:00:40. > :00:48.Good evening. It has been another thrilling weekend off action as the
:00:49. > :00:53.race to become champions continued. Leaders Manchester City were aiming
:00:54. > :00:59.to maintain the league's only unbeaten record when they travelled
:01:00. > :01:07.to Notts County. Would Chelsea get a reaction against bottom team
:01:08. > :01:13.Doncaster? And Arsenal also looking to keep up the pressure at the top
:01:14. > :01:17.with victory over Sunderland. With plenty to discuss and dissect this
:01:18. > :01:21.evening, we are in safe hands with former Everton and England
:01:22. > :01:32.goalkeeper, Rachel Brown-Finnis. We begin with W S pacemakers Manchester
:01:33. > :01:36.City, who went to Notts County. They hit the ground running in the
:01:37. > :01:41.opening weeks of the season, winning their first six games without
:01:42. > :01:46.conceding a goal. Including this 2-0 victory at rivals Chelsea. The
:01:47. > :01:52.header is in. Jennifer Beattie celebrates. Manchester City in
:01:53. > :01:57.control of this game and the title race. Successive draws against
:01:58. > :02:02.Liverpool opened the door for Chelsea but the Sky Blues haven't
:02:03. > :02:05.been able to capitalise on their games in hand, making sure unbeaten
:02:06. > :02:08.Manchester City started the weekend still at the top of the WSL one
:02:09. > :02:28.table. COMMENTATOR: home county debuts for
:02:29. > :02:34.a couple of players. Carly Telford is recovering from ankle injury. It
:02:35. > :02:43.is the same XI that started at Liverpool last week. PFA women's
:02:44. > :02:49.Player of the Year, Isobel Christiansen is back to full
:02:50. > :02:51.fitness. Georgia Stanway gets the nod over Toni Duggan in the front
:02:52. > :03:07.three. Das Walsh had the presence of mind to
:03:08. > :03:15.pick out Bronze on the far side. All the way across the Georgia
:03:16. > :03:32.Stanway. Christiansen battling for it. It has
:03:33. > :03:38.fallen to Ross. Devastating finish, first sight of goal she has had and
:03:39. > :03:44.she that the lewdly clinical. Ninth goal of the season for Scotland
:03:45. > :03:48.international. 1-0 Manchester City. You couldn't say that wasn't coming
:03:49. > :03:52.the way City started and the intention they played with.
:03:53. > :03:58.Christiansen tried to knock it through the legs but could not get
:03:59. > :04:04.rid of it, Notts County and they will be disappointed. As soon as the
:04:05. > :04:11.ball drops for Ross, no question where it would end up, right in the
:04:12. > :04:16.back of the net. Stanway looking for Isobel Christiansen. Ross arriving
:04:17. > :04:22.in the middle, a whole bunch of them arriving in there. A really good
:04:23. > :04:30.ball from Stanway and good defending in the end from Rouet. Taken short
:04:31. > :04:34.by Christiansen to Parris. So many attacking threats in this Manchester
:04:35. > :04:42.City side. A good ball in from Campbell. It is Scott. She applied
:04:43. > :04:47.the finish. Such a well-placed header. A good cross from Campbell,
:04:48. > :04:54.accurate in terms of getting on the head, it also had the pace. Being a
:04:55. > :05:00.really tall player, she wasn't really challenged. The accuracy of
:05:01. > :05:07.her header. The Notts County defenders would be happy with that.
