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Player ratings as Blues rise to league summit

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Chelsea climbed to the summit of the WSL with a 3-2 victory over a spirited Tottenham at Brisbane Road on Sunday.

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Bethany England had netted against her former side to cancel out Jess Carter’s opener, before a stunning Lauren James solo effort and a cool Guro Reiten finish gave the Blues a two-goal buffer. Nikola Karczewska netted late on to set up a grandstand finish, but Chelsea survived the late fightback to secure all three points.

Chelsea started the game on the front foot as Tottenham struggled to get out of their own half and played themselves into trouble when attempting to pass out from the back. Only a superb last ditch Amy Turner tackle could prevent Guro Reiten from giving the Blues the lead.

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From the resulting corner short, Chelsea opened the scoring. The Blues played it short, Erin Cuthbert crossed for Carter, who glanced home.

Following a sluggish start, Spurs grew into the game, and saw a lot of joy when pressuring Chelsea high up the pitch. Kadeisha Buchanan was robbed by Ashleigh Neville deep in the Chelsea half, the Spurs winger played a clever pass in behind to Drew Spence, and her teasing ball across the face of goal was stroked home by fellow former Chelsea employee England.

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Spurs were buoyed by their equaliser and enjoyed a spell of pressure inside the Blues half, looking dangerous when on the counter and whenever they were able to get bodies forward quickly. Neville was cleverly played in behind by Mana Iwabuchi but couldn’t sort her feet out, before Iwabuchi saw a shot blocked.

But the hosts were unable to capitalise on their spell in the ascendency, and were emphatically punished by a piece of Lauren James magic. The Chelsea winger cut inside from the right, weaved through a series of Spurs bodies and found the bottom corner.

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Spence fired narrowly over from range just after the hour, as a competitive opening 15 minutes of the second half with few clear cut chances unfolded.

Moments later, Chelsea doubled their advantage. Celin Bizet failed to deal with a bouncing ball on the half way line, Reiten stole in, raced through on goal and finished coolly.

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Spurs pulled one back through substitute Karczewska’s low, close range finish in the 89th minute to set up an exciting finale.

Tinja-Riikka Korpela produced a magnificent reflex save to keep out Fran Kirby as the clock ticked down, as Chelsea survived the Spurs fightback and ensured they would finish the weekend top of the WSL.

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Molly Bartrip, Jessie Fleming

Molly Bartrip started in the heart of the Spurs backline / Julian Finney/GettyImages

GK: Tinja-Riikka Korpela – 5/10 – Played Tottenham into trouble in the build up to Chelsea’s opener and caused a few problems when attempting to play out from the back. Otherwise couldn’t do a great deal about Chelsea’s three goals. Made a great reflex save to keep out Kirby in the latter stages.

CB: Amy Turner – 6/10 – Produced a huge, last ditch sliding tackle to keep out Reiten in the first half. Pretty solid, before being replaced with 12 remaining.

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CB: Molly Bartrip – 7/10 – Made an important intervention to keep out a dangerous James cross in the second half. Popped up with numerous important headers and interceptions, and largely strong playing out from the back.

CB: Shelina Zadorsky – 6/10 – Made a vital interception to prevent a potentially dangerous Chelsea break away in the second half. Had a few problems with James on the Chelsea right as Tottenham’s left entre back.

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RWB: Celin Bizet – 5/10 – At fault for Chelsea’s third, failing to deal with a bouncing ball on the half way line and enabling Reiten to steal in. Rarely on the ball high up the pitch, limiting her attacking impact.

CM: Eveliina Summanen – 7/10 – Couldn’t get close enough to James in the build up to Chelsea’s second. Drove Tottenham forward and efficient in possession.

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CM: Drew Spence – 7/10 – Seemed to lose track of Carter in the build up to Chelsea’s opener. Set up England for her side’s equaliser with a teasing ball across the face of goal, having done really well to work herself a yard to send the ball in. Flashed over from range in the second half, and always looked a threat.

LWB: Kerys Harrop – 5/10 – Dived in to allow James to cut inside in the build up to Chelsea’s second and had another tough time up against the young winger.

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RW: Ashleigh Neville – 6/10 – Instrumental in Tottenham’s equaliser; robbed Buchanan, before sending Spence in behind with a smart pass with the outside of her foot. Otherwise drifted in and out of proceedings.

