WOMENS SOCCER - FA SUPER LEAGUE
2011
Regular Season - Chelsea (0) v (1) Arsenal - After 3 years of preparation, the inaugural Womens Super League kicked off with a London derby. Arsenal showed their title credentials with a tight 1-0 win as a 1st half goal from defender Gilly Flaherty was enough to take the win. Arsenal also featured England captain Faye White, Ellen White, Katie Chapman and Rachel Yankey. Chelsea were led by captain Kylie Davies and also featured Helen Lander (10, 2 Discs, ESPN UK - Bower/Ward, PAL)
2013
Regular Season - Bristol Academy (0) @ (2) Liverpool - At Halton Stadium in Widnes, #1 ranked Liverpool Ladies claimed their 1st ever Super League title in a "winner-takes-all" match-up with #2 ranked Bristol Academy. Liverpool had the better of the game and took the win with a goal in each half. The goals came from Louise Fors (a penalty) and Katrin Omarsdottir. Bristol were led by Natasha Dowie (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Rae/Ward, PAL)
2014
Regular Season - Liverpool (2) @ (1) Birmingham - Liverpool snatched a win at Solihull Moors with a controversial late goal. Liverpool held a 1-0 lead with 2 minutes remaining when Birmingham capitalised on a goalkeeping error to tie the game up. But from the kick-off, Liverpool's Fara Williams shot from the half-way line and lobbed the Birmingham 'keeper for the winning goal. Birmingham complained the referee hadn't blown his whistle to re-start the game and that the 'keeper wasn't in position to continue. After the match the referee agreed that he had made an error but the result stood. Liverpool also featured Katrin Omarsdottir and Amanda Da Costa (9, 45 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Bower/Ward, PAL)
Regular Season - Chelsea (1) @ (2) Manchester City - On a dramatic final day of the season, league leaders Chelsea lost, handing the title to Liverpool who claimed the trophy on goal difference. Manchester City went ahead thanks to goals from Jill Scott and a brilliant volley from Toni Duggan. Chelsea pulled a goal back in the 71st minute through Gilly Flaherty but City held on to take the win and, with Liverpool winning 3-0 at Bristol, the title was reclaimed by the Reds. Coverage includes post-game from the Liverpool/Bristol game (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Bower/Ward, PAL)
2015
Regular Season - Arsenal (1) @ (1) Notts County - In her first game against her old club, Notts County striker Ellen White had a big game but Arsenal used a strong 2nd half to rescue a draw. White gave County a 1-0 lead at the half with a clever free-kick that saw 2 of her team-mates arguing about who will take it, distracting the Arsenal defense long enough for White to turn on the edge of the area and curl in the opening goal. White could have doubled County's lead but missed a penalty. Arsenal re-grouped for the 2nd half and were the better team but had to wait until the 84th minute for the equaliser from Chioma Ubogagu, who was making her debut (10, 1 hour 11 minutes Hi-Lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Bower/Ward, PAL)
Regular Season - Manchester City (3) @ (2) Arsenal - #4 City beat #3 Arsenal to move within 3 points of the league leaders with a shootout win at Borehamwood. City had the better of the 1st half and led 1-0 at the break but Arsenal fought back in the 2nd half to make a game of it. City won the game with 2 goals in 8 minutes in the 2nd half to take a decisive lead and held on for the win despite a late goal for the Gunners. The City goals came from Lucy Bronze, Isobel Christiansen and Toni Duggan. The Arsenal goals came from Alex Scott and Natalia De Pablos (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mann/Ward, PAL)
Regular Season - Chelsea (4) @ (0) Liverpool - In the penultimate game of the season, Chelsea took top spot in the league with a big away win. With the win, Chelsea moved 2 points in front of 2nd place Manchester City. After surviving early Liverpool pressure, the Blues scored 2 goals in each half to take the win. The goals came from Ji So-Yun (2), Fran Kirby and Eniola Aluko (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Bower/Ward, PAL)