:05:08. > :05:17.Stanway, only got Nikita Parris in support but others arriving. It is
:05:18. > :05:21.Jane Ross. That is a beauty. She is absolutely loving life and
:05:22. > :05:26.Manchester City. Brilliant play firstly from Stanway and the way
:05:27. > :05:32.with the move, they capitalise on any mistake Notts County make. You
:05:33. > :05:36.see the run of Christiansen and straightaway, the ball into Jane
:05:37. > :05:45.Ross and she still has to finish. It is again a good finish. The last
:05:46. > :05:54.minute of the half, there will be added time after a couple of injury
:05:55. > :06:00.time stoppages. It was swung in dangerously by Campbell. Houghton
:06:01. > :06:04.was in the area and got a touch on it. It will be a corner. Every ball
:06:05. > :06:12.going into the box looks like it'll end up in the goal, something Notts
:06:13. > :06:21.County need put right. It has come out to Stanway. It is another one. A
:06:22. > :06:28.lovely hit from the 17-year-old. So many bodies in front of Stanway. I
:06:29. > :06:30.think it got a knock in the end, but even so, Walsh has no chance. So
:06:31. > :06:44.many bodies in front of it. Williams and White making a run into
:06:45. > :06:49.the middle. They have gone for a penalty and they have got one. The
:06:50. > :06:53.challenge was by Houghton. No complaints from Manchester City.
:06:54. > :06:59.Rachel Williams looked like she was already on her way down but Steph
:07:00. > :07:05.Horton did kick out. Jess Clarke takes it. She's scores comfortably.
:07:06. > :07:09.Just what Notts County needed for their confidence. They had to start
:07:10. > :07:18.the second half positively. She does not miss.
:07:19. > :07:26.Parris has gone in behind and will go for goal. Just got aeons. That
:07:27. > :07:33.touch allowed the goalkeeper to try to make the save. A really good stop
:07:34. > :07:43.by Walsh. Just that last touch by Parris. Nobody could catch her.
:07:44. > :07:54.Demi Stokes just behind Ross. Crichton. I heard a shout that Ross
:07:55. > :08:05.was on top of her. Christiansen. She is back. What a hit from Isobel
:08:06. > :08:10.Christiansen. At terrific finish. A bit of a quest in here, a challenge
:08:11. > :08:14.on Crichton. Notts County asking why we didn't get a free kick and
:08:15. > :08:18.everybody seemed to stop but that is a great finish from Christiansen.
:08:19. > :08:27.She still has to finish whether people stop in front of her not.
:08:28. > :08:31.Bronze looking to get beyond Parris. Parris swings it in just beyond Ross
:08:32. > :08:39.but it will be a corner kick for Manchester City. Campbell and
:08:40. > :08:46.Houghton each in there. It came off Luik and a fabulous save by Walsh.
:08:47. > :08:52.You know when you catch one really right in terms of the volley, which
:08:53. > :08:56.she did, but what a great save from Megan Walsh. She will be happy with
:08:57. > :09:01.that one. The final minute of added time. Another one of those long
:09:02. > :09:10.throw winds coming from Campbell. Incredible distance on it. It is off
:09:11. > :09:17.the crossbar. She was close to her first WSL goal, the Dutch
:09:18. > :09:24.international. In the final third, we have been crying out for being
:09:25. > :09:30.clinical and we have really started to score a lot of goals. We did not
:09:31. > :09:37.have intensity, we didn't get around the pitch on looked like we had a
:09:38. > :09:42.formula. It was an easy and clinical victory for Manchester City.
:09:43. > :09:49.STUDIO: This was more than a return to form for Manchester City. They
:09:50. > :09:56.looked absolutely outstanding, the type of football that everybody
:09:57. > :09:59.wants to see. They were free-flowing, confident and very
:10:00. > :10:07.clinical. Especially impressive in the first half, but they did not
:10:08. > :10:13.play to their usual intensity. Rick Passmoor used that phrase a lot.
