Sunday 31st July
FA WSL 1
Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool (Att:1,206)
Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland (Att: 2,026)
Reading 1-1 Notts County (Att: 506)
FA WSL 2
Aston Villa 0-2 Yeovil Town
Durham 3-0 Watford (Att: 357)
Oxford United 4-2 London Bees (Att: 1,211)
Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland
With second-placed Chelsea not playing this weekend, Man City took the chance to go four points clear at the top of the league.
Jane Ross headed against the Sunderland bar before Georgia Stanway got the first of her treble, with a swerving shot on 17 minutes.
Lucy Bronze also struck the visitors’ bar, while at the other end, Karen Bardsley made a flying stop to thwart Rachel Furness.
Stanway doubled her tally on 55 minutes, drilling Jill Scott’s deflected lay-off into the bottom corner.
Stanway completed the win with a fine first-time effort from Toni Duggan’s backheel.
Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool came from behind to take all three points at Arsenal, as the Gunners missed out on going second in the table.
Fara Williams gave the home side a ninth-minute lead, her 20-yard fierce drive deflecting beyond Siobhan Chamberlain’s reach.
Liverpool were level a dozen minutes later with a fine goal, as Shanice van de Sanden spun away and fired a powerful effort into the top corner.
Great saves followed at each end, with van de Sanden denied by Sari van Veenendaal and then a Jordan Nobbs shot was palmed away for a corner.
The decisive moment arrived 13 minutes from time, as Caroline Weir planted a free kick into the top corner of the home net.
Pictured – Carolie Weir curls in Liverpool’s winner. (Photo: The FA via Getty Images)
Reading 1-1 Notts County
Reading may be without a win in the top flight but they have now drawn six of their nine games, the latest against Notts County, lifting them into seventh spot.
Dani Buet fired home a free kick past Mary Earps to give County the lead shortly before the interval, after Aileen Whelan had been fouled.
The Royals equalised on 65 minutes, when Emma Follis cut in and beat Megan Walsh with an impressive strike.
In the last 10 minutes, Reading’s Jade Boho-Sayo shot over from close range and both Jess Clarke and Whelan were denied by clearances off the line by Becky Jane.
Pictured – Reading’s Jade Boho-Sayo goes close with an acrobatic effort. (tgsphoto.co.uk)
Aston Villa 0-2 Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town again acted quickly to take back the WSL 2 leadership from South West rivals Bristol City, winning 2-0 at Aston Villa to restore their two-point advantage.
The match was in fact only 4 minutes old Helen Bleazard’s corner was headed across goal by Nicola Cousins and Hannah Short netted.
Amy West prevented Nadia Lawrence getting the second 5 minutes short of the break, as Yeovil calls for a penalty were dismissed.
But the lead was doubled 8 minutes after the restart, Annie Heatherson the scorer after Bleazard’s initial effort was saved by Grace Moloney.
Durham 3-0 Watford
Durham stayed in the WSL 2 promotion hunt with a 3-0 win over basement side Watford.
Beth Hepple opened the scoring after 19 minutes, as Becky Salicki’s free-kick was nodded on to her and she fired home past Lucy Gillett.
The points were sealed with two more goals midway through the second half. Emily Roberts burst through to double the lead with her first goal for the Wildcats, Jordan Atkinson hit the bar but Hepple later struck home from the edge of the box.
Oxford United 4-2 London Bees
Oxford United had a bumper crowd of over 1,200 and they rewarded their best ever support with a 4-2 win, that brough them level on points with visitors London Bees.
The hosts struck first as Rosie Lane long distance ball was glanced in by the head of Ini Umotong but the Bees hit back quickly when Eva Popadinova found the net.
United restored their lead immediately as Lauren Allison’s shot was blocked but Ellie Noble reifled in the rebound to register her first senior goal.
Just 2 minutes later it was three as Ella Franklin-Fraiture’s raking through ball put Allison in behind and she poked the ball past the keeper.
The visitors pulled a goal back 9 minutes into the second half, an underhit backpass letting Popadinov in to score.
But Umotong struck again on the hour mark, seizing possesion from Aoife Hurley before calmly rounding the goalkeeper.
Pictured – Man City’s three-goal Georgia Stanway. (Photo: The FA via Getty Images)
