Have Chelsea wrapped up the title in January? WSL matchday 12 | OneFootball

Chelsea end Arsenal’s unbeaten run, Man United surge into second and Crystal Palace fall behind in the relegation battle.

Here are the talking points from the weekend’s Women’s Super League matches…

Chelsea extend lead with victory over Arsenal [Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal]

Chelsea moved ever closer to their sixth consecutive WSL title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. The match, attended by 34,302 fans, set a new Chelsea record for a home league game.

Guro Reiten’s composed penalty in the 84th minute sealed the win after Kim Little brought down the returning Lauren James – the Lioness’ first league appearance since October. The notable aftermath of the challenge included a yellow, followed by a straight red for Arsenal’s Katie McCabe for dissent.

The result leaves Chelsea seven points clear at the top, while Arsenal’s unbeaten run under Renee Slegers ended as they find themselves 10 points adrift in fourth place.

Even more exciting for Chelsea was the unveiling of Naomi Girma ahead of kick-off, as she became the first million-dollar signing in women’s football.

“It was a perfect afternoon,” Bompastor said. “In terms of the announcement [of Naomi Girma], but also in terms of the result.”

Six-goal thriller at Villa [Aston Villa 2-4 Manchester City]

Manchester City temporarily climbed to second place in the WSL with a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park. Aston Villa, who were unbeaten in their previous four games under interim boss and former Man City man Shaun Goater, started strong, but City showcased their attacking prowess to secure the win.

The match was marked by Vivianne Miedema’s exceptional performance, as she netted two goals, including a stunning long-range strike that is already being hailed as a goal-of-the-season contender.

Miedema said: “In rehab, we do a lot of shooting and I just feel really good at the moment. Once the ball left my foot, I knew it was going to go in. There’s a reason City signed me and I want to pay them back for that.”

This result leaves Villa in ninth place, while City sit third and nine points behind league leaders Chelsea.

Manchester United climb to second [Man United 3-0 Brighton]

United delivered another commanding performance, dominating Brighton to climb to second place on Sunday evening. Ella Toone, fresh off last weekend’s hat-trick, opened the scoring in the second minute, while Hinata Miyazawa doubled the lead just before halftime. Celin Bizet sealed the 3-0 victory in the 78th minute, taking advantage of a defensive error. The Red Devils’ resolute defence secured their eighth clean sheet of the season.

United boss Marc Skinner said: “Ella was fantastic in the derby, we wanted to start with that style. We felt the team that started the league game against City could really hurt Brighton. For me it’s about the right selection to start the game with energy.”

Dream debut for Holdt as Tottenham triumph [Crystal Palace 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur]

In a dramatic encounter, Tottenham Hotspur edged out Crystal Palace with a 3-2 victory. Olivia Holdt emerged as the hero for Spurs, delivering a stunning free-kick in the dying moments to secure the win.

This result provides a significant boost for Tottenham as they climbed to sixth, while Crystal Palace remain embroiled in the relegation battle.

Foxes secure vital win [Leicester City 2-1 Liverpool]

After scoring just three goals in their opening 11 WSL matches, Leicester scored two to come from behind in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool to bolster their battle against relegation. After conceding early, the Foxes showed resilience to fight back and register their second win of the season.

Liverpool manager Matt Beard said: “We were just not at it in the first half and then it’s tough when you’re playing teams, like Leicester, that are fighting for their lives.”

West Ham climb to eighth [West Ham 2-0 Everton]

West Ham United earned a 2-0 win against Everton, with both goals coming in the first half. After a rocky start in the league which saw them lose three and draw three of their opening six games, the Hammers’ disciplined performance saw them overcome another of their bottom-half rivals.

They now sit eighth and six points clear of relegation, while Everton are tenth.