Beth Mead has been recalled to the England squad for the first time in over a year ahead of the Lionesses’ final Nations League fixtures.

It is a welcome return to the international fold for the 28-year-old Arsenal forward, who resumed club action last month after suffering an ACL injury last November.

England face the Netherlands at Wembley on December 1 before taking on Scotland at Hampden Park four days later.

Tottenham midfielder Grace Clinton and Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating also retain their places, having received their first senior call-ups in October.

Tottenham and Liverpool shared the points at Brisbane Road with both managers frustrated with their sides not putting the game to bed.

Celin Bizet Ildhusoy broke the deadlock for Tottenham, winning the ball back in her own half and tearing through the Liverpool defence for a superb solo effort.

Liverpool to level the score in the second half as Sophie Roman Haug’s towering header cancelled out the strike.

Reds manager Matt Beard was unhappy with his side’s overall performance.

“I wasn’t pleased with the first half,” Beard said. “We rode our luck a little bit.

“I think we finished the stronger out of the two teams, a little bit disappointed at the end with the way we were gifting chances, not clearing our lines.

“I don’t know if we have got away with one, but plenty of learnings today.”

Beard’s frustrations come from a string of games where Liverpool, despite looking the stronger team, were only able to come away with draws.

“We’ve drawn here today, draw at West Ham where we could have won,” he said. “So if you look last year, we did not win a game on the road.

“This year we’re unbeaten, so I think for us it’s just about making sure if we can’t get three points, we get one.”

Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn made similar comments, frustrated with his side settling for another draw, their second consecutively after they were also pegged back by Everton.

“Football is about winning so we need to learn how to win, and it takes time,” he said

“So right now, we are struggling with winning the games but once again, we are in a good phase; the girls are brilliant.”

Whilst Vilahamn admitted his concerns that Tottenham are not putting games to bed after taking an early lead, he added that he believes his side will get there with a bit more time and development.

“We want to score more goals; we don’t want to defend one-zero,” he said.

“I know, for instance, the same scenario last week, but it’s easier said than done to score goals.

“Yes, we want to do that, but it’s a hard situation. I think in the long (run), we’re going to do that, but we’re not there yet.

“We are in this transformation thing where we actually dictate games, but we need one more step in the development.”

Martha Thomas says she has rediscovered her smile on the pitch following her summer switch to Tottenham from Manchester United and is thriving on the belief being shown in her at her new club.

The Scotland forward concluded a two-year stay with United after a 2022-23 season in which she made 20 Women’s Super League appearances for Marc Skinner’s side but only one start within that, scoring one goal.

Moving on to Robert Vilahamn’s Spurs, Thomas – starting at centre-forward – went on to net six times in the team’s first four league games this term to top the early Golden Boot standings, and was named Barclays Player of the Month for October.

Asked if she had surprised herself at all with her form, the 27-year-old told the PA news agency: “No, I think I’ve always had the belief in myself – it’s just having people around me that sort of believe in that as well.”

Regarding last season, Thomas said: “Personally, it was a really tough season for me, off the pitch, on the pitch, mentally, physically. I felt quite drained.

“It was hard because the team was doing quite well, so I was happy for the girls around me. But when it came to the summer, I knew what the best decision for me would be.

“I was playing in a team sometimes not even in my actual position that I feel I’m best at. So it was definitely the right time for me to step away, because I knew they weren’t getting the best out of me and I wasn’t getting the best out of myself there. It no longer felt like the right fit.

“There was definitely times throughout the season where I did feel like I deserved that chance and sort of wasn’t given it, or was given it but then not given long enough to show it.

“That’s just the way it goes. United had their best finish (second), so it’s sort of hard to really argue – but at the same time I felt like I needed and deserved more, so it was the right time for me to get that somewhere else.

“I wasn’t enjoying my football. I needed just to enjoy it again, and I needed to find my smile again on the pitch.”

She added: “I didn’t feel like I came here with a point to prove, I just feel like it’s worked out that way because I’m playing football with a smile, that’s when I play my best, and you’re just now seeing what I’m actually capable of doing.

“If I’m happy and playing in a team where I feel valued and they’ve got that belief, then I’m going to play my best and the goals are going to come.

“I think I’ve settled in really well here, I think the style Robert wants to play and the team we have complement me quite well.”