:10:14. > :10:18.What did he mean? He likes his team to put pressure on players so when
:10:19. > :10:21.the opposition are in session, they are up tight against them and City
:10:22. > :10:25.did not allow Notts County to do that. Getting pressure on the ball
:10:26. > :10:32.is really difficult. What they did is pin Notts County back, they
:10:33. > :10:37.didn't have a chance. They didn't defend well, they were disjointed,
:10:38. > :10:43.disorganised, they lacked putting any pressure on Manchester City in
:10:44. > :10:48.the dangerous areas. City flood players forward but Notts County
:10:49. > :10:53.just drop and drop. The tenacity from Christiansen here is wonderful
:10:54. > :10:56.and we see her get rewards later Ron but it is similar pictures
:10:57. > :11:00.throughout the game. This is really congested throughout the middle, a
:11:01. > :11:06.misplaced pass, Laura Bassett should have looked to go wider. Not
:11:07. > :11:09.convincing defending and not tracking runners. Crichton did not
:11:10. > :11:14.have a particularly good game but what quality from Jane Ross once
:11:15. > :11:18.again. A couple of touches and getting it in the back of the net. A
:11:19. > :11:23.consistent thing Notts County didn't do well is lock off the edge of the
:11:24. > :11:28.box. Give players like Stanway, Christiansen, take your pick of the
:11:29. > :11:32.strikers and midfielders at City, give them space and time at the edge
:11:33. > :11:37.of the box and that is what they will do. A heavy defeat for Notts
:11:38. > :11:43.County and one clean sheet all season. How much pressure is Rick
:11:44. > :11:47.Passmoor under? You think immense pressure. They have dropped points,
:11:48. > :11:50.last season they didn't necessarily have the great performances but they
:11:51. > :11:54.got through games and they got to Cup finals. It is not happening this
:11:55. > :12:00.season. They are not grinding out results. Whether teams have wise and
:12:01. > :12:04.to their ways and that pressure is not enough. They have added quality
:12:05. > :12:08.but it isn't happening. Megan Campbell made a cameo appearance in
:12:09. > :12:19.their last match, she impressed you from the start? She started ahead of
:12:20. > :12:25.Demi Stokes. She caused such a problem for the goalkeeper. You have
:12:26. > :12:31.to set up to mark the two players, that is four players to come
:12:32. > :12:37.through. The trajectory of Megan Campbell's, they fly into the box.
:12:38. > :12:41.It is difficult for Megan Walsh in goal to get any convincing punch but
:12:42. > :12:45.what Notts County didn't deal with was the second ball. Whether it is a
:12:46. > :12:50.punch or ahead, clearing the ball, they have to pounce on the second
:12:51. > :12:54.ball and Manchester City got chance after chance and we see the quality
:12:55. > :13:00.from Megan Campbell with her throwing. She whipped the ball in
:13:01. > :13:04.with her left foot and they get their results, Manchester City. This
:13:05. > :13:08.is a beautiful ball, a dip and a swerve and a header from Scott. It
:13:09. > :13:17.should not have gone in the net but it did. Is it Isobel Christiansen
:13:18. > :13:22.who is back? What a great strike. Her first start this season and she
:13:23. > :13:26.does add quality and what a depth of squad Manchester City have. Notts
:13:27. > :13:31.County should have cleared this. It is not a free kick. Nobody puts
:13:32. > :13:35.pressure on Isobel Christiansen. The edge of the box. Give Georgia
:13:36. > :13:40.Stanway time, a player of such quality, she will put it in the back
:13:41. > :13:43.of the goal. This is not a free kick, Notts County are too deep and
:13:44. > :13:45.they don't address the ball. No pressure again on the ball and it is
:13:46. > :13:57.in the back of the net for city map. We had next to Chelsea looking to
:13:58. > :14:01.bounce back from the disappointment of the late defeat to Arsenal last
:14:02. > :14:08.week against Doncaster side still searching for their first point of
:14:09. > :14:12.the season. Chelsea must still be smarting from
:14:13. > :14:16.the defeat last week to Arsenal sold Doncaster must be wary of a
:14:17. > :14:25.backlash. Rebekah Spencer start in goal. Katie Chapman is a rest
:14:26. > :14:31.following a head injury in training. Doncaster are without the suspended
:14:32. > :14:35.captain but Christie Murray Bextor first start following the move from
:14:36. > :14:45.Celtic as manager Emma Coates looks to revamp the bottom club in the
:14:46. > :14:57.league. Rafferty. England. She almost slips it through to Aluko.
