Martha Thomas’ ninth goal of the season fired Tottenham to a maiden victory over Arsenal in the Women’s Super League.
Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal entered this fixture eyeing an eighth consecutive league win, but the day belonged to his fellow Swedish coach Robert Vilahamn, who claimed a statement result at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Under the watchful eye of Spurs men’s boss Ange Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy, Vilahamn’s team held firm during a tight first half and produced a superb team move in the 58th minute, which was expertly finish by Thomas.
The visitors pushed for a late response, but could not find a way through to hand Tottenham a 1-0 win and a first triumph over their rivals at the eighth time of asking in the WSL.
The two rivals warmed up for this league fixture with an entertaining 3-3 draw in the Conti Cup on Wednesday, but chances were far and far between in the opening stages.
It took until the 12th minute for the first opportunity of note when a Caitlin Foord effort deflected wide to earn Arsenal a corner.
Eidevall’s side produced a neat short corner routine and it should have resulted in the opener, but Alessia Russo inexplicably headed wide from four-yards.
Spurs had shipped 11 goals in their last two WSL matches, which saw Vilahamn hand Barbora Votikova a first league start and the post came to her rescue soon after when Foord again cut inside and rifled a shot against the woodwork.
Tottenham were forced to replace centre-back Luana Buhler minutes later before Arsenal had penalty appeals waved away after Beth Mead went down after contact from Ashleigh Neville.
The hosts were able to regroup afterwards though and Celin Bizet posed questions of the visitors defence with two dangerous runs down the right.
Arsenal still looked the more threatening and Votikova saved well from Frida Maanum not long after Foord had directed another effort off target to ensure it remained goalless at the break.
Bethany England, only recently back from hip surgery, was withdrawn at the break but it was the away side who came out with better intent.
Russo squandered another fine headed opportunity from a Mead cross after 50 minutes before Votikova saved well from long-range efforts by McCabe and Maanum.
Molly Batrip brilliantly blocked a Mead shot moments later and it appeared Arsenal were edging closer to the breakthrough, but they were stunned by the hosts in the 58th minute.
Under pressure at the back, Tottenham kept their composure brilliantly and six passes after Votikova had possession inside her own penalty area, Vilahamn’s team were down the other end and Thomas had poked home following Bizet’s perfectly-weighted pass.
Arsenal immediately set about finding a response and Votikova saved Russo’s volley before Eidevall turned to his bench with Vivianne Miedema and top-goalscorer Stina Blackstenius introduced.
The game had to be paused in the 83rd minute owing to a medical emergency in the designated away end and while Miedema hooked over in the first minute of 11 added on, Spurs held on for a memorable win.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes is expecting a tough test as her side travel to Bristol City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
Hayes’ team go into the fixture on the back of a crushing 4-1 defeat by Arsenal last weekend which saw their unbeaten streak in the league come to an end and they will be looking to set the record straight after they also failed to beat Hacken in the Women’s Champions League in midweek.
Bristol City sit 11th in the table and have only won one of their opening nine games but Hayes is not underestimating Sunday’s opponents.
She told Chelsea’s website: “Bristol are going to play five at the back and we’ll have the same sort of challenges (as against Hacken).
“But if we can find a blue shirt, can put the ball into the right areas in the right moments, I’m sure we’ll be fine.
“She (City boss Lauren Smith) will make it difficult for us. You see their result against Arsenal, they’re actually eighth in the league in terms of xG conceded. So they don’t give up as many clear-cut chances as you may think.”
Midfielder Melanie Leupolz and defender Ashley Lawrence are expected to return to training ahead of the fixture and young Japanese forward Maika Hamano could also make an appearance.
Robins boss Lauren Smith is looking forward to another tough test and thinks her side are adapting to different challenges in the league.
She said: “As time has gone on, the performances have lifted and we’ve started to now show we can adapt to teams and that was pleasing to see at Liverpool on the weekend that we changed our shape and press and caused them problems.”
Manchester United will be looking to extend their winning run to five games in all competitions when they play Liverpool and boss Marc Skinner is pleased with what he has seen from his squad heading into the last game of 2023.
He said: “Barring the Manchester City performance, we have been excellent, considering four or five of my players joined us in the last week of the transfer window.
“They have grown together, they continue to grow together and it will be an exciting second half of the season, I can assure you that.”
Liverpool could go level on points with United with a victory on Sunday and striker Leanne Kiernan is setting her sights on competing with the teams at the top of the table.