Regular Season - Sunderland (0) @ (4) Chelsea - Chelsea won their 1st ever WSL title, and with it a domestic double, beating Sunderland at Wheatsheaf Park, Staines. Chelsea knew a win would win the league and they built on a 1-0 lead at the half with 3 more unanswered goals in the 2nd half. The goals came from Fran Kirby (2), Ji So-Yun and Gemma Davison. Disc 2 also includes a 45 minute review of the competition (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Pearce/Ward, PAL)
2016
Regular Season - Chelsea (0) @ (2) Manchester City - Only 3 years after the team was created, #1 City won their 1st ever Premiership with a comfortable home win over #2 Chelsea. 1 goal in each half from an own goal and a penalty from Toni Duggan secured all 3 points. Coverage includes BBC hi-lites of the game (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Bower/Ward, PAL)
2017/18
07/01/18 - Manchester City (5) @ (2) Reading - Manchester City continued their unbeaten start to the season with a shootout win at Adams Park. In an open 1st half, both teams took their chances in front of goal and it was City that held the edge at half-time, taking a 3-2 lead in at the break. City tightened up their Defense in the 2nd half and secured all 3 points with 2 goals in 2 minutes at the start of the half. The City goals came from Nadia Nadim (on debut), Claire Emslie, Izzy Christiansen and Jill Scott (2). The Reading goals came from Remi Allen and Brooke Chaplen (9, No Half-Time, 1 Disc, BBC - Wise/Bonner, PAL)
25/03/18 - Reading (2) @ (2) Chelsea - #1 Chelsea maintained top spot in the league with a come-back draw at Kingsmeadow. Reading took a well-deserved 2-0 lead early in the 2nd half before Chelsea fought back to claim a share of the points with goals in the 51st and 77th minutes. The Reading goals came from Brooke Chaplen and Fara Williams. The Chelsea goals came from Jonna Anderson and Fran Kirby (9, 1 Disc, BBC - Cowen/Bassett, PAL)
12/05/18 - Sunderland (1) @ (2) Chelsea - In their final home game of the season, Chelsea moved to within a point of the WSL title with a win against struggling Sunderland. Chelsea dominated the game, and a goal in each half secured the win, but a late goal from Sunderland gave them hope of a comeback only for time to run out. The Chelsea goals came from Fran Kirby and Eni Aluko. The Sunderland goal came from Keira Ramshaw. The game was also the final home game for Chelsea midfielder Katie Chapman before retirement (9, No Half-Time, 1 Disc, BBC - Cowen/Ward, PAL)
2018/19
FA WSL - West Ham (1) @ (7) Manchester City - West Ham found out the hard way what life in the FA WSL was like, as they were crushed by City at the Academy Stadium. City scored after 2 minutes and ended up 3-0 up at the break. West Ham stemmed the tide after the break but City finished the scoring with 4 goals in the final 20 minutes. The City goals came from Caroline Weir, Nikita Parris (2), Georgia Stanway (2), Steph Houghton and Tessa Wullaert. West Ham did score a consolation goal with 8 minutes left from Esmee de Graaf and also featured Julia Simic and Jane Ross (10, No Half-Time, 2 Discs, BBC - Sparks/K.Smith, PAL)
FA WSL - Chelsea (4) @ (0) Brighton - Chelsea recorded their 5th straight WSL win to go third in the table, while Brighton suffered their 4th straight defeat at the Broadfields Stadium in Crawley. Without absent striker Fran Kirby, Chelsea struggled to convert their dominance into goals, despite hitting the bar twice, and it took until the 65th minute to take the lead. Once the deadlock had been broken, Brighton folded and conceded 3 more goals in the final 21 minutes to give Chelsea a comfortable win. The goals came from Beth England (2), Magdalena Eriksson and Ji So-Yun (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Cowen/S.Smith, PAL)
FA WSL - Arsenal (4) @ (2) West Ham - Women's Super League leaders Arsenal overcame a tight 1st half to beat West Ham at Rush Green and stay top of the league. West Ham went toe-to-toe with Arsenal in the 1st half and went in at the break with a deserved 2-2 tie. But Arsenal put on the squeeze in the 2nd half and 2 goals in a 6-minute span gave the Gunners the breathing room needed to see out the game. The Arsenal goals came from Danielle van de Donk (2), Leah Williamson and Janni Arnth. Both of the West Ham goals came from Jane Ross (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Davies-Adams/Ludlow, PAL)
