Thursday May 19th
FA WSL 1
Birmingham City 0-0 Reading (Att: 395)
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City (Att: 1,518)
FA WSL 2
Durham 1-0 Sheffield FC (Att: 369)
Yeovil Town 2-0 Bristol City (Att: 693)
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City
Goals just either side of the interval saw Manchester City win the big match at Chelsea in front of a 1,500 crowd, as the hosts dropped their first points.
The keepers were forced into saves within seconds of each other, as Chelsea’s Hedvig Lindahl dived full length to stop Toni Duggan’s cross shot and Karen Bardsley denied Drew Spence.
Demi Stokes collected a Kosovare Asllani pass to shoot the visitors ahead with a low shot a minute before half-time.
Three minutes after the break, Asllani sent in a corner, Jennifer Beattie headed goalwards and the ball deflected in off a defender.
Chelsea should have reduced the arrears in the 56th minute but, from close range, substitute Ji So-Yun hit the bar.
Birmingham City 0-0 Reading
Reading drew for the fourth time in six games in the televised game at Birmingham City, who rose to third with the point.
Emma Follis emerged as Reading’s main threat, forcing two saves from Sophie Baggaley who kicked away her volley, then scrambled to her left to grab another shot in first-half stoppage time.
Superbly timed last-ditch tackles from Kerys Harrop and Jess Carter snuffed out two good Reading opportunities, while Melissa Fletcher drilled a shot at Baggaley.
Mel Lawley’s pace began to make inroads for Birmingham who failed to profit from a stream of dangerous left-wing crosses.
City Freda Ayisi just failed to get a meaningful touch inside the six-yard box after Jade Moore reached the byline before nodding Harrop’s left-wing cross wastefully wide in the 74th minute.
Yeovil Town 2-0 Bristol City
Yeovil Town beat Bristol City in the South West derby at Huish Park to leapfrog the Vixens into second place.
City were hit by a very early goal, as Helen Bleazard’s low cross was emphatically converted at the back post by Sarah Wiltshire.
Bristol looked to draw level almost immediately, but on-loan striker Millie Farrow was denied by a fine save from home keeper Charlotte Haynes.
Despite the Vixens’ best efforts it was Yeovil who doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Ellie Curson looped an effort over the stranded Caitlin Leach from the edge of the box.
Bristol were unable to turn possession into goal-scoring opportunities in the second half, with Haynes plucking a number of dangerous crosses out of the air.
Durham 1-0 Sheffield FC
Durham repeated their earlier 1-0 league win over Sheffield FC to move within a point of third-placed Bristol.
Jodie Michalska shot high and wide in the 24th minute for Sheffield and just before the interval was off target with a fine effort from the edge of the area.
Durham were inches away from taking a 49th-minute lead with Beth Hepple unlucky to see a screamer come back off Jules Draycott’s crossbar.
The bar came to Durham’s aid 15 minutes from time when lively substitute Chelsea Flanagan struck the woodwork after seizing on Helen Alderson’s punch.
One goal always looked like settling it and, when Sheffield could not deal with Hepple’s high hanging corner, Natalie Gutteridge nodded in her sixth goal of the season from close range.
The drama was not over and in stoppage time, Alderson saved superbly from substitute Hannah Cain to protect the home lead.
Pictured – Man City celebrate Demi Stokes’ goal. (Photo: manchestercity.fawsl.com)
