WSL previews: Everton vs Arsenal, Tottenham vs Chelsea and more

Team news and stats for the latest round of the WSL, including Everton vs Arsenal, live on Sky Sports, and Tottenham vs Chelsea.

Brighton vs Birmingham – Saturday, 2pm

Mid-table Brighton still have dreams of a top-five finish after but two defeats from three, to Manchester United and Arsenal, have hit their hopes of leapfrogging Tottenham in the table.

Hope Powell’s side, who had entered the race for Europe in the early weeks of the season, now have to contend with West Ham and Reading sitting directly behind them, and only a point separating the Seagulls from eighth place.

Birmingham could be effectively relegated with defeat, with Leicester given the opportunity to open the gap to the basement side to nine points should Darren Carter’s side lose on the south coast.

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After losing their first FA WSL match against Birmingham in September 2018, Brighton are unbeaten in five league games against them (W4 D1).Birmingham have lost all three of their away FA WSL games against Brighton, losing 2-1 in 2018-19, 3-0 in 2019-20 and 2-0 last season.Brighton have lost eight of their last 12 FA WSL matches (W3 D1), losing 1-0 away at Man Utd last time out. Since they jointed the WSL in 2018-19, only their opponents for this match, Birmingham (43), have lost more WSL games than the Seagulls (42).Birmingham City have lost their last five away FA Women’s Super League matches, their longest ever run of consecutive away defeats in the competition.Birmingham have had just five sequences of 10 or more passes in open play in the FA Women’s Super League this season, at least 16 fewer than any other side.

Man City vs Leicester – Sunday, 2pm

Manchester City are on a fine run of form which is keeping them on the coat-tails of city rivals Manchester United, and three points behind them with a game in hand.

Gareth Taylor’s side have won each of their last five games and while the title may be out of reach, qualification for the Champions League first round is still very much on the cards.

Leicester could present a straightforward opponent on Sunday, with the Foxes having lost each of their last four games, although a shock win in the north west would likely all-but secure their WSL survival.

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In their only previous FA Women’s Super League meeting in November, Manchester City won 4-1 against Leicester with goals from Caroline Weir, Keira Walsh, Lauren Hemp and Laura Coombs.Newly promoted teams have lost all 19 of their FA WSL matches against Manchester City by an aggregate score of 72-6, never scoring more than once in a game in that run.Since a run of conceding 18 goals across eight FA WSL matches between September and December this season, Man City have only conceded twice in nine games in 2022, keeping seven clean sheets. Only Chelsea have kept more clean sheets (8) and conceded fewer goals (2) than City this year.Leicester City have shipped 48 goals in 19 FA WSL matches so far – the only side to concede 50 goals in 20 or fewer games was Yeovil Town, who conceded their 50th goal in their 15th game in the competition back in January 2018.Only Arsenal (15) and Chelsea (12) have scored more FA WSL goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season than Man City (11), while opponents Leicester have conceded the most (15).

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea – Sunday, 2.30pm

Tottenham still have an outside shot at a top-four finish given their game in hand on the teams above them, but defeat in this London derby would open the door to Brighton to leapfrog them into fifth.

Rehanne Skinner’s side are winless in their last three and have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season ahead of the visit of the WSL leaders.

Chelsea know they have one job – keep winning. Only that will keep their title hopes in their own hands, with Arsenal only a point behind them in second place.

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Tottenham Hotspur have lost all three of their FA WSL games against Chelsea – they are the only side Spurs have faced without picking up a single point in the WSL.Chelsea have kept three clean sheets in three FA WSL matches against Tottenham – they’ve only faced Yeovil Town (five) and Aston Villa (four) more often without conceding in the WSL.Spurs are winless in six FA Women’s Super League London derby matches (D2 L4) since a 1-0 away win against West Ham in January 2021.Since conceding three goals on MD1 this season against Arsenal in a 3-2 defeat, Chelsea have conceded just four goals in 17 FA WSL matches, keeping 13 clean sheets. They have faced just two shots on target per game on average this season (36 in 18 games), with only Chelsea themselves last season (1.7 per game) facing fewer per game in a single WSL season.Spurs have failed to score in their last three FA WSL games, attempting 24 shots without success across these games. It is their longest run of games without a goal in the WSL.

Reading vs West Ham – Sunday, 2.30pm

Reading are well safe from the drop but need to reinvigorate their season after a run of seven games without a win dating back to early February.

Their only home defeat in that time came at the hands of Manchester United, but goals have been hard to come by in Berkshire all season, and Kelly Chambers’ Royals have scored only 10 times on home soil across nine games.