2019/20
FA WSL - Manchester United (0) @ (1) Manchester City - In front of a WSL record crowd of 31,000 at City's Etihad Stadium, City saw off their city rivals in the 1st ever WSL Manchester derby. The game-winner came in the 2nd half from a stunning long-range strike from Caroline Weir, a lead which City defended to the end (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Wyeth/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - West Ham United (1) @ (2) Arsenal - West Ham opened their season against the Champions at Borehamwood but came away empty as Arsenal showed the killer instinct in front of goal. The Gunners only had 2 shots on goal in the 1st half and scored on both of them, with the goals coming from Beth Mead and Jill Roord. West Ham pulled a goal back in the 2nd half from summer signing Martha Thomas and hit the woodwork late on while trying to earn a point, but the Gunners held on for the win (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Chelsea (4) @ (1) Arsenal - A battle between #1 Arsenal and #3 Chelsea ended in a surprising away win for Chelsea, as they rode a dominant opening 30 minutes to win the game and move within 1 point of top spot. Goals from Beth England, Sam Kerr (her 1st for the club) and a goal-of-the-season contender from Sophie Ingle gave the Blues the upper hand and they went in at the half 3-0 up. Guro Reiten scored the 4th goal on 68 minutes to seal the win. A late goal from Beth Mead proved too little, too late for the Gunners (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Chelsea (3) @ (3) Manchester City - #1 Manchester City hosted a top-of-the-table clash with #2 Chelsea, and both teams put on a high-scoring show to end the game with a point each. The sides went in to the half-time break level at 1-1, but the teams went goal-crazy in a 16-minute spell in the 2nd half, sharing 4 goals. Firstly City, then Chelsea forged ahead before City claimed a draw with a tieing goal 14 minutes from time. Both teams combined for 28 shots on goal with 15 on target. The Chelsea goals came from Ji So-yun, Magdalena Eriksson and Beth England. The City goals came from Ellen White, Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp (9, Only partial Post-Game, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
2020/21
Community Shield - Chelsea (2) v (0) Manchester City - In an historic day at Wembley, Chelsea won the first silverware of the season with a comprehensive win over City. The game was being played for the first time since 2008 and the first time ever at Wembley, as part of a double-header with the Men's Community Shield. Wembley was empty as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic. After a nervy 1st half, both teams went in at the break tied 0-0. But the game turned in the 2nd half when City's Jill Scott was sent off for a 2nd yellow card. Chelsea immediately took control and then took the lead with a 25-yard thunderbolt from centre-back Millie Bright. An injury time goal from substitute Erin Cuthbert sealed the win. Chelsea also featured Sam Kerr, Chloe Kelly, Melanie Leupolz and player-of-the-match Ji So-yun. City also featured Steph Houghton and substitutes Sam Mewis and Ellen White (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Carney, PAL)
FA WSL - Arsenal (9) @ (1) West Ham - At the Chigwell Construction Stadium in Dagenham, Arsenal inflicted on West Ham a big loss as they moved to the top of the FA WSL. West Ham were in the game until the 34th minute when captain Gilly Flaherty was sent off for dissent, arguing that Arsenal's 2nd goal was off-side. With only 10 women, West Ham couldn't cope with Arsenal's attack and conceded 2 more goals to go in at the break 4-1 down. Arsenal piled on the pressure in the 2nd half and scored 5 more goals to see out the rout. The Arsenal goals came from Jill Roord (3), Vivianne Miedema (2), Kim Little, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Caitlin Foord. The West Ham goal came from Kenza Dali. West Ham also featured Rachel Daly (9, Only partial post-game, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Arsenal (1) @ (2) Manchester City - City closed to within 1 point of the top 3 with a late winner at the Academy