Welcome to One Step Away, The Cutback’s WSL2 newsletter covering results, standout performances, talking points and everything else you need to know from around the league.
Princess reigns supreme
Another Princess Ademiluyi stunner! The Ipswich Town forward is certainly making a habit of this. After scoring in Ipswich’s win over Wolves, Ademiluyi scored another incredible goal from range as Ipswich beat Sheffield United 2-1 for a third consecutive league victory. Watch here:
The Tractor Girls are now unbeaten after five games, with three wins and two draws, and sit third in the table as they continue to be one of the surprise packages of the season.
Bristol City escape
Bristol City showed plenty of character to come from behind and beat Southampton at Ashton Gate. The match could hardly have started worse for Bristol City, conceding after just 43 seconds. The visitors had chances to extend their lead before half-time, but Bristol City came out with renewed and determined energy after the break.
The victory moved Bristol City up to sixth, while Southampton suffered their first defeat of the season. After an inconsistent opening few weeks, this was a crucial result for the Robins. Their response after conceding so early was particularly encouraging, and their ability to turn the match around in the second half with far greater intensity showed the team’s resilience. For a side that came into the season with promotion ambitions, this could prove to be an important confidence boost as they head into the next block of matches.
Sunderland and Newcastle United continue their excellent form
Sunderland picked up their fourth win in five games to move into second, beating Leicester 3-1 despite the visitors equalising before half-time.
Katie Kitching opened the scoring before Leicester defender Asmita Ale chipped in an impressive equaliser. But Sunderland came out strongly after the break, with Elise Hughes restoring their lead scoring her fourth goal of the season. Sanni Franssi, on loan from London City Lionesses, added a third, meaning she has also scored in consecutive games.
For Leicester, however, it is another worrying result. They have now suffered convincing defeats against Sunderland, Newcastle, and Ipswich- the three teams currently occupying the top three places. Currently sat in eighth, Leicester’s hopes of promotion are looking increasingly difficult to achieve.
Newcastle United, the league leaders, made it five from five with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Durham in the North East derby. Hildur Antonsdóttir and Jordan Nobbs opened the scoring before Martha Thomas got in on the action. The forward added Newcastle’s third, taking her tally to five goals and extending her lead as the WSL2’s current top scorer.
Alongside scoring 17 goals so far, Newcastle’s goalkeeper Anna Tamminen has crucially kept four clean sheets. The Magpies’ perfect record means they already have a four-point cushion at the top of the table as they head into the international break.
Durham remain bottom without a point and are now the only side in the division yet to win or draw.
Nottingham Forest climb to fourth
Nottingham Forest are another team quietly putting together an impressive start.
A 2-0 win over Burnley, courtesy of two goals from Tuva Espås, lifted Forest into fourth place and extended their unbeaten run to five games. They may not have entered the season as the most obvious promotion favourites, but they are unbeaten and sitting inside the top four, looking like a team that could majorly disrupt the other top teams.
The numbers tell their own story: Burnley failed to register a single shot on target as Forest controlled the game.
The two other newly promoted sides, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Watford, produced an entertaining four-goal 2-2 draw. Both sides had chances to win it late on, with Wolves goalkeeper Emily Orman making eight saves. The result means Watford are still waiting for their first WSL2 victory, while Wolves remain unbeaten at home.
What, where and when to watch
The WSL2 now takes a break for international football with league action returning on 25th October.
The current top four are due to face each other with Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United (4th v 1st) and Ipswich Town v Sunderland (3rd v 2nd) being our picks to watch. It will be a test for Forest and Ipswich particularly to see if they can use their home advantage to take any points off the top teams in contention for promotion.
Watford v Durham - Sunday 25th October (12:00 BST)
Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Sunday 25th October (14:00 BST)
Burnley v Sheffield United - Sunday 25th October (14:00 BST)
Ipswich Town v Sunderland - Sunday 25th October (14:00 BST)
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United - Sunday 25th October (14:00 BST)
Leicester City v Southampton- Sunday 25th October (15:00 BST)