Saturday 3rd June
FA WSL 1
Birmingham City 0-2 Chelsea (Att: 1,171)
Bristol City 0-5 Arsenal (Att: 1,050)
Liverpool 1-3 Manchester City (Att: 1,508)
Sunderland 1-1 Reading (Att: 464)
Karen Carney and Fran Kirby were on target as Chelsea comfortably beat Birmingham City to be crowned FA WSL Spring Series champions.
Chelsea’s Crystal Dunn pressured by Birmingham’s Jess Carter (FA via Gatty Images)
Former Birmingham winger Carney struck home a 22nd-minute penalty and striker Kirby hit the clincher 13 minutes into the second half.
It was not only a deserved title success for Emma Hayes’ team but also sweet revenge for April’s SSE Women’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to their hosts.
Heading into what promised to be a nail-biting final day of the campaign, any one of four teams might have taken the title.
But leaders Chelsea were in pole position and duly triumphed, in the process denying second-placed Manchester City a fourth successive trophy.
Carney opened the scoring from the spot after Kirby had been barged over by goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who was booked for the clumsy challenge.
Winger Gemma Davison and Kirby both missed simple close-range chances to increase the lead before the interval.
But Kirby made amends when she tapped home the second goal after Davison’s 58th-minute cross had been spilled by Berger.
The visitors then coasted to the title, captain Katie Chapman triumphantly lifting the trophy as she and her colleagues collected their winners’ medals.
Fran Kirby commented: “I thought that overall it was a very professional performance by us and it showed that we’re winners, a team that just wants to go out there and win.
“Manchester City have been winning titles so this was an important one for us, this is our trophy and we’re going to take the impetus into next season.
Manchester City secured second place in the table after a convincing 3-1 win away at Liverpool.
Jill Scott and Niamh Charles battle for the ball (The FA via Getty Images)
Goals from Jill Scott, Keira Walsh and Megan Campbell sealed the victory for City, before Caroline Weir grabbed a consolation for the Reds in stoppage time.
The games first real chance fell to City after 20 minutes, Carli Lloyd’s cross found Toni Duggan, but she fired wide from 12 yards.
Scott Rogers’ side were working hard to keep the visitors at bay, but a Duggan corner was flicked on by Jennifer Beattie and Scott was there to head City in front just before the half hour mark.
The hosts reacted well, looking a threat on the counter, but moments before the break, they were two down; Lawley’s curling effort from 20 yards finding the top corner.
The second have continued in the same vein, City threw on Campbell shortly after the hour, and she made it three minutes later; beating Siobhan Chamberlain at her near post with a 25 yard free kick from a wide position.
Liverpool didn’t let their heads drop, Jess Clarke missed a couple of decent openings before Weir finally pulled one back from long range in the final moments.
Arsenal finished their campaign in third as the only unbeaten side, with a triumphant 5-0 victory at Bristol City.
Louise Quinn scores Arsenal’s opener (The FA via Getty Images)
Goals from Louise Quinn, Jordan Nobbs, Chloe Kelly, Danielle Van De Donk and Beth Mead secured the win, but it wasn’t enough to land the title as victories for Chelsea and Manchester City saw the Gunners finish third.
Despite the hosts having the first chance of the game, Arsenal soon created a string of chances with Dominique Janssen finding the side netting and Nobbs having a shot deflected just over the top.
From the resulting corner, Anna Patten played the ball into the box and central defender Quinn steered her header past Caitlin Leach.
Nobbs needed only four minutes of the second half to get on the scoresheet, finishing with a right-footed rocket into the top corner after being set up by Jodie Taylor.
The Vixens almost pulled a goal back just after the hour mark but Van Veenendaal used both hands to beat out a ferocious strike from Hayley Ladd.
Kelly put the outcome beyond doubt when she turned home from close-range in the 73rd minute, before substitute Van De Donk added the fourth with a left-footed shot five minutes later and then set up fellow sub Mead to score the Gunners’ fifth.
Beverly Leon came off the bench to secure a point for Sunderland against Reading, as the Black Cats sealed a fifth-place finish.
Leon levels for Sunderland (The FA via Getty Images)
Mel Fletcher had put the Royals ahead on the half hour as she got onto the end of a Mandy van den Berg ball but Leon’s second-half strike earned Sunderland a draw.
Departing Sunderland hero Steph Bannon received a rapturous round of applause after just five minutes at the Hetton Centre in her final game before retirement.
But her Sunderland team were under pressure throughout much of the first half with Kirsty McGee, Jade Moore and Kirsty Linnett all failing to find the target with efforts on goal.
And after Dominique Bruinenberg fired over from long range for Sunderland, the Royals pressure finally told as Fletcher put them a goal to the good.
Linnett missed a second one-on-one chance before half-time and the Black Cats made Reading pay for missing their chances when substitute Leon levelled.
The striker scored her second goal of the Spring Series when she calmly found the bottom corner with a fierce shot across goal.
Reading’s Anissa Lahmari and Lauren Bruton missed opportunities to seal the three points late on.
Source – www.fawsl.com
