After their midweek triumph, Arsenal piled the pressure on Manchester United and Manchester City, challenging them to respond in the race for second place.

Meanwhile, for the first time this season, Aston Villa Women secured back-to-back wins. A dramatic injury-time goal from Kirsty Hanson sealed a 3-2 away victory at Tottenham Hotspur. It looked like Villa were set to drop points again after letting a two-goal lead slip, with Jessica Naz and Ella Morris bringing Spurs level in quick succession. But this time, Villa found a response. After a powerful run, Hanson stayed composed and slotted home the winner in the dying seconds.

Injuries continue to haunt Manchester City

Manchester City needed a win against Everton to keep up with Arsenal and United in the Champions League race. But once again, they fell short — drawing 1-1 and dropping more valuable points.

If there’s one word to describe City’s season, it’s injuries.

The squad remains severely depleted, with key players like Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp, Vivianne Miedema, Jill Roord, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, Risa Shimizu, Aoba Fujino, and Laura Blindkilde Brown all sidelined. Last week, Mary Fowler was added to that ever-growing list. Nearly all of them would have been starters — but for City, this season has turned into a battle for fitness as much as form.

The Women’s Football Blog game of the weekend

The Women’s Football Blog game of the weekend saw Manchester United take on West Ham United.

Manchester United Women missed a vital chance to close the gap in the Barclays Women’s Super League title race, settling for a 0-0 draw away at West Ham United Women.

A win in East London would have put United within touching distance of leaders Chelsea and strengthened their grip on a Champions League spot. But despite dominating large spells of the match, they were left frustrated by a well-organized West Ham side.

United on Top, but No Reward

Marc Skinner’s team controlled the first half, creating the better chances. Celin Bizet struck the post with a first-time effort, and a corner almost looped in off the bar. Despite their control, the breakthrough never came.

After the restart, Elisabeth Terland had United’s best opportunity, forcing Kinga Szemik into a smart low save. The visitors kept pushing, finishing with 17 shots and 66% possession, but they couldn’t convert their dominance into goals.

West Ham Hold Firm at Home

West Ham, now unbeaten in four WSL matches, were disciplined and increasingly dangerous on the counter. Viviane Asseyi and Riko Ueki offered energy and pace up front, though they rarely troubled Phallon Tullis-Joyce in the United goal.

Rehanne Skinner’s side continue to impress at home. Eighteen of their 21 league points have been earned in Dagenham—one of the best home records outside the top four. They’ve now gone five games unbeaten at home and conceded just 12 goals across 10 matches.

United’s Missed Opportunity in the Title Race

United came into this game with momentum, having just knocked out Manchester City to reach a third straight FA Cup final. They’d also lost just once in their last 10 league matches, scoring 25 goals in that run.

But this result means the top-four battle remains tight, with United, Arsenal, and City all vying for the two remaining Champions League places behind Chelsea. United’s final three games? All against fellow top-four sides.

After the match, manager Marc Skinner reflected on the missed opportunity, telling Sky Sports: “We wanted to pick up three points — I think we did enough for that. They came to stop us winning, and they’ve got their point reward. We just needed a bit of luck in the box today because we created enough. It’s frustrating but understandable.” He added: “We needed to maybe be a little more aggressive on some of the crosses we made and then it would have been a win. We take another point, another clean sheet for us, and we go into the last three games ready to take on the opponent.” (Source: Sky Sports, post-match interview)

WSL Results: This Weekend’s Scores