:14:58. > :15:01.Roberts finding her goalkeeper. Doncaster survived, perhaps just a
:15:02. > :15:09.temporary reprieve. Here is Aluko and Chelsea have the lead! Eniola
:15:10. > :15:23.Aluko providing the finish, a well worked goal. Giving Chelsea the
:15:24. > :15:32.edge. Spencer, the clearance finding Aluko. Here is England. More
:15:33. > :15:37.horrific play from Chelsea. Almost a wonderful second goal. Delicately
:15:38. > :15:42.done by Beth England against former club, inches away from what would
:15:43. > :15:56.have been the goals of the season so far. Another challenge and another
:15:57. > :16:00.free kick conceded by bright. Chelsea giving Doncaster a number of
:16:01. > :16:14.set these opportunities around the penalty area. Going for gold, and a
:16:15. > :16:25.five -- fine save from Spencer. The goalkeeper really excelling. Carney.
:16:26. > :16:35.Bright finds Rafferty. Carney in support. Now G. Back towards Aluko
:16:36. > :16:42.again. And Chelsea almost finished the first half with a second goal.
:16:43. > :16:51.Chelsea had so many options. Aluko eventually linking up with England.
:16:52. > :16:57.Simpkins got to her just in time. A silky turn from Omarsdottir,
:16:58. > :17:07.Humphrey to her left but she looks to the right. Humphrey! What a
:17:08. > :17:10.chance for the equalising goal. Emma Coates's team with a real
:17:11. > :17:26.opportunity to put Chelsea under real pressure. And here is Aluko,
:17:27. > :17:30.England in support. What says! Beth England close to scoring once again
:17:31. > :17:45.against former club and this time she was denied by the agility of
:17:46. > :17:50.Nicola Hobbs. Carney. Davison just giving Chelsea something different
:17:51. > :17:55.as they move forward now. Including passes like that too gorgeous. And
:17:56. > :18:00.she makes it to- nil full stop it has never been straightforward for
:18:01. > :18:12.Chelsea today. They finally looked to put Doncaster Belles away. -- Ana
:18:13. > :18:21.Borges. Aluko looking to go all the way, a powerful run outstanding goal
:18:22. > :18:25.from Aluko. All her own work as she skipped away from challenge after
:18:26. > :18:29.challenge and then produced an explosive finish. And she delivers a
:18:30. > :18:42.real moment to remember for the champions. Ji So-Yun. Now Davison.
:18:43. > :18:46.Chelsea queueing up for the cross and there is number four. And
:18:47. > :18:53.finally Beth England has the goal but she deserves. Davison has been
:18:54. > :18:59.central to Chelsea 's improvement in the second half of the fourth goal
:19:00. > :19:01.finished off by Beth England. Chelsea have not been utterly
:19:02. > :19:08.dominant in terms of performance but you cannot argue with the scoreline.
:19:09. > :19:12.We used the full width of the pitch and that made the difference.
:19:13. > :19:17.Getting out wide, stretching the game out. The fitness was better
:19:18. > :19:25.than theirs. There are a much improved side under the new manager
:19:26. > :19:27.so credit to them. You can see glimmers, and the periods that we
:19:28. > :19:31.are doing well are extended for longer periods of time. We have got
:19:32. > :19:38.to do that for 90 minutes. At first it was about winning the game,
:19:39. > :19:43.keeping a clean sheet, that was our main objective today. I'm pleased to
:19:44. > :19:49.get on the scoresheet. A lot has been said about your partnership
:19:50. > :19:53.with less. She always work so hard and is great in the air, always in
:19:54. > :19:57.the right position. I was happy for her to get on the scoresheet. We
:19:58. > :20:02.have been doing a lot of pairings in training put up it is just about
:20:03. > :20:08.getting the goals. Gemma coming on had a massive impact. We are
:20:09. > :20:13.starting to click a bit more. Starting to gel a little bit after
:20:14. > :20:21.six months. So Chelsea back to winning ways.