While Thomas has been on her hot streak, Tottenham striker Bethany England, who had a major impact for them last term after joining in January, has been recovering from hip surgery.

Vilahamn, as well as stressing his belief Thomas can win the Golden Boot this season, has said he is confident he will find a way for the two to play together, something Thomas says she can see herself doing, adding: “I think we would complement each other really well.”

Having finished ninth last season, then appointing Vilahamn in July, Tottenham are currently in the Champions League places, lying third as one of four teams with 10 points from five games, three behind leaders Chelsea.

Last Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Everton followed a run of three successive wins, and Thomas said: “For us to be really gutted with that draw shows what kind of finish we’re looking for. We’re looking to climb as high as we can.

“The top three, four teams have had that consistency over the past however many seasons and that’s what other clubs need. But I think with the start you’ve already seen, it wouldn’t be surprising to me to see another team break into that – and we can hope it’s us.”

Tottenham host Liverpool – another side on 10 points – on Sunday.

While Alan Smith accepts Liverpool have every right to be hurt by the VAR error which cost them in Saturday's loss to Tottenham, he thinks Jurgen Klopp's team have no choice but to move on. 

PGMOL, the body responsible for match officials in English football, admitted a "significant human error" was committed when the decision to disallow Luis Diaz's first-half strike – which was flagged offside – was not overturned. 

The audio recording of the decision-making process surrounding the incident was made public on Tuesday, revealing VAR Darren England misunderstood the nature of the on-field decision when clearing the check.

Diaz's wrongly disallowed effort occurred when the game was goalless, with Liverpool down to 10 men following Curtis Jones' straight red card. 

Diogo Jota was also sent off in the second half before Joel Matip's stoppage-time own goal handed Spurs a dramatic 2-1 victory, maintaining their flying start to the Premier League season.

Liverpool subsequently said the "sporting integrity" of the game had been "undermined" in a statement, and boss Klopp made further headlines on Wednesday. 

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Europa League fixture against Union SG, Klopp called for the Spurs game to be replayed, labelling the situation "unprecedented".

While Arsenal great Smith has sympathy for Liverpool, he maintains the Reds have no option but to accept they were wronged. 

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Legends of Football event, in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy, Smith said: "I was amazed when they played on and the offside was upheld.

"It was a lack of communication, big time.

"I can't understand how that happened, but it's not great because it casts a shadow over the game, over VAR especially, and Liverpool are clearly very upset. 

"You can't blame them, but I think you've just got to suck it up and carry on really. It's done. It's done now."

The incident has sparked further debate about the impact and implementation of VAR, but former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein says the technology will become more effective as time goes on, calling for supporters to "stick with it".

"Well, it comes down to two words, human error, and that's going to happen," Dein said. "People have got to understand.

"I'm a great supporter of VAR. Before VAR came in, the referees were making one game-changing error every three games. That's been reduced dramatically.

"You'll see as the years go by. It's still in its infancy. It only came in the World Cup in Russia in 2018. That was when VAR was really introduced. 

"It's going to get better and more efficient as time goes on. I'm a great supporter. You've got to stick with it."

Arsenal Women's manager Jonas Eidevall was also speaking at the event, and he outlined his belief that semi-automatic offside technology – which is used in UEFA competitions – should be adopted by PGMOL.

"With VAR, as long as there is a human element to it, there can always be human errors," Eidevall said.

"If you do the semi-automatic offside technology, you don't really have a human element to that and you get less errors. So I think that's a good example. Goal-line technology is another one. 

"The referees are also going to get better, over time, at working with a system like VAR. That's also very obvious and they will also learn things every season. They want to get things right."

Meanwhile, VAR – and goal-line technology – was a hot topic across the opening weekend of the Women's Super League season, with officials failing to award Guro Reiten a goal despite the ball clearly crossing the line in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Tottenham.

Asked if he expected VAR to grace the league soon, Eidevall said: "Yes, I do. I think that's where the development is heading. I don't know if that's next season or the season after. 

"I think when we do, if we implement it, it has to be the full version. 

"What I don't want to see in the women's game is for them to implement a cheaper version of VAR with less camera angles. That makes it really difficult for the referees to see the situations."

Bethany England says she stayed longer than she should have at Chelsea feeling “wasted” as the striker looks to take her fine form for Tottenham into the World Cup.