She told Liverpool’s website: “We want to compete and we are not here just to sit in mid-table. We want to compete with the big teams and we know that on our day we are good enough to compete with the big teams, so we are really looking forward to it.”
Manchester City will be aiming to make it four successive league wins with victory over Everton at Walton Hall Park.
But the Toffees have also enjoyed an upturn in form recently and come into the game unbeaten in three league matches themselves and could move into sixth with a win.
Two out-of-form sides meet at the King Power Stadium when West Ham meet Leicester. Both teams are without a win in their last seven matches and will see the game as an opportunity to break their winless streaks.
Aston Villa host Brighton at the Bescot Stadium as the sides sit 10th and ninth respectively and both teams will be looking for a result to put some breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone.
Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn has pledged to maintain his attacking approach in the wake of consecutive heavy defeats in the Women’s Super League.
Vilahamn’s side were thrashed 7-0 by Manchester City and 4-0 by Manchester United and now face high-flying Arsenal in the north London derby, just three days after losing on penalties to the same opponents in the Continental Tyres League Cup.
Tottenham have failed to win any of their last 11 games against the Gunners, who are behind WSL leaders Chelsea on goal difference only after beating the Blues 4-1 last week.
“It’s always tricky when you want to be a team that dictates the game and want to show that we have the ball, when you play against one of the top teams in the world,” Vilahamn said ahead of a game which will be staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“But when we come to our stadium we want to make sure we try to do it. I’m not going to go there and just try to have a low block and hope that we can counter-attack.
“The main thing is for me to show the fans who come that this team is all about playing the way we want to do it.”
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall likened facing the same opposition in quick succession to a “longer half-time break where you can actually work on things on the training ground” and is focused on ending the year on a high.
“The next game is our most important game and that means 100 per cent of our preparation and focus goes into this game,” he said.
“We are really determined and motivated and trying to end this year on as high a level as possible and hopefully after that can go to a well-deserved Christmas break.”
Tottenham vice-captain Molly Bartrip believes a genuine rivalry with Arsenal has now developed in the Women’s Super League.
Spurs host Jonas Eidevall’s team at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday fresh from a 3-3 draw at Arsenal on Wednesday in a Continental Tyres League Cup group fixture which ended with a penalty shoot-out that the hosts won 4-3.
The midweek clash was the 11th meeting between the clubs during the last four years and, while Tottenham remain winless, they have come a long way since a 10-0 FA Cup loss to Arsenal in 2017.
“I think sometimes we forgot Tottenham haven’t been a women’s team in the top league for a long time,” former Arsenal trainee Bartrip told the PA news agency.
“I actually started off at Tottenham in the Under-10s but they weren’t the biggest team and Arsenal were, so I went there and learned a lot from a young age.
“I am obviously thankful for that, but at the same time I am a Tottenham player now and I want to beat them.
“I will not shy away from saying that. It would be amazing to beat them and the derby is a big game. It is a battle, it is a rivalry and why can’t we make it ours and really give a fight to them.”
Spurs took the lead three times on Wednesday and the result represented the third time they have held Arsenal to a draw at the end of 90 minutes.
The only occasion in the WSL was during the 2021-22 campaign, when Vivianne Miedema struck in the 92nd minute to deny Tottenham a 1-0 win.
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Bartrip added: “I remember that game specifically and I actually thought we had it.
“Unfortunately we conceded at the end but the ones that were there for that game can take a lot from it.
“Actually to be fair every game you play against Arsenal you learn a bit more about yourself and what Robert (Vilahamn) is developing within this group is confidence, so hopefully we can take that into this game.”
New boss Vilahamn was hired from Hacken this summer to help Tottenham improve after a difficult last season that saw them battle against relegation.
The Swedish coach immediately produced an upturn in results, with Spurs embarking on an eight-match unbeaten run before recent heavy WSL defeats to Manchester City and Manchester United, but they have been boosted by the midweek draw at Arsenal, where Bartrip again captained the side with Bethany England only on the bench after her recent return from a hip injury.
“Of course it has been an honour but I am just (one of) a squad of 26 players and I am the lucky one to have worn it,” centre-back Bartrip insisted.
“At the same time, I just want to give everything I can for the team and every game I want to be the best version of myself.
“More than anything, it is what I can do for the team. I don’t really think too intensely about the armband.
“Beth is an amazing captain, Olga (Ahtinen) is also an amazing vice-captain and the three of us work together to try to create a good team environment, a good place for the girls to be and on the pitch.