:20:22. > :20:26.Beth England in for Davison to good effect. Absolutely. Beth England is
:20:27. > :20:32.a strong presence, she is disciplined in the role and links up
:20:33. > :20:39.extremely well with Aluko, creating any chances throughout the game.
:20:40. > :20:44.Linking up logically well with Ji So-Yun as well. Beth England in this
:20:45. > :20:49.case becomes a higher player and should have taken that chance but
:20:50. > :20:51.good interchange between the three. They have been working on that in
:20:52. > :20:57.training because it was instinctive stuff. Their heads were down, Beth
:20:58. > :21:01.England knew where Aluko was an threaded the ball through perfectly
:21:02. > :21:08.for her to finish efficiently. Emma Hayes spoke about post-match,
:21:09. > :21:14.Chelsea, their wit proved the difference. Doncaster were compact
:21:15. > :21:26.down the middle, and this battle we had between Ana Borges, really bore
:21:27. > :21:34.no fruit for Chelsea. On loan from Liverpool, Pacheco did not allow the
:21:35. > :21:39.ball and the player to get past. So not a lot of joy for Chelsea. A bit
:21:40. > :21:43.one-dimensional, Ana Borges, she has the speed but not a lot of skill or
:21:44. > :21:50.trickery and it just was not working for Chelsea. And congested in the
:21:51. > :21:58.middle. Very much so. That was recognised and they brought on
:21:59. > :22:02.Davison, very much a live wire who likes to create the space. Gemma
:22:03. > :22:10.Davison and Ana Borges against the Djeko. They kept drawing Pacheco out
:22:11. > :22:17.wide. And then Ana Borges was allowed to pick up passes. A torrid
:22:18. > :22:22.time for Pacheco. Gemma Davison very effective. Momentum has been key for
:22:23. > :22:27.both sides, Doncaster playing catch up in terms of fixtures. For Chelsea
:22:28. > :22:32.they have an enforced hiatus of five weeks without a fixture. How harmful
:22:33. > :22:36.could that be to their title chances? It could be but only if you
:22:37. > :22:40.let it. Manchester City and reference to the fact that they in
:22:41. > :22:44.their four weeks off they played friendly games and scored a lot of
:22:45. > :22:48.goals. Coming into the last thing with a lot of confidence. Chelsea
:22:49. > :22:51.need to do the same. Two more games to catch up on, we start with
:22:52. > :22:56.Sunderland who welcomed Arsenal, they had scored 12 goals against
:22:57. > :23:04.them in the previous two meetings. Would there not change? -- would
:23:05. > :23:06.their luck change? Asked not used to being in front
:23:07. > :23:11.against Sunderland and it took them ten minutes to take the lead.
:23:12. > :23:16.Speculative and not dealt with by Williams who compounded her error by
:23:17. > :23:24.bringing down Carter in the box. Rachael Laws did well to fend off
:23:25. > :23:27.the Willian spot kick. But nothing she could do about the rebound. The
:23:28. > :23:38.gunner is beginning to play with supreme confidence. This only topped
:23:39. > :23:41.by the exquisite finish. The fourth goal of the season for Nobbs. And
:23:42. > :23:53.she could have as a second not long after. The cut back perfect. The
:23:54. > :23:57.shop denied by the woodwork. Martinez called on Dominique Janssen
:23:58. > :24:04.to fill in at left-back and the Dutch youngster was instrumental in
:24:05. > :24:08.the third goal. The game now seemingly out of sight for
:24:09. > :24:12.Sunderland. Despite tough results, Carlton Fairweather side have showed
:24:13. > :24:19.dogged determination the season and never gave up on the game.
:24:20. > :24:23.Sunderland Dell does did enough to push the ball past the post. Then
:24:24. > :24:30.Arsenal put the cherry on top of excellent performance, Van de Donk
:24:31. > :24:41.had the straight and paste to fend off Daniel Brown. Again it was
:24:42. > :24:47.Williams to step up to the 12 yards and this time made no mistake and
:24:48. > :24:49.buried her penalty to register a 16th goal for Arsenal over
:24:50. > :24:55.Sunderland the season. Birmingham arrived at Adams Park open to extend
:24:56. > :25:04.their unbeaten run against a red inside still looking for the first
:25:05. > :25:09.win in WSL1. It was Reading who came out strongly in the second half.
