Rachel Brown-Finnis 

Arsenal close on WSL title but Liverpool need proper backing

Victory at Brighton on Sunday will make Arsenal champions while on the same day Chelsea will feel they still have a chance against Lyon in Europe
  
  

Liverpool’s Rinsola Babajide celebrates scoring her second goal against Bristol City; Vivianne Miedema of Arsenal; Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert celebrates scoring her vital away goal against Lyon.
Liverpool’s Rinsola Babajide celebrates scoring her second goal against Bristol City; Vivianne Miedema of Arsenal; Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert celebrates scoring her vital away goal against Lyon. Photograph: Getty Images and Reuters

Arsenal close in on the title

Victory over Brighton next weekend will seal the title for Arsenal, who are four points clear of Manchester City with two games to play. Is there any chance of them slipping up? No. It’s not going to happen. To say they’ve been dominant is an understatement. That said, Everton ran them close at Meadow Park on Sunday with Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah giving the league leaders a slightly uncomfortable afternoon, pulling a goal back in the second half after Arsenal had taken a two-goal lead at the break. Vivienne Miedema scored her 30th goal of the season in stunning fashion, ducking and diving past four Everton players in the box and scooping home from close range to double their lead. Miedema’s unrivalled goal tally is the main reason behind what will surely be Arsenal’s title success and her link-up play with Daniëlle van de Donk and Kim Little has been scintillating all season. I can’t wait to watch them all in the World Cup this summer.

• Arsenal 2-1 Everton – as it happened

Things need to change at Liverpool

The 20-year-old Rinsola Babajide made waves with her first Liverpool hat-trick in the 5-2 hammering of Bristol. The Reds have a lot to prove and are looking to finish on a high after a rollercoaster season on and off the pitch. At times they’ve had zero threat up top with Jess Clarke out with a long-term knee injury and, from mid season, a new manager in the shape of Vicky Jepson, who has been finding her feet in the WSL and tinkering with formations. This was a standout performance and a show of just what the team is capable of but, while the ship has been steadied, to be serious title contenders once again things have got to change off the pitch. I’d never question the professionalism of the players but Liverpool Football Club are not fully backing and supporting them. They’ve got the resources – it’s Liverpool after all – but when you scratch beneath the surface you see the problems and what they’re doing now has probably gone backwards from where they were five years ago. Put it this way – if I was a player from abroad given the choice of which club to move to this summer, Liverpool or newly-promoted Manchester United, there’s no contest. Things could be done a lot better off the pitch to help things on the pitch.

Chelsea in with a chance

Things were looking bleak for Chelsea at 2-0 down in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Lyon but Erin Cuthbert struck with just 18 minutes to go in France to give Emma Hayes’s side a lifeline. In the first half Magda Eriksson’s second own goal of the week gave Lyon the lead and is a reminder of how cruel this game can be. Hayes said she was “gutted” with the result afterwards but Chelsea aren’t out of it. Lyon may have been Champions League finalists in eight of the last nine years and heavy favourites coming in to the tie but Chelsea have been stubborn opponents in Europe this season. Roll on the second leg.

• Match report: Lyon 2-1 Chelsea

United continue their ruthless streak

Manchester United wrapped up promotion in midweek by trouncing Aston Villa and they sealed the Championship title on Saturday with another charismatic yet efficient performance against Crystal Palace. United have shown their ruthless streak most of the season, winning 16 out of 18 in the league (their goal difference is +81), losing only once, and sealing the title with two games still to play. Casey Stoney is sure to add to her squad this summer and I think everyone is looking forward to seeing United in the WSL next season. Bring on the Manchester derby!

• Manchester United secure promotion to WSL

West Ham with one eye on the Cup final

A 2-1 defeat to Birmingham might not seem like a particularly positive result for West Ham with the FA Cup final just two weeks away but it shows how the side has developed as the season has rumbled along. Earlier in the campaign the Hammers – who essentially put together an entirely new team last summer – would have been battered, particularly after goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was sent off in the first half. To lose by such a narrow margin shows how far they’ve come, and in fairness, with them safe in the WSL and the Cup final on the horizon, league results are almost immaterial right now. They’ll be underdogs against City in the final but then they weren’t expected to beat Reading in the semi-final. They’ve shown a really resolute side to their game recently – they’ve got the capacity to dig in when they’re up against it.

BT Sport has coverage of women’s football all season, including the FA WSL and Continental Tyres League Cup.

 

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