After an impressive 2019-20 campaign with the Blues which saw her named PFA player of the year, the 29-year-old subsequently found herself in and out of their starting line-up, and was part of it only twice in the first half of the 2022-23 Women’s Super League season.

She subsequently made a January move to Tottenham, went on to score 12 goals in as many league starts and earned an England recall – her first involvement since last September – when boss Sarina Wiegman named her squad in May for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

England said: “They (Chelsea) brought Sam Kerr in halfway through the (2019-20) season and I built up a great relationship playing with Sam, and then obviously it didn’t transpire to the next season where we didn’t play with a front two.

“Emma (Hayes, the Chelsea manager) opted for singular number nine, which made my chances much more difficult based off Sam being who she is – and she is a prolific goalscorer.

“So it was hard to kind of fight my way back in from that point and I think I probably overstayed maybe a year, a year-and-a-half too long, where I felt like I was just wasted there, and I wasn’t being used enough.

“It was a very difficult time, but I think I built up a lot of resilience from that and was able to take that into other scenarios in football.”

England, who joined Chelsea in 2016 and scored a total of 74 goals for them, added: “I think there was ultimately lots of reasons why I left, the World Cup being one of them.

“I think the move has paid off for me and, as you would say, (it has been) vindicated. Ultimately, I think if I had stayed where I was, sat on the bench, I would never be here today.”

England’s wait for an international recall initially went on after the January transfer despite her hitting goals for Spurs from the off, and she said: “I didn’t get selected for the (February) Arnold Clark Cup, and then I went and scored against Manchester United (running with the ball) from the halfway line.

“I think that was my ‘have some of that’ type thing. It was more like: ‘Look, I know I am good enough’.

“But equally, I had to balance not focusing too much on what was going on (with England), because ultimately if I didn’t do the job at club level, I wouldn’t have been here.”

Having continued to flourish with Tottenham, England, who was a member of Wiegman’s Euro 2022-winning squad as an unused substitute, is now among three main number nine options in the World Cup 23, along with Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly.

“I want to help the team and put the ball in the net, however they may go in,” said England, who has scored 11 goals in 21 international appearances.

“The biggest thing I would say is leading into the World Cup Sarina has been able to see me more, playing regularly, scoring goals.

“I am hoping, as a collective, everyone can see what qualities I can bring. They know I can bring that to this team and hopefully I am put in a position where I can help showcase that.

“I think me and Alessia are very different players. I would say I am more similar with Rachel. I think we are all great in our own way and whatever tactics suit the game at that time is going to showcase that.

“It’s a tough decision because we have all got different qualities, but whoever Sarina chooses to go for is her preference.”

England open their campaign by playing Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday.

Chelsea will get their Women’s Super League title defence under way with a clash against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on October 1.

The 5.30pm kick-off between Emma Hayes’ champions and Spurs, in their first match under new head coach Robert Vilahamn, is one of three games on the 2023-24 season’s opening day that are set to take place at Premier League grounds.

Last term’s runners-up Manchester United play Aston Villa at Villa Park in the day’s earliest contest (12.30pm kick-off), and Arsenal face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

Promoted Bristol City will begin their WSL return by taking on Leicester at Ashton Gate.

Tuesday’s fixtures announcement also revealed Manchester City are to go to West Ham and Everton host Brighton on the opening day.

Chelsea – who have lost their opener in each of the last two campaigns, and are bidding to secure a fifth successive title, and seventh overall – earlier this month announced the club were committed to holding four WSL games at Stamford Bridge during the 2023-24 season.

Arsenal had already confirmed they would be playing five at the Emirates, and after their match against Liverpool, the Gunners are scheduled to also play there in their next home fixture, against Villa on October 15.

The stadium is then set to host Jonas Eidevall’s side playing Chelsea on December 10, Manchester United on February 18 and Tottenham in a March 3 derby. Last September, Arsenal beat Spurs 4-0 there in front a WSL record crowd of 47,367.

The second round of fixtures on October 8 features Manchester City v Chelsea and Manchester United v Arsenal.

The ‘Women’s Football Weekend’ pencilled in for March 23-24 includes derbies of Manchester City hosting Manchester United and Everton entertaining Liverpool, while the concluding round of fixtures, on May 18, includes Chelsea playing United away.