“We want to try and lead the team as best we can so hopefully we’re doing that.”
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said Lauren James’ mental health has been affected by the latest racist abuse she has received on social media.
James was booked in Chelsea’s 4-1 Women’s Super League defeat at Arsenal on Sunday after appearing to stamp on Lia Walti and was withdrawn by Hayes soon after.
Chelsea have condemned the online abuse, while Hayes compared the treatment of James to that received by David Beckham after his red card during the 1998 World Cup.
James was sent off in the World Cup last summer for stamping in England’s last-16 penalty shoot-out win against Nigeria and was handed a two-game ban.
Hayes, whose side face Hacken in a Champions League group game at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, said: “She’s not in a great place if I’m honest.
“I think when it starts from broadcasting and the way they speak about things, maybe they need to reflect on labelling players.
“She’s a young player. She made an error in the summer. Of course she has to keep learning those things.
“Of course every opponent tries everything possible to get Lauren red-carded. That’s been clear in every game we’ve played and she has to learn to handle that.
“When she gets antagonised in a certain way, managing emotions comes with maturity and that isn’t there yet with her.
“It reminds me very much of David Beckham in many ways when he got red-carded in the World Cup.
“I think the treatment of Lauren is sometimes very similar and I think we have to realise for a young person, in a day and age when social media is unbelievably vitriolic, some of the nasty language and labelling and name-calling goes over the edge.
“And if you add racism to that for her, you can understand why her mental health is not in a very good place this week.”
Hayes said other Women’s Super League players who had “had their own challenging moments” have not received the same criticism as James.
“I think it’s disgusting the amount of abuse she’s received from the public, from the media, you’re talking about a young player here, who no question is always working to learn in the background,” Hayes added.
“Some of the language I’ve seen used to vilify her certainly I think is unacceptable.
“I don’t see the same level of abuse attributed to other players in the league who might have had their own challenging moments.
“It’s fair to say that if I’m in her position I’d be thinking there is racial profiling going on.”
Chelsea, bidding to bounce back from Sunday’s first defeat of the season in all competitions, are still without injured pair Millie Bright and Jelena Cankovic, but Melanie Leupolz will return to the bench.
Swedish side Hacken are top of Group D after victories over Paris and Real Madrid in their first two matches.
Chelsea have condemned racial abuse directed towards forward Lauren James following Sunday’s Women’s Super League clash with Arsenal.
England international James was at the centre of controversy during the game after appearing to stamp on Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti.
James was shown a yellow card after the incident in the 70th minute at the Emirates Stadium and was substituted by manager Emma Hayes soon after.
Chelsea, the WSL champions, were trailing 3-1 at the time and went on to lose 4-1.
A statement from Chelsea read: “Chelsea Football Club condemns the online abuse directed towards Lauren James following Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal.
“The club stands strongly against any form of abuse and discriminatory behaviour. Discrimination has no place at Chelsea Football Club or in any of our communities.
“We will take action against any individual that we can identify. We stand with you, Lauren.”
Those sentiments have also been echoed by the Football Association.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, from the England national team account read: “We stand alongside you LJ. Online abuse and discriminatory behaviour has no place in football. This abhorrent behaviour must have consequences.”
England goalkeeper Mary Earps leads the six nominees to succeed team-mate Beth Mead for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper helped England reach the Women’s World Cup final back in August before eventually losing out 1-0 to winners Spain in the final, but Earps was awarded the Golden Glove by keeping three clean sheets throughout the tournament.
The Manchester United stopper is currently the bookmakers runaway favourite to take the award after picking up further accolades, including England Women player of the year, was fifth in the voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin award – the highest-ever ranking for a goalkeeper – while keeping a Super League record 14 clean sheets for United last season.
Earps is joined on the shortlist by retired cricketer Stuart Broad, former jockey Frankie Dettori, athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett and golfer Rory McIlroy.
Broad will be aiming to become the first cricketer to win the award since 2019 when Ben Stokes collected the award.
He became England’s second leading Test wicket taker with 604 before announcing his retirement on the penultimate day of the fifth and final Ashes Test and helping them draw the series against Australia at the Oval by taking a wicket with his final ball bowled and a six with his last with the bat.
Liverpool-born heptathlete Johnson-Thompson came back from injury to win her second world title in Budapest this year.
Her build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was undermined by an Achilles injury which forced her to pull out but the 30-year-old bounced back with a Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and then conquered the world again in Budapest.
