London City Lionesses capitalised on Bristol City’s loss against Birmingham to leapfrog them into first place in the Barclays Women’s Championship
London City Lionesses beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane to move top of the Barclays Women’s Championship table.
They moved above Bristol City, who fell to a surprising loss against mid-table Birmingham City.
There was a win for Charlton in the South London derby, a six-minute hat-trick at Durham, and a closely-fought draw between Blackburn and Southampton as the second tier took centre stage this weekend.
Lionesses roar their way to the top
Amy Rodgers’s early strike helped London City Lionesses climb to the summit of the Championship and spoil Sheffield United’s party.
With a record-breaking crowd of 11,137 people watching on at Bramall Lane, Rodgers and Atlanta Primus scored in each half to fire the visitors to a 2-0 victory that left the hosts languishing 10th in the table.
Rodgers opened the scoring after just five minutes, finding the bottom corner from distance, to break the back of the Blades.
Primus added a second for the Lionesses with ten minutes remaining after being put through on goal by Jamie-Lee Napier.
💭 “The credit goes to the players and the way they persevered throughout.”
Head coach, Melissa Phillips giving her post-match thoughts on a memorable road win over Sheffield United 👊#ThePride 🔷 pic.twitter.com/QAfqrmB4zZ
— London City Lionesses (@LC_Lionesses) November 20, 2022
Vixens can’t respond against the Blues
The result meant Bristol City needed a win to reclaim top spot but they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat against Birmingham City
The first half ended goalless, but there were positive signs for the Blues right from the start.
They were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Siobhan Wilson’s ball was directed goalward for Jade Pennock to put the visitors ahead.
Bristol City pushed for an equaliser, but Blues goalkeeper Lucy Thomas made two brilliant saves to wrap up the win for the visitors.
Addicks triumph in South London derby
Emily Simpkins and Melissa Johnson fired Charlton Athletic to a 2-1 derby day win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Simpkins opened the scoring from the spot with just 17 minutes on the clock after Johnson was felled in the box.
Johnson grabbed Charlton’s second on the stroke of half-time, curling the ball past Fran Kitching.
Fliss Gibbons grabbed one back for Palace after the break, scoring a stunning free-kick to set up a grandstand finish in South London.
However, the Addicks held on to move within four points of the summit.
🗣️ ‘𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲!’@riohardy_ reflects on the win over Coventry – and a first hat-trick for the club! ⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/NF1ezmnFkE
— Durham Women FC (@DurhamWFC) November 20, 2022
Hardy hat-trick sinks United
Rio Hardy scored an incredible six-minute hat-trick as Durham cruised to a 5-1 victory over bottom-of-the-table Coventry United.
All five of the Wildcats’ goals at the Butts Park Arena came in the first half as they picked up their third league win of the season.
Jessica Clarke ran onto Sarah Robson’s long pass before lifting the ball over Coventry goalkeeper Jodie Whiteman to put the visitors ahead.
Saoirse Noonan turned on Beth Hepple’s pass before hitting an unstoppable strike into the top corner to double their lead.
Hardy then started her rapid scoring spree six minutes before the break, grabbing a quickfire hat-trick to put her side 5-0 up at the break.
Simran Jhamat bundled the ball into the net as the hosts grabbed a late consolation goal.
Hack helps Lewes beat Lady Black Cats
Ellie Hack’s late goal earned Lewes a narrow 1-0 win at Sunderland.
After a goalless first half, the game appeared to be heading towards a 0-0 draw.
However Hack struck in the 83rd minute to give her side their third win in as many games.
The result sees Lewes climb up to sixth while Sunderland remain in 11th, four points clear of Coventry United.
Spoils shared between Rovers and Saints
A late strike from Saffron Jordan earned Blackburn Rovers a point against Southampton at Ewood Park.
Southampton took the lead through Katie Wilkinson early in the second half when the Saints star finished off a slick passing move.
Jordan fired home at the far post with five minutes remaining, meeting Natasha Fenton’s excellent free kick from the left wing to ensure Blackburn earned a deserved point.
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