The new top-flight season starts six weeks after the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the final of which takes place on August 20.

The Women’s Championship is set to begin on August 26 with Birmingham, who finished second last season, facing Blackburn at Ewood Park, while promoted Watford hosting Durham is among five fixtures taking place the next day.

Tottenham have signed Bethany England from Chelsea for a reported fee of £250,000, a British-record amount for a domestic transfer in women's football.

The previous record was the £200,000 paid by Chelsea to Manchester United in 2021 for Lauren James, sister of the Blues' men's player Reece James.

The biggest fee paid for a women's player in world football was the reported £350,000 (€397,000) spent by Barcelona to sign midfielder Keira Walsh from Manchester City in September.

England has signed a three-year deal with Spurs, who are eighth in the Women's Super League, 18 points behind table-topping Chelsea with a game in hand.

A part of the England squad that won the European Championships last year, the 28-year-old has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Lionesses.

England spent seven years at Chelsea, scoring 74 goals in 164 appearances and winning nine major trophies.

Reggae Girlz striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was again on the scoresheet for Manchester City Women as they defeated Tottenham Women 3-0 in the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) at Brisbane Road in London on Saturday.

Shaw produced a double to help City get their second win in four games, moving to fifth in the WSL.

Her first came just before halftime in the 41^st minute before getting her second just after the break in the 47^th minute. Lauren Hemp got City’s third goal in the 76^th minute.

Shaw is now the leading scorer in the WSL so far this season with five goals from four games.

The Women's Super League attendance record was sent tumbling on Saturday as 47,367 fans watched Arsenal thrash north London rivals Tottenham 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

A high crowd at the Emirates was significantly larger than the previous record – set when 38,262 people watched the same two sides face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2019.

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall said the match would represent a historic moment for the women's game on Friday, declaring: "They're not giveaways, they're not discounted, they're sold tickets.

"I think that's really special, because that means the interest there, it is for real."

Those in attendance at the Emirates on Saturday were not disappointed, as Vivianne Miedema's brace, as well as goals from Beth Mead and Rafaelle, fired Eidevall's side to a dominant win.

Miedema's tally of eight goals against Spurs is a WSL record, while Arsenal have become the first team in the competition's history to keep eight consecutive clean sheets after shutting their rivals out.

The landmark occasion represents another high-point for the women's game in England.

A record crowd for any European Championship fixture – men's or women's – was set at Wembley Stadium when 87,192 watched the Lionesses win their first major trophy by beating Germany on July 31.

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall believes years of effort and investment have paid off as the Gunners prepare to shatter the Women's Super League attendance record against Tottenham.

Over 50,000 fans are expected at Emirates Stadium for Saturday's north London derby, as WSL clubs seek to build on the shining success of England's home Euro 2022 triumph.

A record crowd for any European Championship fixture – men's or women's – was set at Wembley when 87,192 spectators saw the Lionesses beat Germany after extra time on July 31.

Now the Gunners are poised for a bumper crowd of their own, and Eidevall was keen to highlight there had been no fudging the numbers with the impressive ticket take-up.

"It's 50,000 sold tickets," he said. "They're not giveaways, they're not discounted, they're sold tickets. I think that's really special, because that means the interest there, it is for real.

"The investment the team has done, but also all the past generations to take us to this stage here, that is phenomenal. We want to make the most of it tomorrow, so it can happen more freely."

Khadijah Shaw got a belated birthday president on Thursday when she scored in Manchester City Women’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur to secure a place in the final of the WSL Continental Cup where they will face champions, Chelsea.

In the semi-final encounter played at the Academy Stadium Jess Park put City up 1-0 in the 21^st minute before Shaw doubled the lead in the 27^th after she tapped into an empty net after Caroline Weir’s shot took a deflection following a terrific run from Lauren Hemp.

Shaw, who celebrated her 25^th birthday on Monday, January 31, actually had a chance to open the scoring when she surged into the box early in the game but she shot past goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer but wide of the far post.

Hemp sealed the victory in the 71^st minute to send City into the final set for March 5.

Manchester United have a realistic chance of breaking into the top three of the Women's Super League this season, despite losing head coach Casey Stoney during the close season. 

