Page 5 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.26 2021-22

FA Women’s Championship

A late goal helped Liverpool keep their title charge on course and
preserve their seven point lead at the top of the FA Women’s
Championship. Jaz Matthews scored the only goal of the game, six
minutes from time, to give the Reds a 1-0 victory away to Charlton
Athletic.
Only Bristol City now have a realistic chance of making a challenge to Liverpool
and they made it five victories in a row when beating Watford 3-1. Chloe Bull gave the
Robins a first half half lead and she doubled their advantage with her second, twelve
minutes from time. Rosie Kmita gave Watford hope when she pulled one back three
minutes later but Abi Harrison sealed a result which keeps up City’s lone pursuit after the
Reds in injury time.
There is now a six point gap to third placed London City Lionesses who were
beaten 2-1 by fast improving Sheffield Utd. Carly Girasoli did give the Lionesses a first
half lead but goals after the break from Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Lucy Watson earned
the Blades a third straight win which takes them to within three points of their opponents,
in what is a congested part of the table between third and eighth places.
A win would therefore have lifted Durham Women up to third but they were held
to a goalless draw by Coventry Utd, who continue to finish the season with pride. The
result, mathematically, puts Coventry on the brink of relegation but, ahead of their Vitality
Women’s FA Cup quarter final this week, they are now four games unbeaten in all
competitions and kept a second successive clean sheet.
Two teams who still have a chance of a top three finish met each other and it was
Lewes who were 2-0 winners over Crystal
Palace. After a goalless first half, Lucy Porter Durham Women 0
gave the Rookettes the lead within four minutes Coventry Utd 0
of the restart and Isobel Dalton condemned -
Palace to a fourth defeat in five games when she Blackburn Rovers 2 (Jordan 26, Blanchard 65)
Sunderland 1 (Manders 68)
scored the second, just before the hour. -
Blackburn Rovers leapfrogged Charlton Athletic 0
Sunderland in the table and are out of the Liverpool 1 (Matthews 84)
bottom three after winning their meeting 2-1. - Lewes 2 (Porter 49, Dalton 57)
Saffron Jordan gave Blackburn the lead Crystal Palace 0
midway through the first half and Annabel -
Blanchard netted the second after 65 minutes Sheffield Utd 2 (Sweetman-Kirk 55, Watson 68)
to give Rovers a second victory in three London City Lionesses 1 (Girasoli 19)
matches, despite Holly Manders pulling one - Bristol City 3 (Bull 15,78, Harrison 90)
back for the Wearsiders three minutes later. Watford 1 (Kmita 81)

CHAMPIONSHIP P W D L F A Pts GD
LIVERPOOL 17 13 3 1 35 6 42 29
BRISTOL CITY 17 11 2 4 37 17 35 20 LEADING SCORERS
7
LONDON CITY LIONESSES 17 9 2 6 26 19 29 Abi HARRISON Bristol City 14
3
DURHAM WFC 17 9 2 6 23 20 29 Leanne KIERNAN Liverpool 12
7
CHARLTON ATHLETIC 17 8 3 6 22 15 27 Courtney SWEETMAN-KIRK Sheffield Utd 9
CRYSTAL PALACE 18 8 3 7 28 35 27 Lucy WATSON Sheffield Utd 8
-7
SHEFFIELD UTD 17 7 5 5 27 19 26 8
Beth HEPPLE Durham Women 7
LEWES 17 8 1 8 22 20 25 Chloe BULL Bristol City 6
2
BLACKBURN ROVERS 18 5 2 11 15 32 17 -17
SUNDERLAND 17 4 4 9 15 25 16 -10
WATFORD 17 1 4 12 12 38 7 -26
COVENTRY UTD * 17 2 5 10 14 31 1 -17
Issue no. 26 - 17 March 2022 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk