Top-of-the-table WSL Sunday: Chelsea v Man United, Arsenal v Reading, Brighton v Man City by Michelle
Arsenal Women went into the Christmas break sitting 2nd in the WSL only 3 points behind Chelsea but with a game in hand. Arsenal also qualified at the top of their group for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. There were certainly highs to be celebrated!
But with highs must come lows and Arsenal were plagued with injuries pretty much from the start of the season. The lows got lower when Arsenal’s top goalscorers Beth Mead & Vivianne Miedema were struck down with ACL injuries within weeks of each other in November and December respectively.
Arsenal have been playing dominantly but struggling to convert that to goals since returning from the winter break, only managing a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Emirates, a 0-0 draw away to West Ham followed by a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City away at Academy Stadium. All of this dropped Arsenal to 4th in the WSL but with games in hand..
Arsenal Women’s fortunes may now be turning. In the Women’s Super League Arsenal recorded their first win of 2023 on Wednesday when they beat Liverpool 2-0 at Meadow Park, with goals from Blackstenius and Foord. Arsenal may well have unlocked their goal-scoring capabilities within the team, without Mead & Miedema.. Our Gunners demonstrated this with an emphatic 3-1 win over Chelsea last Sunday to win the Conti Cup for the first time since 2018.. This is the top of the WSL table as things stand but Arsenal have another game in hand to be played, this weekend:
Arsenal welcome 9th place Reading to Meadow Park on Sunday, kick-off is at 6:45pm UK. Tickets are still available to purchase here. If Arsenal can record a win in this match they could move back to 3rd place in the WSL, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference. But Man City are playing Brighton so it’s unlikely that Arsenal will take 3rd just yet, though our Gunners still have a game in hand. But the big WSL table-changing game this weekend is Chelsea v Manchester United at Kingsmeadow. Man United are top of the WSL, one point above Chelsea (Chelsea have a game in hand) but the result of this match will, one way or another, change the leaderboard for sure..
If Man United lost and Chelsea won, for example, with a Man City win they could go level points with Man United (though Man United would be 2nd on goal difference). If Man United win and Man City win, it could be Man United and Man City at the top of the table again! If Chelsea v Man United record a draw and Man City win then Chelsea and Man City would be on the same points. This would be the best set of Sunday results, in my humble opinion:
Arsenal win at home to Reading (3 points)
Man City lose away at Brighton (0 points) but extremely unlikely..
Chelsea v Man United draw (1 point each)
Regardless of any other results, Arsenal really must secure a win against Reading to stay in close contention at the top of the table. It makes the top of the WSL rather exciting!
Can our Gunners take 3 points from Reading? Who do you want to win between Man United and Chelsea?
Michelle Maxwell
Review of ARSENAL WOMEN’S brilliant victory over Chelsea in the Conti Cup Final ….…
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