5 WSL talking points after Chelsea vs Liverpool controversy and Man Utd win

It wasn't a great round of fixtures for the WSL with half of the fixture programme wiped out due to the cold snap.

Three games were either postponed or abandoned and will have to now find new dates later in the season. However, it was a good weekend for high flying Manchester United.

The Red Devils took full advantage of the issue by securing a vital win to move top of the WSL table. Elsewhere, Man City and Aston Villa played out an entertaining draw at the Academy Stadium and Everton moved up to fifth with a crucial win over mid-table rivals West Ham.

Here are five talking points from the latest weekend in the women's top flight.

Man Utd late show keeps title charge intact

After thrashing Liverpool last week, Man Utd fans could be forgiven for expecting a comfortable win when they travelled to Reading. But since the start of December the Royals have shown they aren't always the easiest nut to crack, beating Tottenham at home and very nearly upsetting Chelsea on the final matchday before the Christmas break.

And they were no pushovers against Marc Skinner's side and limited the title contenders to few clear cut chances. Katie Zelem missed a first-half penalty and at times it looked like this game may prove a stumbling block.

But United's spirit has willingness to attack late in games has been the cornerstone of their league challenge and they once again came up with an answer. Rachel Williams came off the bench to save the day, cutting inside from the left channel to score a superb solo goal with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

The late win sent United top of the table on goal difference from Chelsea, with the two sides now locked on 28 points having played half of their league games. Bigger tests will come for Skinner and his side, but on this evidence they look like a team with the desire to take the title race to the wire.

Chelsea left frustrated by abandonment farce

Chelsea's game with Liverpool passed an initial pitch inspection on Sunday morning, but the 12.30 kick-off was abandoned after just six minutes play at Kingsmeadow. Not only was it a huge disappointment to an expectant crowd and live television audience, it also frustrated the champions in their chase to retain the title.

The Blues looked rusty in their return to action against Arsenal last week, saved only by Sam Kerr's late intervention. And although they didn't technically lose any points on Sunday, it marks another week without a victory.

Emma Hayes will be keen to build momentum as quickly as possible after the Christmas break, meaning Wednesday's League Cup tie at Tottenham could see the Chelsea boss field a strong team. The Blues need to get back to winning ways, at least when pitches allow.

Undersoil heating a must after latest postponements

In addition to the farcical scenes at Kingsmeadow, two other games fell victim to frozen pitches this weekend, with Tottenham's game with Leicester and Arsenal's trip to Brighton also called off. Sometimes the British wintery weather can make football postponements unavoidable, particularly if stadium surrounding areas are unsafe.

But this wasn't the case on Sunday. Playing at stadiums with undersoil heating would have saved all three fixtures.

Installing it at regular grounds won't come cheap, but if the women's game in England is serious about progressing, it should become a requirement for all top-flight grounds. Hayes put it best when she said: "We've got to take our game seriously. Yes, we can have our blowers and pitch tents but it's not enough."

Man City lose ground in top three race but Villa development continues

Gareth Taylor was defiant before Christmas that his City team were still very much in the title race and the hunt for Champions League football. Although they have yet to lose since the WSL returned, equally they haven't looked like a team capable of winning the league.

West Ham were narrowly beaten last week but Aston Villa proved an trickier test on Saturday and left the north-west with a point. Deyna Castellanos gave the hosts the lead but Carla Ward's team immediately hit back through Kirsty Hanson's close-range strike.

Villa have shown they are capable of going toe-to-toe with the league's best this year and they should have taken the lead in the second half, Hanson only denied by the post with a curling effort. City were flat for large periods and will have to improve if they are serious about challenging Chelsea, Arsenal and local rivals United.

Everton's fast start boost their top five hopes

After a slow start to the season, Everton now look set to go head-to-head with Villa to see who can claim the title of 'best of the rest' in the WSL. They blew mid-table rivals West Ham away with perhaps their best performance of the season to date, goals from Karen Holmgaard and Megan Finnigan putting them 2-0 up inside 12 minutes.

Substitute Aggie Beever-Jones later added a third as the Toffees romped home in impressive fashion, with West Ham unable to lay a glove on them. Everton's use of the loan market mean they may struggle to have a full squad when playing the top four, although Gio Queiroz's return to Arsenal negates that slightly.

But they this performance will raise expectations that they should be beating the rest of the league. In their last four WSL games they have won three and only lost once, a narrow 1-0 defeat at Arsenal. Things are on the up for the Toffees.

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