WSL roundup: Manchester City go top, Liverpool and West Ham stay winless | OneFootball

For a while the mood was buoyant in Dagenham as West Ham fans felt their early season woes were finally lifting. Leading Leicester with four minutes to play, news filtered through that Liverpool had conceded a 93rd-minute equaliser to share the points with Brighton in a 1-1 draw. It meant that three points would lift the Hammers off the bottom of the Women’s Super League for the first time this season.

Rehanne Skinner’s and Gareth Taylor’s teams have been in lockstep and they somehow contrived to mirror each other once again. As their relegation rivals had done minutes earlier, the Hammers’ conceded in the 97th minute to burst their supporters’ bubble and drop two points in a 1-1 draw, ensuring the parity between the two continued.

The two sides have been rooted to the bottom for the first seven weeks of the season, both losing all seven games, unable to find rewards despite improving performances, and their managers will be at a loss to as how their first wins of the season eluded them once again.

West Ham’s campaign to date has been epitomised by an inability to take their chances and lapses of concentration. Both characteristics reared their heads again on this occasion against a Leicester side that offered little going forward but managed to remain in the game until the final moments.

The Hammers’ frontline has the potential to be very dangerous with the pace of Viviane Asseyi and Ffion Morgan, the instinct of Shekiera Martinez and the industry of Riko Ueki. They have, however, been plagued by a lack of clinical finishing. Chances presented themselves to all four of them throughout but it was only a scrappy finish from Martinez that put their noses in front.

Danger always remains when the scoreline is that narrow and the Foxes made the hosts pay with almost the final kick of the match when the substitute Shannon O’Brien snuck in at the far post to turn in Sari Kees’s low ball.

Liverpool, meanwhile, earned their first point of the season against eighth-placed Brighton.

Both sides have significant injury problems, particularly in attack.

The Sweden striker Beata Olsson was handed another start by Taylor after she had impressed last week, scoring her first WSL goal. For the Seagulls, meanwhile, Dario Vidosic again opted for the 20-year-old Carla Camacho to lead the line in place of Michelle Agyemang, who is out for the season.

It was arguably the best performance of Taylor’s tenure as Liverpool took the game to Brighton, getting in behind the defence consistently. Olsson’s first-half opener set them on their way. They proceeded to hit the woodwork twice – first Fuka Nagano and then Sam Kerr – while Faye Kirby had to be alert with a series of smart stops at the other end with the crossbar getting involved once again.

Liverpool’s hearts were broken, however, when Rosa Kafaji broke free in the box to strike deep into injury time.

Manchester City went top of the table, leapfrogging Chelsea for the first time this season thanks to a hard-working 2-1 victory over Everton.

Vivianne Miedema sent City ahead before a sublime finish from the Toffees’ Kelly Gago levelled the score at Goodison Park.

Bunny Shaw’s towering second-half header proved enough to seal three points in spite of a strong fightback from Brian Sørensen’s team who were denied by the post and some superb shot-stopping from Ayaka Yamashita.

London City Lionesses came through a six-goal thriller to consolidate their impressive start to the campaign and close the gap on fifth-place Tottenham.

It was an eventful game at Bromley’s Copperjax Community Stadium, that ended 4-2 to the hosts, as the momentum ebbed and flowed between the two.

Freya Godfrey put in a player of the match performance, registering two goals and an assist. These were the 20-year-old’s first goals since joining Jocelyn Prêcheur’s side permanently from Arsenal.

Spurs came from behind twice – Cathinka Tandberg cancelled out Godfrey’s opener before Eveliina Summanen’s sublime free-kick brought them level after Nikita Parris had put the hosts back in front.

There was a lengthy stoppage for an injury to Tottenham’s goalkeeper Lize Kop before the hosts opened up a two-goal advantage, first through an unfortunate Amanda Nildén own goal and then Godfrey’s second to seal the three points.

Header image: [Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images/Reuters]