Nearly 45,000 saw the Barclays Women’s Super League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United finish 1-1.
Manchester City 1-1 Manchester United (Att: 44,259)
Brighton & Hove Albion P-P Everton
Liverpool P-P Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 West Ham United
Aston Villa 1-4 Arsenal
Chelsea 3-2 Reading (Att: 1,184)
Manchester City scored a second-half equaliser to draw with Manchester United at the Etihad. Mary Earps kept out an in-swinging corner from Chloe Kelly, before Leah Galton exchanged passes with Ella Toone and gave United a 27th-minute lead. Laura Coombs headed City level before the hour mark, when Kelly’s cross evaded the defence. Moments after Earps saved Khadija Shaw’s header on the line, Ellie Roebuck did likewise to deny Martha Thomas. Alex Greenwood made a crucial stoppage-time block, as Lucia Garcia threatened a Reds’ winner.
Arsenal had to come from behind to win, after Kirsty Hanson rifled Villa ahead in the sixth minute from the edge of the area. The Gunners turned it round with two goals by the half-hour mark. Rachel Corsie conceded an own-goal after Hannah Hampton parried a Katie McCabe cross, before Vivianne Miedema volleyed in a half-cleared corner. McCabe gave Arsenal a two-goal cushion just after the hour mark when Hampton could not get a cross to safety, Jordan Nobbs completing the scoring from Caitlin Foord pass.
Chelsea ended the day again three points clear at the top but had to survive a Reading fightback, and were aided by Fran Kirby’s opener coming from a cross by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who had been offside. Rytting Kaneryd struck the post and Jelena Cankovic turned in the rebound, before scoring again with a header from Erin Cuthbert’s cross. Reading responded with two goals in under two minutes around the hour mark, Sanne Troelsgaard’s shot going under Ann-Katrin Berger and Amalie Eikeland netting via the post from Emma Harries’ ball.
West Ham went fifth with a win over Spurs at Brisbane Road. Kerys Harrop conceded a penalty in first-half injury-time when bringing down Kate Longhurst but the Hammers could not take advantage, as Dagny Brynjarsdottir dragged her spot-kick wide. However, less than four minutes after the restart, Brynjarsdottir drove a loose ball past Becky Spencer. West Ham doubled the lead with seven minutes left, Hawa Cissoko chipping Spencer during a breakaway from a Spurs free-kick.