Three-time British flat racing champion jockey Dettori triumphed in two British classics this year, winning the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister and is joined on the list by wheelchair tennis player Hewett and world number two in golf McIlroy.
The winner of the public vote will be announced on the night of the live show on Tuesday, December 19.
Arsenal moved level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League with a 4-1 rout of the champions in front of a league-record crowd of 59,042 at the Emirates Stadium.
Alessia Russo scored twice with Amanda Ilestedt also on the scoresheet after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had cancelled out Beth Mead’s opener.
Mead capped a swift counter-attack eight minutes in, but Chelsea needed only five minutes to level through Rytting Kaneryd who beat Manuela Zinsberger at her near post with a shot from distance.
The game was all but decided with two goals in three minutes before half-time. Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger came off her line but got nowhere near Steph Catley’s corner as Ilestedt headed into the empty net for her first WSL goal, and Russo then finished off another counter-attack.
The fourth came in the 72nd minute. Berger came out to challenge Russo and, although Jess Carter won the ball and knocked it away from the Arsenal forward, the referee signalled a penalty as Russo tumbled over Berger, who shook her head in disbelief before being beaten from the spot.
The result puts Arsenal on 22 points, second to Chelsea on goal difference, with Manchester City three points back in third.
In Sunday’s late kick-off, Manchester City thrashed Tottenham 7-0 with Khadija Shaw scoring a first-half hat-trick before Laura Coombs came off the bench to net a late double.
City built on a fast start as Shaw headed home a 23rd-minute opener before two more well-taken goals in the space of six minutes ripped Spurs apart as their eight-match unbeaten run was left in tatters.
Any hopes of a comeback were dashed at the start of the second half when the impressive Lauren Hemp curled in a fourth.
Jill Roord’s header and a late brace from substitute Coombs completed a comprehensive win which sees City consolidate third place going into the international break.
Beth Mead scored twice as Arsenal thumped struggling West Ham 3-0 at Meadow Park in the Women’s Super League.
It did not take long for Arsenal to open the scoring as Frida Maanum put the hosts 1-0 up just two minutes in and Mead got her first since returning from injury in the 18th minute before she tapped in from six yards to make it 3-0 just before the break.
Jonas Eidevall’s team sit in second position and continue to pile pressure on league leaders Chelsea.
Lauren James scored twice as the Blues stretched their winning run to six games in the league with a 5-2 victory over Leicester.
Chelsea scored twice in the first five minutes through James and a Courtney Nevin own goal and added a third just before the break through Sam Kerr, just after Jutta Rantala had brought Leicester back into the game.
Sam Tierney netted in the 44th minute to make it 3-2 but Chelsea regained their two-goal cushion when James dinked over the keeper from close range and Aggie Beever-Jones sealed the points late on for Emma Hayes’ side.
Second-half goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Nikita Parris ensured that Manchester United returned to winning ways in the WSL after their derby loss to Manchester City last weekend with a 2-0 victory at rock-bottom Bristol City.
United were denied on several occasions in the first period by inspired City goalkeeper Olivia Clark, who kept out Parris, Leah Galton and Millie Turner.
Marc Skinner’s side broke the deadlock five minutes after the break through Japanese international Miyazawa before Parris added a second as United clinched an away win.
Liverpool picked up their first win in three league matches with a convincing 4-0 triumph over Brighton.
The Reds carried a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to strikes from Gemma Bonner and Shanice van de Sanden and Ceri Holland nodded in from close range in the second half before Sophie Roman Haug added the gloss on a good afternoon for the hosts.
Also on Sunday, Everton leapfrogged Aston Villa in the table after Nathalie Bjorn’s penalty handed them a 2-1 win at Villa Park.
Anna Patten’s own goal gave Everton the lead but they were instantly pegged back when Rachel Daly side-footed home from close range.
The Toffees’ winner came with 15 minutes left when Kirsty Hanson brought Heather Payne down inside the area. Bjorn stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to hand Everton a first victory in five matches.
Shanice van de Sanden celebrated becoming a mother with a goal as Liverpool beat Brighton 4-0 in the Women’s Super League.
The Netherlands forward, who had missed the midweek Continental Cup defeat by Manchester United with her partner giving birth to a girl on Tuesday, drove in her first goal of the season.
It came after an opening goal headed in by Gemma Bonner, who had been presented with a framed shirt by Liverpool great Ian Callaghan before kick-off to mark her achievement in becoming the club’s record appearance maker in the Women’s Super League era.