ST: Bethany England – 7/10 – Levelled the scores against her former club with a classic, instinctive England finish; sniffing out the opportunity and arriving in the right place at the right time to stroke into an empty net.

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LW: Mana Iwabuchi – 6/10 – Smartly picked out Neville and saw a shot blocked in a promising first half Spurs move. Clever on the ball and looked dangerous, but not quite able to have a telling impact on proceedings.

Substitutes

SUB: Nikola Karczewska (78′ for Turner) – 6/10 – On the scoresheet with a cool finish late on.

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SUB: Angharad James (87′ for Iwabuchi) N/A

SUB: Rosella Ayane (87′ for Bizet) – N/A

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Lauren James, Sam Kerr

Lauren James was on the scoresheet for Chelsea in the first half / Julian Finney/GettyImages

GK: Zecira Musovic – 6/10 – Couldn’t do much about the Spurs goal, and otherwise didn’t really have a save to make. Strong playing out from the back.

RB: Niamh Charles – 6/10 – Didn’t maraud forward as frequently as usual, but combined well with James and did a pretty solid defensive job on Neville.

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CB: Millie Bright – 7/10 – As solid as ever, largely keeping Spurs at bay.

CB: Kadeisha Buchanan – 5/10 – Conceded possession deep in her own half with a heavy touch in the build up to Tottenham’s equaliser. Looked a little shaky bringing the ball out from the back at times.

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LB: Jess Carter – 7/10 – Headed Chelsea into the lead from a corner, rising highest and powering into the top corner. Had a real battle with Iwabuchi, particularly in the first half.

CM: Sophie Ingle – 7/10 – Cut out a few potentially dangerous Spurs crosses and neat and tidy in possession. Set up Chelsea’s second, feeding James on the right.

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CM: Erin Cuthbert – 7/10 – Provided a fabulous delivery from a short corner to set up Chelsea’s opener. Tenacious, flying into tackles. Replaced with 15 remaining.

CM: Jessie Fleming – 6/10 – Typically energetic, involved in a couple of positive Chelsea moves, before being replaced after an hour.

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RW: Lauren James – 8/10 – Netted Chelsea’s second with a piece of individual genius, cutting inside and slaloming past a series of challenges before firing low into the bottom corner.

ST: Sam Kerr – 6/10 – Dragged a first half effort wide after working the opportunity for herself. Provided some great facials following James’s wonder goal. Full of running but never had a clear sighting of goal. Replaced with 15 remaining.

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LW: Guro Reiten – 8/10 – A constant threat with her willingness to drive at the Spurs backline and her teasing deliveries. On the scoresheet in the second half, winning possession back on the half way line, racing through and showing all the composure in the world to find the bottom corner.

Substitutes

SUB: Fran Kirby (62′ for Fleming) – 6/10

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SUB: Eve Perisset (62′ for Charles) – 6/10

SUB: Jelana Cankovic (75′ for Cutbert) – 6/10

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SUB: Melanie Leupolz (75′ for Kerr) – 6/10

SUB: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (81′ for Reiten) – 6/10

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Player of the match: Lauren James (Chelsea)



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Supercomputer predicts WSL title race after Man City’s victory over Chelsea

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It’s not just the Premier League that has a tantalising title race on its hands. Over in the Women’s Super League, the current top four are separated by just three points.

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Emma Hayes’ Chelsea have long been considered the favourites to win their fourth consecutive title, but they were leapfrogged in the table by Manchester City after they beat the Blues 2-0 in Manchester last weekend. City’s first victory over Hayes’ side since 2017 ignited their title hopes and they currently sit level on points with Man Utd at the top.

Chelsea, however, are just a point adrift having played a game less, while Arsenal aren’t out of the running either. The Gunners, who have also played one less game than the two Manchester clubs, are three points off the summit in fourth.

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FiveThirtyEight uses its Forecasts and Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings to predict every fixture throughout the WSL season. Here’s who they think will end the 2022/23 season as champions.

Position

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Team

Current points

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Projected points

1.

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Chelsea

37

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53

2.

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Man Utd

38

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50

3.

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Arsenal

35

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49

4.

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Man City

38

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49

5.

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Aston Villa

29

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36

FiveThirtyEight don’t expect the table to expand too much before the end of the season, but they do project Chelsea to win the league by a three-point margin.

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The Blues are expected to claim 16 points from their last seven outings with their only remaining fixture against a fellow title rival arriving on the penultimate matchday of the season against Arsenal.