Stadium. Arsenal's star striker Vivianne Miedema gave the Gunners a great start with a 3rd minute goal but City re-grouped and went in at the break tied 1-1 with a Sam Mewis goal. City turned up the heat in the 2nd half but had to wait until the 4th minute of injury time to get their reward when Caroline Weir stuck away the game-winner to break Arsenal's resolve. City dominated the stats (57% possession, 18 shots on goal to 2 for Arsenal) (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Manchester United (1) @ (2) Chelsea - Chelsea leap-frogged Manchester United at the top of the WSL table with a win at Kings Meadow. With the win, Chelsea extended their unbeaten league run to 31 games while United lost in the league for the first time in 15 games. After a competitive 1st half, Chelsea took a 1-0 lead in at the break with a goal from Pernille Harder. United equalised in the 2nd half with a goal from Lauren James but Chelsea responded with a goal 4 minutes later from Fran Kirby that they defended to the end. Chelsea also featured Sam Kerr. United featured Christen Press (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Carney, PAL)
FA WSL - Arsenal (1) @ (2) Manchester City - In a battle between #3 Manchester City and #4 Arsenal, it was City that moved to within 2 points of top spot in the league with a hard-fought win at Borehamwood. City's attacking trio of Ellen White, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp were on fire in the game, with White and Hemp scoring both of City's goals from crosses supplied by Kelly. City held a 1-0 lead at the half with a fantastic half-volley goal from White. Arsenal equalised early in the 2nd half with a goal from Jill Roord but City took the points with a 79th minute header from Hemp (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Chelsea (2) @ (2) Manchester City - #1 Chelsea put one hand on their 2nd straight WSL title with a tough draw at #2 Manchester City. City knew they needed to beat Chelsea to have any chance of winning the title but the draw meant they remained two points behind Chelsea with two games to play. Both teams were full of attacking football (28 combined shots on goal) but Chelsea had goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to thank for the result as she made a match-saving save in the final moments to earn her team a draw. The City goals came from Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp. City also featured Lucy Bronze and Sam Mewis. The Chelsea goals came from Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder. Chelsea also featured Fran Kirby (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
FA WSL - Reading (0) @ (5) Chelsea - On an emotional day at Kingsmeadow, #1 Chelsea retained their Women's Super League title with a comfortable win over #7 Reading. Chelsea knew that they had to win the game to guarantee the title, with #2 Manchester City only 2 points behind them in the league. The result was never in doubt from the moment Chelsea scored in the 2nd minute, and they built on their 2-0 lead at half-time with 3 more goals in the 2nd half to win their 4th title in 6 years. The Chelsea goals came from Melanie Leupolz, Fran Kirby (2), Sam Kerr and Erin Cuthbert. Reading were led by England's record appearance holder and captain Fara Williams who was playing her final game before retirement. Disc 2 includes the "Women's Football Show" from the 09.05.21, wrapping up the final weekend of the season (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Ward, PAL)
2023/24
FA WSL - Chelsea (1) @ (4) Arsenal - #3 Arsenal moved joint top of the league with a big win over #1 Chelsea in front of a record WSL crowd (59,042) at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal rode the momentum of the home crowd to dominate the 1st half and go in at the break with a 3-1 lead. Chelsea tried to fight back in the 2nd half, but Arsenal defended well and saw out the game with 1 more goal to take the win. The Arsenal goals came from Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt and Alessia Russo (2). The Chelsea goal came from Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd. Chelsea also featured Sam Kerr (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Cowen/Flaherty, PAL)