Brighton ended Spurs’ great start in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, Leicester City held Chelsea until the dying minutes.
Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City (Att: 2,716)
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Reading 3-0 Aston Villa
Arsenal 3-0 Everton (Att: 2,165)
West Ham United 1-1 Birmingham City
Brighton end Spurs winning run
Spurs perfect league start was ended at Brighton, where they had Rachel Williams sent off in the last quarter of an hour.
Inessa Kaagman hit the bar for the hosts and Lee Geum-min opened the scoring before the break.
Danielle Carter was denied a second for Brighton by the woodwork but with Tottenham down to ten, Victoria Williams doubled the advantage via a corner.
Kit Graham quickly got one back for Spurs but time was too much against them.
Chelsea leave it late against Leicester
Leicester held Chelsea in a goalless first-half, the Blues coming closest when Kirstie Levell turned away a Jessie Fleming effort and Ashleigh Plumptre blocked Beth England’s goalbound shot.
Jess Sigsworth made a dramatic goal-line clearance, Levell made saves from Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder, as the visitors continued to frustrate the reigning champions.
It was down to the last eight minutes when Chelsea broke Foxes’ hearts, Harder stabbing home a Fleming cross. The in added time, Fran Kirby slotted home after Kerr’s header sent her clear.
Arsenal open up three-point lead
The Gunners went three points clear at the top with a 3-0 victory over Everton, their fifth win from five.
Arsenal’s Noelle Maritz forced a diving save from Sandy McIver and Gabby George made a block to keep out Vivianne Miedema’s close-range shot.
McIver was beaten on 32 minutes though by a super 20-yard volley from Katie McCabe, Lotte Wubben-Moy heading home from a corner for a second by the interval.
The Gunners got a late third as Frida Maanum worked herself some space and hit a screamer from 20 yards into the top corner.
Three-goal Royals off the mark
Reading struck twice in the space of four first-half minutes, Amelie Eikeland scoring and Rachel Rowe the assist, with the roles reversed for the second as Rowe netted a rocket.
Natasha Dowie made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage-time, finding the top corner from outside the box after being picked out by Deanna Rose.
Birmingham bank first point
Right place, right time. 🙌@louise_quinn4 😁
— Birmingham City Women (@BCFCwomen) October 10, 2021
Birmingham City hit back at West Ham to earn a 1-1 draw to end a run of four defeats in the league.
Claudia Walker thumped home for the Hammers after the interval but City were not behind for long.
Harriet Scott’s header from a corner came back off the crossbar and Lucy Quinn was on hand to knock it over the line.
