 at halftime.

However, Liverpool completed the comeback after the break when Taylor Hinds scored on 68 minutes after the hosts failed to deal with a corner from the right.

With the win, the Reds draw level on points with Manchester United in fourth, with Marc Skinner's side dropping points for the fifth time this season.

Bristol City 0-3 Chelsea

Scorers: James 17′, Cuthbert 34′, Kerr’ 69′. Red: Charles 90+6′

Chelsea returned to winning ways against Bristol City after two major back-to-back stumbles in all competitions, but things ended on a sour note.

Emma Hayes will be pleased with the fluidity on display as the Blues statistically ran the show while the bottom-side hosts had no answers.

Lauren James opened the scoring after easily slipping past defenders and striking from distance into the far right corner.

Erin Cuthbert then volleyed home from inside the box to give Chelsea a comfortable lead at the break.

Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr, the infamous deadly duo, then found their magic touch once more as the Australian headed home an inch-perfect cross.

However, a rash decision by Niamh Charles saw her sent off with seconds remaining, resulting in a loss for the Blues with crucial matches ahead. She is the first Chelsea player to be shown in red in 19 months, since Ann-Katrin Berger in April 2022.

Bristol had only two shots on target and 26% possession in another forgettable match, their seventh loss in ten games.

Chelsea now sits atop the table, three points ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal.

Everton 1-4 Manchester City

Scorers: Galli 56′; Shaw 9′, 22′, 65′ Roord 25′

Manchester City humiliated Everton while profiting from Arsenal and Manchester United slip-ups.

The visitors dominated the game with 17 shots to six and 67% possession, but one player stood out.

Within 10 minutes, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw scored an audacious no-look chip from the edge of the box before hitting a low drive from range to double the lead.

Jill Roord then piled on a third past the Toffees with a smart run and finish in the box, before Shaw completed her hat-trick with a diving header in the second half.

Aurora Galli, on the other hand, stunned the visitors with a long-range strike from outside the box, but the hosts were unable to overcome the first-half devastation.

Looking at the table, Manchester City are now second, ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United, with Everton in seventh place.

Leicester 1-1 West Ham

Scorer: Petermann 68′; Hayashi 90+8′. Red: Cissoko 90+5.

Leicester were denied their first WSL victory since October after collapsing against a struggling West Ham side.

The visitors had more attempts to break the deadlock, but it was the hosts who had the upper hand on the field. Eventually, one of the Foxes' two shots on goal found the back of the net.

Leicester were led forward by Aileen Whelan, and Lena Petermann split two West Ham defenders to tap home from close range.

Honoka Hayashi equalised immediately after Hawa Cissoko was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time by bundling the ball over the line.

The draw puts the Foxes in eighth place, while the Hammers are second from the bottom after their second draw of the season.

Aston Villa 1-0 Brighton

Scorer: Leon 63′. Red: Pacheco 89′

Aston Villa will be thanking their lucky stars after edging Brighton by the skin of their teeth.

Over 90 minutes, the hosts had 18 shots to seven for the Seagulls, but Maria Thorisdóttir and Sophie Baggaley kept them on their toes.

It wasn't until after an hour that Villa broke the deadlock, thanks to an impressive solo run from Adriana Leon.

The Canadian darted down the right wing, kept the ball in play near the goal line, and finished from a tight angle at the near post.

Despite having a man advantage in the dying moments after Maz Pacheco was sent off, Brighton were unable to find an equalizer.

Looking at the table, it's three important points for ninth-placed Villa, who have moved out of the relegation zone, while Brighton are in tenth place.

SportsLigue