Ceri Holland added a third goal in the second half before Sophie Roman Haug capped an impressive performance by scoring in stoppage time.
Brighton were well beaten in the end, yet had caused Liverpool significant problems in the opening 20 minutes.
Liverpool goalkeeper Teagan Micah – making her Women’s Super League debut, having arrived from Swedish club Rosengard in July – produced three important saves before the match was 10 minutes old.
First she pushed aside a deflected Pauline Bremer shot, then beat away Maisie Symonds’ inswinging corner under pressure and tipped over a dangerous cross-shot from Brighton’s leading scorer Elisabeth Terland.
Micah was beaten in the 13th minute as Terland glanced another Symonds corner goalwards, but Bonner cleared the ball off the line.
Having ridden the early pressure, Liverpool went ahead in the 27th minute, as Bonner – making her 138th Liverpool appearance, now four clear of previous record holder Ashley Hodson – rose at the near post to flick Marie Hobinger’s corner past goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
The home side extended their advantage in the 43rd minute, as Haug broke through the middle before feeding a pass right for Van de Sanden to angle a low drive beneath Baggaley.
They added a third goal in the 63rd minute, as Haug chased a ball to the byline that Brighton centre-back Guro Bergsvand was trying to allow to run out of play, and hooked it back for Holland to head in from inside the six-yard box.
Van de Sanden looked certain to score a second moments later as Hobinger played her clear, but Baggaley reacted brilliantly to push her blasted shot over the bar. She then drove wide after making another burst clear, before being substituted to a standing ovation.
Her replacement Leanne Kiernan hit the bar with a rising angled drive as Liverpool threatened to overwhelm Brighton, and substitute Missy Bo Kearns forced another fine save from Baggaley with a shot on the run in the closing minutes.
A fourth goal arrived in the second minute of injury time, as Haug rolled in from close range following a Kiernan cutback.
Beth Mead scored twice as Arsenal thumped struggling West Ham 3-0 at Meadow Park in the Women’s Super League.
It did not take long for Arsenal to open the scoring as Frida Maanum put the hosts 1-0 up just two minutes in and Mead got her first since returning from injury in the 18th minute before she tapped in from six yards to make it 3-0 just before the break.
Jonas Eidevall’s team sit in second position and continue to pile pressure on league leaders Chelsea.
Lauren James scored twice as the Blues stretched their winning run to six games in the league with a 5-2 win over Leicester.
Chelsea scored twice in the first five minutes through James and a Courtney Nevin own goal and added a third just before the break through Sam Kerr, just after Jutta Rantala had brought Leicester back into the game.
Sam Tierney netted in the 44th minute to make it 3-2 but Chelsea regained their two-goal cushion when James dinked over the keeper from close range and Aggie Beever-Jones sealed the points late on for Emma Hayes’ side.
Second half goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Nikita Parris ensured that Manchester United returned to winning ways after their derby loss to Manchester City with a 2-0 win over rock bottom Bristol City.
United were denied on several occasions in the first period by inspired City goalkeeper Olivia Clark, who kept out Parris, Leah Galton and Millie Turner.
Marc Skinner’s side broke the deadlock five minutes after the break through Japanese international Miyazawa before Parris added a second as United clinched an away win.
Liverpool picked up their first win in three league matches with a convincing 4-0 win over Brighton.
The Reds carried a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to strikes from Gemma Bonner and Shanice van de Sanden and Ceri Holland nodded in from close range in the second half before Sophie Roman Haug added the gloss on a good afternoon for the hosts.
Beth Mead scored twice as Arsenal thumped struggling West Ham 3-0 at Meadow Park in the Women’s Super League.
It did not take long for Arsenal to open the scoring as Frida Maanum put the hosts 1-0 up just two minutes in and Mead got her first since returning from injury in the 18th minute before she tapped in from six yards to make it 3-0 just before the break.
Jonas Eidevall’s team sit in second position and continue to pile pressure on league leaders Chelsea.
Lauren James scored twice as the Blues stretched their winning run to six games in the league with a 5-2 win over Leicester.
Chelsea scored twice in the first five minutes through James and a Courtney Nevin own goal and added a third just before the break through Sam Kerr, just after Jutta Rantala had brought Leicester back into the game.
Sam Tierney netted in the 44th minute to make it 3-2 but Chelsea regained their two-goal cushion when James dinked over the keeper from close range and Aggie Beever-Jones sealed the points late on for Emma Hayes’ side.