:25:10. > :25:14.Fletcher with an improvised finish to put them in front. Branyan
:25:15. > :25:19.responded well, breaking with day. Schofield found Lyndon and the
:25:20. > :25:25.German striker brought the best out of birds. The pressure told as the
:25:26. > :25:30.red innkeeper was eventually beaten. Harrop was across. Lyndon
:25:31. > :25:37.registering her first goal on British soil. Blues boss David
:25:38. > :25:40.Parker frustrated that his side did not leave with all three points
:25:41. > :25:48.after a series of good chances. Wellings had the best of these. The
:25:49. > :25:53.game ended with honours even. That one for Birmingham keeps them
:25:54. > :25:58.in contention for a Champions League spot. Arsenal, their fourth
:25:59. > :26:04.successive win sees them keep those with Chelsea and Manchester City at
:26:05. > :26:07.the top. To quote Sunderland defender Henry Sharp, Arsenal are
:26:08. > :26:11.the best footballing team in the league. Do you think that they can
:26:12. > :26:15.gate-crash the title race? Manchester City have got points on
:26:16. > :26:19.the board, and coming towards the business end of the season that is
:26:20. > :26:22.what counts. But they looked confident since the FA Cup final
:26:23. > :26:29.win. Emma Hayes incensed at the decision not to award Chelsea
:26:30. > :26:35.penalty last week. Do you think often Fairweather would be aggrieved
:26:36. > :26:38.against the Sunderland penalty? Maybe in the heat of the game but
:26:39. > :26:46.watching the run back, unfortunately it is a penalty. Van de Donk holds
:26:47. > :26:50.the ball up, draws in a little tap from Daniel Brown. She
:26:51. > :26:52.inexperienced, Van de Donk is experienced and that is the
:26:53. > :26:56.difference. The referee is close enough and probably heard the
:26:57. > :27:01.contact. Whether it is a soft novelty, it is contact. In the box,
:27:02. > :27:06.it is a penalty. A massive win for the top three, Arsenal, Man City and
:27:07. > :27:13.Chelsea, but at the bottom three promoted sides. It is a bit worrying
:27:14. > :27:19.and shows the difference. WSL2 is virtually all amateur with some
:27:20. > :27:24.semiprofessional. WSL1, to compete in that, you they have to be a fully
:27:25. > :27:30.professional outfit or verging on that at least. It is difficult, WSL2
:27:31. > :27:35.teams need to look at it and plan for their promotion prospects.
:27:36. > :27:38.Yeoville will be having to follow in the footsteps of Sunderland and
:27:39. > :27:41.Reading and achieve promotion as champions of yourself too. They will
:27:42. > :27:51.have to do it without their top scorer Sarah will chirp she scored
:27:52. > :27:56.her 12th goal of the season in the victory over Bambi. But she
:27:57. > :28:01.announced that she was pregnant. Good luck to Sarah. Yeoville at the
:28:02. > :28:07.top of WSL2 then, Everton kept up the pressure on the top two after
:28:08. > :28:13.they made it back-to-back victories without 1- nil win at Oxford United.
:28:14. > :28:17.That is about it from us, thank you to Rachel, we're back at the same
:28:18. > :28:20.time next week when two former Douglas L1 champions go
:28:21. > :28:25.head-to-head. We will have highlights of Arsenal against
:28:26. > :28:32.Liverpool at 11:15pm on BBC Two or from 8:30am on the red button.
:28:33. > :28:35.Manchester City with the pacesetters in WSL1 during the first half the
:28:36. > :28:39.season and they remain top after yesterday's blistering first-half
:28:40. > :28:51.performance against Notts County. Goodbye for now.