West Ham’s form has proven similar over the course of the season so far and separates the teams only by goal difference, with Olli Harder’s side also finding wins difficult in recent weeks.

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Reading are winless in their last two FA WSL games against West Ham United (D1 L1) since winning three in a row against the Hammers.West Ham won 5-0 away from home against Reading last season, their joint-biggest win in their FA WSL history, equaling their 5-0 win at Yeovil Town in December 2018.Reading have drawn two and lost five of their last seven FA Women’s Super League matches, their longest winless run in the WSL since winning none of their first 13 games between March and September 2016.West Ham United have lost their last two FA WSL matches, losing 2-0 against both Brighton and Manchester City. The Hammers last lost more consecutively in October 2020 (four in a row under Matt Beard).Only Leicester City (323) have faced more shots in the FA Women’s Super League this season than Reading (305), who faced 23 shots in their 5-0 defeat to Chelsea while only managing two efforts at goal themselves; four different Chelsea players had more shots than Reading managed combined.

Aston Villa vs Man Utd – Sunday, 6pm

Aston Villa could yet end their campaign in the comfort of mid-table having spent most of the season inside the bottom four, with their win at Tottenham before the international break moving them within five points of Brighton in sixth.

That result did, however, end a run of four winless games coming into Sunday’s game with Manchester United, who present a daunting task to turn their victory into a streak given they have won four of their last five matches.

Marc Skinner’s side know only victory will do to keep themselves ahead of Manchester City in the race for the Champions League, with three points separating the two clubs.

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Aston Villa have lost all three of their FA WSL matches against Manchester United without scoring a single goal while conceding 10.Manchester United are yet to drop a single point against Aston Villa in the FA Women’s Super League, winning all three against them. They’ve only faced Birmingham City more often (four times) without dropping a point in the WSL.Aston Villa are looking to register consecutive FA Women’s Super League wins for the first time, having beaten Spurs 1-0 in their last match.Manchester United haven’t lost a single FA WSL match this season against any of the teams currently in the bottom half of the league (P10 W8 D2) – they are the only WSL team without a defeat against those six teams this season.Aston Villa have conceded just four goals in their last six FA WSL matches (W2 D1 L3), although three of those contributed to 1-0 defeats – they had conceded 18 goals in the six games before this run.

Everton vs Arsenal – Sunday, 6.45pm, live on Sky Sports

Everton may be dreaming of the season being over as quickly as possible with their draw against bottom side Birmingham last time out ending a run of three straight defeats. What was meant to be a challenge for Europe has turned into a huge disappointment on Merseyside, costing two managers their jobs along the way.

Arsenal have won all of their last four games and are doing everything they can to push Chelsea all the way in the title race – but even perfection in Jonas Eidevall’s side may not be enough to lift the WSL trophy.

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Everton won their first FA WSL game against Arsenal in July 2011 but have since failed to win any of their subsequent 15 against the Gunners (D1 L14), losing the last 12 in a row.Arsenal’s 14 victories against Everton in the FA Women’s Super League are the joint-most any side has won against another in the competition, with the other two instances of 14 wins both Arsenal, against Liverpool and Birmingham City.Arsenal could set a new FA WSL record for consecutive wins against a single opponent if they beat Everton in this game – the current run of 12 consecutive wins was also set against Everton, with Man City on an ongoing run of 12 wins in a row against the Toffees.Everton kept only their fourth FA WSL clean sheet of the season last time out in a 0-0 draw with Birmingham City. The Toffees haven’t kept consecutive shutouts in the league since a run of three in September/October 2020, although they have never kept a clean sheet against Arsenal in the competition.

Here’s how to follow the WSL on Sky Sports…

Sky Sports – All 35 games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.

Sky Sports digital – Follow all the latest from the WSL across skysports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage and in-game clips from games live on Sky Sports. You can watch free match highlights from every WSL game this season on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and YouTube channel.

Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week Barclays FA WSL fans can enjoy Sky Sports News (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the league and its storylines throughout the season.

Inside the WSL – Hosted by award-winning broadcaster and journalist Jessica Creighton, Inside the WSL is a comprehensive round-up of all things Barclays FA Women’s Super League and women’s football. Airing weekly from Thursday, September 9 on Sky Sports Premier League, the half an hour show will review and preview matches, include in-depth analysis and exclusive player interviews. Viewers can expect gripping behind-the-scenes access as well as a summary of all the action both on and off the pitch.

Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, a new bespoke Twitter channel @SkySportsWSL will be the home of all Barclays FA WSL content on Sky Sports.

To add all the Barclays FA WSL fixtures to your calendar click here.