The two London clubs also have the Champions League to consider, but the supercomputer doesn’t believe their European ventures will derail their domestic campaigns. Arsenal are projected to finish level on points with Man City in third.

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Despite their huge win over Chelsea, the computer predicts City to claim just nine points from their remaining six games. They do have the disadvantage of playing both Arsenal and Man Utd away from home before the end of the season.

As for the current leaders, the computer projects a bright enough end to the campaign (12 points from six games) but that won’t be enough to stave off Chelsea’s threat.

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The WSL title race will take its next twists and turns at the start of April, with Man Utd the first on the contenders in action when they visit the south coast to face Brighton.

The clash between Arsenal and Manchester City in Sunday’s early kick off is undoubtedly the game of the weekend, while Chelsea will be hoping to make up some lost ground when they travel to Aston Villa.

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Tottenham handed double blow in pursuit of new manager

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Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino would both be open to succeeding Antonio Conte at Tottenham, but would prefer to wait until the summer to decide their next respective moves, 90min understands.

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Spurs confirmed on Sunday night that they had mutually agreed to part ways with Conte following a dismal run of results, notably capping off his tenure by labelling his players as ‘selfish’ in an explosive press conference after drawing 3-3 with Southampton.

Conte’s former assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been placed in interim charge until the end of the season with the hunt for a new permanent boss underway – this search could be complicated by FIFA’s decision to enforce managing director of football Fabio Paratici’s footballing ban, subject to appeal.

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Two of Spurs’ targets are currently out of work, with Nagelsmann recently having departed Bayern Munich and Pochettino unemployed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year.

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However, sources have told 90min that both of them would prefer to wait until the summer to decide their futures.

Nagelsmann would like to manage in the Premier League one day but it is by no means a priority for him right now.

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An interesting wrinkle in Spurs’ potential pursuits of Nagelsmann and Pochettino is that both are holding out to see whether the Real Madrid job will become available.

Carlo Ancelotti’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu remains uncertain following a limp defence of their La Liga title. 90min understands that even retaining the UEFA Champions League may not be enough to save his job.

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Real Madrid have been linked to Nagelsmann and Pochettino in the past, but were concerned about their records in regards to winning titles. However, these doubts have been alleviated after leading their respective sides to Bundesliga and Ligue 1 glory.

Beyond Nagelsmann and Pochettino, another candidate high on Spurs’ shortlist of candidates is Luis Enrique, who has been out of a job since December when he left the Spain job following their 2022 FIFA World Cup exit.

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Enrique’s last club job saw him spend three years at Barcelona from 2014 to 2017. He notably won the treble in his first season back at Camp Nou and won at least one trophy every year of his reign.

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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott SaundersGraeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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Erik ten Hag hails Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy after Premier League Hall of Fame induction

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Erik ten Hag has hailed Sir Alex Ferguson as a ‘guidance for all managers’ following his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

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Ferguson and ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger became the first managers to be inducted into the newly-established Premier League Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The induction was just desserts for an astonishing career at the top of the game for Ferguson, who won an astonishing 13 Premier League titles during his 27-year tenure at Old Trafford.

Current Man Utd manager Ten Hag, who has led the club to Carabao Cup success in his maiden season in charge, has been pictured having dinner with Ferguson in recent months, and it’s widely known that he’s looked to the Scot for advice and guidance about United.

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Now, speaking to the Premier League’s official website, Ten Hag has said of Ferguson’s induction: “He left a legacy. Manchester United is Alex Ferguson and by setting the highest standards and highest values, bringing a winning attitude, he built that into the new club. 

“He’s a guidance for all the managers in top football. How you construct and mould teams, how you coach them and manage them. He won 13 times the Premier League. No-one else can ever do that again, such a huge performance. And then all the other cups he won, he won the Treble… no-one ever did it before or after so that tells you everything.

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“Winning so many trophies, and in an attacking way. He had the right feeling when to rebuild and to reconstruct a new team, to refresh it because he did it over two decades.”

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Speaking about meeting up with Ferguson and learning from the Premier League icon, Ten Hag said: “I am really pleased he wants to share his knowledge with me. It is great to talk to him, learn from him, and I hope we can do it more and often. In football, it is about winning, that makes him the number one. 

“There are many others who are really successful – Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp but he did it over 26 years and he won the most.”

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“I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.

“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.

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“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further. Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”



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