Second half goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Nikita Parris ensured that Manchester United returned to winning ways after their derby loss to Manchester City with a 2-0 win over rock bottom Bristol City.
United were denied on several occasions in the first period by inspired City goalkeeper Olivia Clark, who kept out Parris, Leah Galton and Millie Turner.
Marc Skinner’s side broke the deadlock five minutes after the break through Japanese international Miyazawa before Parris added a second as United clinched an away win.
Liverpool picked up their first win in three league matches with a convincing 4-0 win over Brighton.
The Reds carried a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to strikes from Gemma Bonner and Shanice van de Sanden and Ceri Holland nodded in from close range in the second half before Sophie Roman Haug added the gloss on a good afternoon for the hosts.
Brighton can become pioneers in women’s football now that the team has received the go-ahead for a purpose-built stadium, according to the councillor who helped approve the plans.
Brighton and Hove City Council gave the green light in October for the club to proceed with locating a site within the city for what is hoped will be an approximately 10,000-capacity ground for the Women’s Super League side.
The proposed new ground will be the first of its kind in the UK to have been designed and built specifically for use by a women’s team, with all 12 of the current WSL clubs playing in stadiums either previously or currently shared with men’s sides.
Currently the team plays home matches more than 30 miles away from the city at Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium.
It is an arrangement that has suited the club since becoming founder members of the restructured WSL in 2018 but Labour councillor John Hewitt – who serves as lead councillor for leisure and sport and backed the proposal ahead of it being voted through – believes it is not sustainable if football in the city hopes to grow.
Once a site is found and work on the new stadium can begin, Hewitt says the club can realistically think about becoming trendsetters in the women’s game.
“As good as (Crawley) are as hosts, the distance has an adverse effect,” he told the PA news agency. “Plus it doesn’t seem like our home ground, because the seats are red and we’re blue and white.
“The intention is to build around 10,000 capacity which is a realistic number. The team get around 3-4,000 at Crawley, but there is the capacity for the club to grow in the coming years.
“It’s about the women’s game achieving parity with the men’s game. Women’s football is growing. Brighton hosted three games at the Euros last year and there were good attendances. We know there’s the scope for it.
“It shows how far the club has come. They were made homeless in 1997, exiled in Gillingham for two years, the struggle to establish the Amex Stadium. This shows the best steps they’re looking to make.
“On behalf of the city, it would be fantastic if we could be seen as pioneers for this. In years to come, this could be the norm.
“One of the reasons for having a purpose-built stadium is different needs. For example, playing in a men’s stadium, dressing rooms might only have two cubicles, whereas a purpose-built women’s ground would have more.
“Hopefully, other cities and towns can follow suit in supporting their women’s teams.”
Brighton are currently eighth in the WSL table having finished 11th and narrowly avoided relegation last season.
With the men’s side having a enjoyed a highest-ever league finished last campaign and currently on the brink of progressing beyond the Europa League group stage on their debut European run, Hewitt believes the situation is ripe for the women’s side to follow suit and play their part in reinforcing Brighton’s reputation as a coming football force.
He added: “The intention is for the club to finance it, but the council will be a key stakeholder in that. We’ve been invited to have our input, as in what would we like out of it.
“So it’s not just a stadium where there are 20 football matches a year played there, there could be educational facilities, community initiatives hosted there, schools using it for their cup finals.
“We’ll be looking at how best we can use the facility for the resident in the city.”
Manchester City came from a goal behind to beat Women’s Super League rivals Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were awarded a penalty in the 20th minute as Alex Greenwood handled inside the area, with Katie Zelem slotting home to put them a goal up.
City were not behind for long and turned the game on its head with two goals inside a minute as Jill Roord slotted home the equaliser before Lauren Hemp curled in superb fashion from outside the area to make it 2-1.
The visitors ensured the three points as Khadija Shaw closed down a back-pass to Mary Earps, with the goalkeeper’s clearance bouncing off Shaw and going into the net to rubber-stamp the triumph.
Despite Laia Aleixandri’s second bookable offence for a foul on Lucia Garcia, City held on to move above United in the WSL.
Elsewhere, Arsenal secured their sixth win in all competitions with a convincing 3-0 victory over Brighton thanks to goals from Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord and Frida Maanum.
Bristol City twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers Everton at Walton Hall Park while Tottenham’s unbeaten run continued with a 1-1 draw against Leicester.
Rachel Daly scored in stoppage time to help secure Aston Villa their second win of the season with a 3-2 victory over West Ham.
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