5 WSL talking points as Manchester Derby draw leaves title race finely poised

Manchester United and Manchester City played out an intriguing 1-1 draw to ensure the Women's Super League title race still has four runners.

In the final full round of league action until the new year, the Manchester rivals settled for a point in front of a huge crowd at the Etihad Stadium. Later on, fellow title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea were victorious despite suffering scares along the way.

Two games fell victim to the weather, with Liverpool versus Leicester City and Brighton versus Everton called off. But that wasn't a problem for West Ham, who pulled off a superb 2-0 away win at Tottenham in the weekend's other derby. Here are five talking points from another memorable weekend of WSL action.

Manchester clubs in derby stalemate

Manchester United and Manchester City still have serious title ambitions after a hard-fought draw. City set a new home attendance record in the process, with 44,259 fans coming through the gates on a freezing December afternoon.

They saw Laura Coombs save a point with her second-half header after Leah Galton had given United the lead with a fine finish before half-time. United could arguably feel hard done by considering they had dominated the opening 45, but City were much-improved after the break.

A defeat would have left the hosts' hopes of winning the league seriously dented. But the draw keeps both firmly involved in a title race that has four genuine contenders going into the second half of the season.

Chelsea lay down marker

It speaks volumes about Chelsea's form that they could afford a poor second half at home to Reading and still claim a ninth win on the spin. The Blues ensured they will spend the winter break three points clear at the top by holding off a resilient Reading at a snowy Kingsmeadow in Sunday's late game.

But those surprised by how close this game was perhaps shouldn't be. The Blues were battling Real Madrid in a European glamour tie only 72 hours before kick-off against Reading.

In addition to fatigue, they had to battle the conditions, with snowfall making playing slick football difficult, particularly after the break. They weren't at their best but, as everyone knows, the sign of champions-in-waiting is to win when not at their best.

Arsenal fight back

Chelsea may enjoy their Christmas dinner from the top of the table but London rivals Arsenal are also in a great position following their excellent fightback at Aston Villa.

The Gunners won 4-1 after Kirsty Hanson's 20-yard strike had given the hosts a shock early lead. Manager Jonas Eidevall said after the game his team are "in a great position" and it is hard to disagree considering they are just three points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.

Both sides claiming three points sets up a heavyweight clash for the when the league resumes in January. Last season's top two meet in the very first game back, with Arsenal hosting Emma Hayes' team. A win there would surely make Arsenal favourites to go on and claim the title.

West Ham target top six

Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Hawa Cissoko scored second-half goals as West Ham stunned Tottenham on Sunday. The Hammers not only handed Spurs a third league defeat on the bounce but sent them up to fifth in the table.

Paul Konchesky deserves great credit for an excellent start to his reign in east London. If the Hammers had beaten lowly Brighton a few weeks back, they would be clear in fifth place, staking a claim to be "the best of the rest."

But their latest win is a major statement that the top six has to be the goal. Spurs would have been desperate to get back to winning ways after their defeat against Reading last week, but the Hammers fully deserved the three points.

Classic at Kingsmeadow

In freezing conditions, Chelsea and Reading's Sunday night winter thriller possibly edged out the Manchester derby as the game of the weekend. As mentioned, Chelsea's heavy schedule does need to be taken into account, but equally Kelly Chambers' team deserve huge credit for playing on the front foot for so much of the game.

Chelsea won 3-2, but with their opening goal looking offside on replays, Reading can count themselves hugely unlucky. They didn't look like a team who are fighting relegation.

Clearly, last week's win over Spurs has helped the players' confidence levels, with the Royals genuinely unlucky not to come away with a point. Those concerned about the gap in the WSL between the top four and the rest becoming too big should watch this game.

It not only shows that Reading have the ability to climb the table, but also that right now there are few 'easy' games for the title contenders. Don't be surprised to see clubs close to the bottom take points from the top four when the league resumes after Christmas.

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