Man City edge London Lionesses, Chelsea stay top of WSL

LONDON, Nov 1 : Manchester City's Lauren Hemp struck the winner as her side beat London City Lionesses 2-1 away in a thrilling top-of-the-table clash in the Women's Super League on Sunday, with Hemp's decisive goal coming just after the Lionesses had equalised.

The win briefly put City into first place but Chelsea reclaimed it later in the afternoon with a 6-0 thrashing of bottom side Charlton Athletic, who are still searching for their first point of the season. 

Led by two goals from French striker Melvine Malard, Chelsea went back on top of the standings with 22 points after eight games, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference, with London City third on 16 points.

The Lionesses had plenty of success with their high pressing in the first half but wasted the chances that came their way, and they were punished eight minutes into the second half when Bunny Shaw rounded keeper Mary Earps and kept a cool head before blasting the ball high into the net. 

Jana Fernandez equalised for the home side with a brilliant glancing header from a corner in the 72nd minute, but she undid her good work just over two minutes later when she allowed Hemp to steal past her to stab home a cross from Mary Fowler for the winner. 

In the other early kick-off, Arsenal's underwhelming start to the season continued when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Aston Villa, with Alessia Russo scoring the equaliser in the 85th minute to avoid another embarrassing defeat. 

Tottenham Hotspur thumped Birmingham City 4-1 away to move up to fourth and bring a run of three straight league defeats to an end, while West Ham United secured an impressive home victory over Liverpool with the same scoreline. 

Brighton & Hove Albion continued their solid start to the season with a 2-1 win over visitors Crystal Palace that put them sixth in the table on 11 points, one behind Manchester United, who played out a scoreless draw with Everton on Saturday.