Week 4 of the Barclays Women’s Championship 2024/25 season has now passed us by. Sunday’s action saw a breakthrough for Sunderland as they secured their first win of the campaign, and heartbreak for Portsmouth as they came agonisingly close to finding the back of the net at their home ground.
The Halfway Line provides a breakdown of the key events from another exciting afternoon in the second tier.
Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic look to be unstoppable so far this season. The Addicks secured their comfortable two-goal lead within the opening half at Blackburn’s Ewood Park, and did enough to maintain it right up until the final whistle.
A high ball into the box was sent from afar with pinpoint accuracy by Charlotte Newsham, and it was Karin Muya who determinedly got her head to it and gave the visiting side an early lead in just the 11th minute. Just over 20 minutes later, Elisha N’Dow scored her first of the season off a set piece. A well-taken corner by Mel Filis fell kindly to the leftback, and she eagerly helped it find its was to the back of the net.
An uneventful second half kept Karen Hills’ side safely at the top of the table, and saw the Rovers unable to turn things around. The Addicks continue on their perfect streak as they prepare to face Barclays Women’s Super League side Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s League Cup on Wednesday evening.
Durham FC 1-0 Birmingham City
A close contest saw Durham edge out Amy Merricks’ Birmingham City at the home of the Wildcats. The first 45 minutes saw the Blues defending well, but their unbeaten run was ended by Lily Crosthwaite in the opening minutes of the second half.
The young forward won the ball from Lucy Quinn in the midfield, and her brave solo effort as she ran down the wing culminated in a calm finish after she found herself one-on-one with the away side’s goalkeeper.
Crosthwaite was hungry for more, looking to seal the deal for Durham as the minutes went by, but her later strike was narrowly off target. The visitors chased, and almost caught up with their hosts as the game drew to a close. A brilliant volley by Choe Yu-ri was denied by Tatiana Saunders, keeping Durham’s Sunday afternoon success alive from between the sticks.
Portsmouth FC 0-2 Newcastle United
The Magpies continued to assert their early dominance over Portsmouth, as they journeyed to the south coast this weekend. Despite the scoreline, Pompey could take plenty of positives from their performance.
Doing well to hold off the visiting Newcastle until beyond the half-an-hour mark, Jay Sadler’s Portsmouth had to defend rigorously against a strong northeastern side. Becky Langley’s Magpies took the lead before half time through Amy Andrews. Jasmine McQuade’s assist was stellar, and Andrews made up for her earlier missed chances.
Securing them a comfortable lead in the 73rd minute, McQuade finished the job for Newcastle after Isabella Sibley found her in the box. Pompey fought back valiantly in the dying minutes of the match, but frustratingly could not quite do enough to find their way back.
Southampton 2-0 Sheffield United
Southampton returned to winning ways on the stage of St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday afternoon, to the delight of head coach Remi Allen. Saints started the tie on the front foot, with Sian Rodgers soon required to make a double-save for Sheffield United. Despite the home side having several good chances, though, half-time arrived with the two teams still at a deadlock.
After the break, a great ball into the box saw Lucia Kendall flick on to Aston Villa loanee Freya Gregory, who struck zealously with her left foot. The shot was far beyond Rodgers and found the back of the net in the 63rd minute, providing Allen’s side with the well-deserved lead.
Sheffield United’s counterattacking efforts could not do enough, and Southampton summer signing Rachel Rowe later fed a good ball through to youngster Rianna Dean with just two minutes left of the allocated 90, and a lacklustre Blades backline performance meant the No. 9 found herself one-one-one with Rodgers. Dean’s strike glided into the bottom right corner, sealing the deal for Saints and sending Ash Thompson’s Sheffield outfit back on the road with little to show for the journey.
Sunderland 1-0 London City Lionesses
Sunderland finally earned their first win of the campaign as they edged out London City Lionesses on home turf. The first thirty minutes of this game saw high quality chances arise at both ends of the pitch. Some solid goalkeeping as well as some sheer luck kept things level, until the 58th minute. Sunderland, somewhat against the run of play as the Londoners pressed forward but struggled to find the target, made the most of an opportunity provided by a set piece to undo their guests.
An in-swinging corner found Natasha Fenton at the far post, allowing her to fire it home from close range. The Lasses knew this was their chance to turn things around, and that they did. Despite several efforts from London City Lionesses to find the equaliser, the visitors prevailed. Melanie Reay’s side had finally tasted victory again, and they were determined to hang onto it. Sunderland pushed to increase their advantage, with only the gloves of Emily Orman putting a stop to some composed play in and around the box.
Kosovare Asllani’s last-ditch shot on goal was denied only by the post, as the travelling side miraculously remained a goal to the deficit. Stoppage time saw the 1-0 winners awarded a penalty, but Orman saved to ensure the defeating scoreline was at least a narrow one for Jocelyn Prêcheur’s side.
Bristol City will make their way back into the spotlight this coming Sunday, when they will travel to winless Sheffield United after the first of their two ‘bye-weeks’ this season took place on September 29th.
