Barclays Women’s Championship
The Barclays Women’s Championship is set for an exciting second half of the season after Sunday’s results mean that just five points
cover the top eight teams as we held into the Christmas and New Year break.
Birmingham City will be the leaders of table on goal difference going into the break after their match with Charlton Athletic ended in a goalless draw. Such is the tightness of the league, the Addicks are now in eighth place after having led the table in the earlier stages of the campaign.
Bristol City made it six wins in seven league matches with an ominous looking 5-0 victory over fellow challengers Durham Women, which takes them level on points with leaders Birmingham City. Emily Syme scored twice, either side of half time, to leave City in a strong position and Lexi Lloyd-Smith increased their lead, before late goals from Tianna Teisar and Amalie Thestrup put the seal on an impressive result.
London City Lionesses are only a single point off the pace in third following their 3-1 win against Southampton. The damage was done in the final quarter of the game, with three goals in a six minute spell put things firmly in the Lionesses’ favour. After Kosovare Asllani had given them the lead at the midpoint of the second half, they added further goals in quick succession from Isobel Goodwin and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah to secure the points, before Emma Thompson netted an injury time consolation for the Saints.
After having notched up four wins in a row, Sunderland were held to a 2-2 draw by Portsmouth, who doubled their points tally for the season. Pompey took a seventeenth minute lead through Sophie Quirk but Eleanor Dale promptly levelled the scores and Katy Wilson put the Wearsiders ahead during first half injury time. Lily Dent equalised in the opening minute of the second half and Portsmouth held on for a morale boosting result, whilst Sunderland remain in fifth place.
Leading scorers:
8 - Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses);
7 - Lexi Lloyd-Smith (Bristol City);
6 - Eleanor Dale (Sunderland);
6 - Shania Hayles (Newcastle United);
5 - Rianna Dean (Southampton);
4 - Katie Bradley (Charlton Athletic);
4 - Maria Farrugia (Sheffield United);
4 - Katie Kitching (Sunderland);
4 - Mollie Lambert (Durham Women);
3 - Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah (London City Lionesses);
3 - Ellie Brazil (Charlton Athletic);
3 - Farah Crompton (Blackburn Rovers);
3 - Lily Crosthwaite (Durham Women);
3 - Marie Edwards (Blackburn Rovers);
3 - Beth Hepple (Durham Women);
3 - Beth Lumsden (Newcastle United);
3 - Karin Muya (Charlton Athletic);
3 - Ffion Morgan (Bristol City);
3 - Emily Syme (Bristol City);
3 - Amalie Thestrup (Bristol City);