That is according to Tottenham defender Kerys Harrop, who told Stats Perform she is expecting the 2021-22 campaign to be the "most exciting yet".

Stoney departed United at the end of last season after steering the club into the top flight and then to successive fourth-placed finishes in the WSL across her three years in charge.

The Red Devils have opted for an experienced replacement, with former Birmingham City and Orlando Pride boss Marc Skinner taking the reins.

United led the way at the top of the division come the end of last year, but hampered by injury issues they slipped down to fourth, one point behind third-placed Arsenal.

United States duo Tobin Heath and Christen Press have departed, while Jessica Sigsworth, Amy Turner, Lauren James and  Abbie McManus have also moved on.

But with Hannah Blundell, Aoife Mannion, Sophie Baggaley, Martha Thomas and Vilde Boe Risa all arriving, Harrop believes United can possibly go one better this time around.

"I think it's realistic ambition for them and certainly what Marc and the players I know there, former team-mates of mine, want," Harrop said.

"And then you've still got other teams like ourselves at Tottenham and you have got Brighton, who will be wanting to push on this year as well, Everton too.

"I know we say every year that it's going to be the most exciting season yet. But I believe it actually will be. 

"Everton have invested as well as us, even Villa to an extent as well. So I think it's going to be really important for this game for the top three places.

"But certainly in and around the top half of the league, I think it's going to be really interesting and really exciting."

Skinner was widely praised for his work at Birmingham, whom he led to the FA Cup final in 2017 and to fourth in the table in the WSL in 2019.

The 38-year-old finished bottom of the National Women's Soccer League in his first season with Orlando before a more promising start to the 2021 campaign.

Harrop was part of the Birmingham side that achieved success under Skinner and expects her former manager to be a success on his return to the English game.

"It was really tough to see when he got the job [with Orlando]," Harrop said. 

"You know, he kind of went out to Orlando and got that experience, but I think deep down he'd always wanted to manage in the WSL. 

"I think he's got a quite unique style of play, certainly from when I was under him at Birmingham. And he's well respected. I know he'll get the best out of all the players there. 

"That's certainly what he did with us at Birmingham. It's going to be interesting to see whether his style has changed since being out in America. 

"He was quite adamant on the way that he wanted his teams play."

Harrop is entering her second season as a Tottenham player and has made the third-most appearances of any player in WSL history.

Spurs finished eighth in the top flight in 2020-21, but Harrop is hopeful of challenging United for a Champions League berth this coming season in their first full campaign under Rehanne Skinner.

"I definitely think we will improve," she said. "You know, we've already kind of stayed ourselves and we want at least a top four finish, if not higher. 

"Rhian's recruited well. She's bought in a lot of good new quality, kind of international signings really. Every year you want to improve but I think realistically we can definitely develop on last season. 

"I think just having Rhian in from the beginning will help. Last season she came in in January, so it was a lot harder for her to kind of implement all her tactics and her style of play. 

"This year we've had everyone together from the beginning of pre-season in terms of her and the coaching staff. So hopefully there will be a bit of flow to the league this year."

Alex Morgan and her family are fighting back after catching COVID-19 in California over the festive season, the United States women's football superstar has revealed.

The 31-year-old, twice a Women's World Cup winner, left Tottenham last month after a three-month playing spell in England.

Although London has become a coronavirus hot spot, Morgan says she was back in the USA when the virus struck.

She wrote on Twitter: "Unfortunately, my family and I closed out 2020 learning that we had contracted Covid while in California over the holidays.

"We are all in good spirits and recovering well. After our isolation is completed, I will follow US Soccer's return to play guidelines to ensure my body is fully recovered and I can join my team-mates back on the field soon. Be safe and happy new year."

Morgan is married to former LA Galaxy and Orlando City footballer Servando Carrasco, and they celebrated a sixth wedding anniversary on December 31. Their first child was born last May.

The USWNT great signed for Spurs in September, having not played since August 2019 due to pregnancy and the disruption caused by the pandemic.

She made five appearances for Spurs in all competitions, scoring two goals. Morgan is a two-time Women's World Cup winner and has scored 107 goals in 170 appearances for the USA.

Morgan is expected to resume her club career with the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), ahead of playing at the Tokyo Olympics.

Orlando retained the 31-year-old forward's NWSL rights when she made the short-term move to Tottenham.