da wazamba： The season's penultimate round of fixtures will be played on Sunday, with it all on the line in London and Manchester derbies
da apostebet： And so it comes to this. On Sunday, Chelsea will take on Arsenal before Manchester United welcome Manchester City on the Women's Super League's penultimate day, one which can certainly be described as judgement day at the top of the table, with the title and the Women's Champions League spots all on the line.
It's Chelsea who lead the way at the top with two games to go, a place they assumed after winning their final game in hand in midweek against West Ham. United are hot on their heels, two points behind, with Arsenal then three points behind them in the final UWCL spot. It's Man City who have it all to do to get one of the European places, currently three points outside and with a significantly worse goal difference.
The picture, though, could all change this weekend when these four huge names clash in two massive fixtures, just six days before their final games on Saturday, May 27. It would be naive not to expect any twists and turns in these final two weekends, as we have been treated to so many along the way.
But what have been the most pivotal moments in this WSL season? GOAL takes a look at the games that have contributed to this perfectly, and precariously, poised end to the campaign…
GettyAston Villa 4-3 Man City
Man City's start to the season could not have gone much worse. The club had a busy summer window, with seven players in and eight out – the departures of both Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh to Barcelona among the latter – and one can't help but feel that mass change disrupted them in the early weeks.
One of those players who left in the summer, Caroline Weir, knocked them out of the Champions League at the first qualifying stage with Real Madrid, then they lost their first WSL fixture to an Aston Villa side that finished ninth the previous season.
With this result compounded, with defeat to Chelsea the following week, City were immediately on the back foot in a league where each team only plays 22 fixtures and slipping up against those outside of the 'big four' can be detrimental to your title challenge.
"In terms of the transfers, I was surprised," Karen Carney, the former England international who now covers the WSL for , tells GOAL. "The final game of last season, I looked at their squad and I thought, 'If they could add few here, I fancy them to win the WSL'. I said it on air. Then, obviously, they went through their kind of transition.
"Football is about cycles and they wanted a refresh of their whole squad. The proof will be in the pudding on whether it was the right decision, whether they get a Champions League spot."
AdvertisementGettyArsenal 2-3 Man Utd
This game, decided by Alessia Russo's goal in second-half stoppage time, announced United as a contender for not only the Champions League spots, but the title. Since promotion to the top flight, the club has struggled to take points off the big teams above them, but to do so at the Emirates, to silence a hostile crowd and to do it in such dramatic fashion was a statement. It was a show of the new belief and character that has played a key role in getting United to the point they are at now – still in the title race.
"In previous seasons, we’ve gone into those sorts of games as the underdogs and now we don’t feel like that’s the case at all," Katie Zelem, the United captain, said recently of the mentality shift in the team. "Everyone knows in this league, if you drop any points then it’s really tough to keep up. Not only beating the teams below you but taking points off the teams around you is so important.
"We don’t change now for the other [big] teams whereas, maybe in the first few seasons, it was more about staying in the game, maybe take a point or maybe nick a win. We want to win, we genuinely believe we can win and that’s what we accept now."
GettyMan Utd 0-0 Everton; West Ham 0-0 Arsenal
Historically, it's rare that the 'big' teams drop points against those below them in the WSL. That is starting to change as the league becomes more competitive from top to bottom, but it is still uncommon.
That both United and Arsenal did so on the same day back in early February, facing Everton and West Ham, respectively, was a big shock, then. That the results came a day after Man City had managed to overcome a resilient Leicester side was more significant, too, as it suddenly let the Cityzens back into things.
All they had to do now is make sure they didn't fall behind again on their own accord…
GettyChelsea 1-0 Man Utd
After picking up a 3-1 win at Leigh in November, Sam Kerr's gorgeous goal from Lauren James' equally brilliant pass meant that Chelsea did the double over United with this narrow victory in March.
It gave the Blues, who slipped up away at Liverpool on the opening day, an advantage in the title race over the Red Devils and saw them ascend to the top of the WSL for the first time this season.
Chelsea's run to the Champions League semi-finals means they would lose that spot, accruing games in hand instead, but they have never lost the advantage in the title race.
Kerr hasn't had her best season in terms of goals, her tally no doubt impacted by injuries to key attackers Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder, but this wasn't her first crucial contribution of the season and it wouldn't be her last.
"Give Sam a moment and she'll just sniff it out," Carney says. "I don't think she had that in her when she first came to the WSL. I think she needed quite a few opportunities. But I think the WSL and being at Chelsea has made her more clinical.
"I think with her movement, her aerial ability, her pressing from the front, her speed, her strength, her power and her match-winning moments – her unbelievable backflip that I think any human would love to be able to do – I think she's the best."