Beyond the Top Four: Upsets and injuries shake the WSL
Late drama for Liverpool and West Ham, as Aston Villa and London City produce statement wins
It’s the return of Beyond the Top Four, as we once again shine a light on the stories lower down the WSL table.
Tottenham dropped to fifth after losing 4-2 to London City as the Lionesses close the gap between fifth and sixth place. At the other end, Liverpool and West Ham finally secured their first points of the season with draws against Brighton and Leicester City. However, both teams were devastatingly close to earning three points, but conceded stoppage-time equalisers. Additionally, Everton have now stretched their winless run to seven WSL games after losing 2-1 Manchester City.
The story of the weekend came from Aston Villa who inflicted a first defeat of the season on Marc Skinner’s Manchester United. Miri Taylor scored the decisive goal to secure a memorable 1-0 win at Leigh Sports Village. Villa Manager Natalia Arroyo said after the game: “We know that for these types of games probably no one expects us to win, so if we can take something, the point at the Emirates and these three here at United, that allows us to believe and dream bigger.” It was Villa’s eighth win in 14 games, a run that stretches back to the end of last season.
Sunday’s end-to-end contest between London City and Spurs saw momentum shift several times before London City ultimately grabbed control and claimed a 4-2 victory. An unfortunate own goal handed London City the advantage in the second half but it was Freya Godfrey who claimed the plaudits after her brace and assist. Post-match, manager Jocelyn Precheur reflected: “I am happy because as a side, we scored four times from three different scorers, so I hope it will give us the energy to keep developing and improving.”
It was a memorable day for Nikita Parris who scored on her 200th appearance in the WSL, an incredible statistic. Precheur praised the striker, telling reporters: “For me, she is a legend of English football. I don’t know if people really realise what it means to play 200 games in the WSL, so it’s very impressive.”
Reflecting on his side’s performance Spurs manager Martin Ho said: “It was disappointing. I thought we were in large parts in control of the game with the ball and created chances, so we can be a danger for anyone with the ball. But we can’t defend that way. We haven’t shown a performance like that since Man City probably. There are definitely positives to take into the next game, but we can’t have that much of a drop in the defensive side.”
Injury issues
The recent international break offered a pause in the domestic calendar, but it unfortunately brought a spate of ACL injuries, a recurring and painful issue in the women’s game.
The big story was Michelle Agyemang. The young forward, who has been playing for Brighton on loan from Arsenal, suffered an ACL injury playing for England in their win over Australia. Brighton manager Dario Vidosic described the situation as “heartbreaking” but reassured that Agyemang “is a very switched-on kid so her mind is already set on [recovery]. That’s the impressive thing about her that maybe not everyone gets to see.”
Not long after news broke of Agyemang, Arsenal were dealt yet another blow as it was revealed that centre-back Katie Reid had suffered an ACL injury in training.
Liverpool have also endured further injury woes: Sophie Roman Haug confirmed that she sustained an ACL injury in their League Cup fixture against Durham a few weeks ago. Liverpool are already without Marie Hobinger who suffered an ACL injury last month.
Elsewhere, Spurs’ Maite Oroz also picked up an ACL injury at the end of October.