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French Duo Unstoppable as Chelsea Defeat Crystal Palace 3-1

Image via Wing Chong for Constancy Sport

Chelsea come back from behind as French duo link up to help defeat Crystal Palace 3-1.

Line ups:

Crystal Palace XI: Peyraud-Magnin (GK), Everett ©, Lloyds-Smith, England, Ladd, Blanchard, Larkin, Goldie, Tsunoda, Swaby, Bartrip

Subs: O’Brien (77’), Enge (95’, Napier (95’)

Chelsea XI: Hampton (GK), Carpenter, Buchanan, Bronze ©, McCabe, Nusken, Potter, Kaptein, Hamano, Thompson, Malard

Subs: Baltimore (46’), Cuthbert (46’), Beever-Jones (68’), Dragoni (91’), Matsukubo (91’)

Chelsea took kick off in South London through Melvine Malard and had a dominant spell of possession in the opening stages.

It was four minutes until Chelsea got the first set piece of the game with Wieke Kaptein taking the shot – Molly Bartrip however was first to it clearing the ball to prevent any Chelsea attack

With the third corner in as many minutes, Katie Mccabe took the chance, firing it just past the depth of the Chelsea attack and being cleared by the opposition.

Katie McCabe provided the first clear chance of the game with a through ball on the left to Melvine Malard however Palace skipper, Aimee Everett was better to it, removing the ball from the path of the French striker.

Moments later, the visiting side forced a crucial save from Peyraud-Magnin, who only cleared it as far as the feet of Malard whose ball came within inches of the goal mouth, forcing a doubled effort from Everett and Swaby to keep the visitors from going ahead.

Palace had their first series of corners of the game just after the fifteen minute mark with Molly Bartrip chesting the ball into the net to give Palace the lead for the first time ever in this London Derby!

GOAL: 19’ – Molly Bartrip

Katie McCabe tried to get one back ten minutes later however struggled to get the ball close to the net, the shot going far wide of the goal mouth.

Palace came close to a second in the 29th minute, with Hayley Ladd shooting from the edge of the box straight into the gloves of Hannah Hampton who was determined to keep the deficit at bay.

Teyah Goldie kept Ellie Carpenter from levelling the score with a last ditch clearance on the stroke of 33 minutes.

On the stroke of half time Wieke Kaptein seemed to have placed a harsh tackle on Tsunoda, enabling a fight on the half way line, with Kaptein, McCabe and Blanchard receiving yellow cards.

HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea

A concerning display from the visitors saw Crystal Palace ahead half time thanks to Molly Bartrip’s set peice excellence.

Substitions ahead of the second half saw Erin Cuthbert and Sandy Baltimore replace Maika Hamano and Alyssa Thompson.

Erin Cuthbert and Melvine Malard linked up in the opening stages of the second half with the duo close to an equaliser, the latter however shot the ball just wide of the goal, Peyraud-Magnin avoiding being called into action once more.

Moments later Melvine Malard found the equalisier for good, shooting from a far and gliding the ball into the back of the net.

GOAL: 51’ – Melvine Malard

Fuka Tsunoda’s free kick found the feet of Bethany England soon after with the help of Hayley Ladd, however England’s shot was settled just over the bar.

Lucy Bronze recieved a yellow card soon after for a foul on Annabel Blanchard – the latter receiving treatment for a second time.

Aggie Beever-Jones entered the field of play in the 68th minute, replacing Wieke Kaptein in a bid for Chelsea to find a lead.

Sandy Baltimore’s fancy footwork saw the French international effortlessly weave past three Palace players where she crossed the ball to the head of Melvine Malard – whose effor found the back of the net once more.

GOAL: 75’ – Melvine Malard

With four minutes on the clock, Sjoeke Nusken found herself shooting from the edge of the box, her shot met the far post however, rebounding to the feet of  Ellie Carpenter who was unable to get her footing – soring the ball far above the goal.

Sandy Baltimore found the third and final Chelsea goal at the dead after a foul from Molly Bartrip awarded herself a yellow Card and Chelsea a penalty. Baltimore’s shot sailed past the gloves of Peyraud-Magnin.

GOAL: 90’ – Sandy Baltimore

Final substitutions from Chelsea saw both Julia Dragoni and Manaka Matsukubo enter the field, Matsukubo making her Chelsea debut after signing for the club this summer.

An impressive comeback from Chelsea in South London as goals from Melvine Malard and Sandy Baltimore help Chelsea come back against hosts Crystsal Palace. The winners are unbeaten in all competitions this season, including four consecutive London derbies.

For the hosts, it’s upsetting loss considering the circumstances but significant improvement on previous encounters but with a tough run of games to come, Jo Potter will certainly be looking at the positives going into the winter Period.

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WSL

North London Stays Red: Spurs Fall in Hard-Fought Derby Battle

Image: Getty Images

Tottenham Lineup
Lisa Kop  (GK), Caitlyn Dijkstra, Alice Sombath, Signe Gaupset, Cathinka Tandberg, Steph Catley, Matilda Vinberg, Caitlin Foord, Victoria Pelova, Drew Spence (C), Eveliina Summanen, Toko Koga, Julie Blakstad

Subs in
Ella Morris, Olivia Holdt, Kirsty Hansen, Shekiera Martinez

Arsenal Line up
Misa Rodriguez (GK), Emily Fox, Georgia Stanway, Leah Williamson (C), Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Olivia Smith, Lisa Baum, Alessia Russo, Taylor Hinds, Kyra Cooney-Cross

Subs in
Elisa de Almeida, Ona Batlle, Stina Blackstenius, Smilla Holmberg

Spurs set an early pace straight from kickoff, forcing Arsenal onto the back foot as Victoria Pelova’s dangerous effort had to be cleared off the line by Taylor Hinds. But the momentum switched when Georgia Stanway’s shot was saved by Lize Kop, triggering a chaotic scramble before Olivia Smith’s follow-up was bravely blocked by the Spurs defence.

Spurs were soon awarded a corner with Victoria Pelova sending it towards the back of the box. Tinka Tanberg was marked by 4 players, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Swedish striker, heading the ball home to give Spurs the lead.

Arsenal respond quickly when Taylor Hinds played the ball into Alessia Russo on the left of the box. The angle was too tight to shoot, so she played it to Georgia Stanway running from the edge of the box, striking it first time, sending it towards the top of goal. Lisa Kop got her fingers to it, but it wasn’t enough

Following the frantic exchange of early goals, Spurs threatened to retake the lead when Julie Blakstad skillfully created space on the edge of the box, though her effort drifted wide of the target. Arsenal quickly pushed back down the right through Lisa Baum, who chipped a dangerous ball toward Caitlin Foord that the Tottenham defence had to head clear under pressure.

As the half drew toward a close, the physical intensity mounted with Kyra Cooney-Cross picking up a foul for a late challenge on Signe Gaupset. The Gunners pressed for a second before the break via a Steph Catley corner, but Lize Kop held firm in goal to claim the ball and wrap up a high-tempo first half.

Early into the second half, Alice Sombath went for the ball, but her knee twisted, seeing her go down. She was unable to walk off the pitch and was stretchered off. She was replaced by Ella Morris.

Soon after, we saw a hard press from Arsenal. Caitlin Foord received the ball and drove into the box; she played it to Alessia Russo, who took it first time and sent it down the middle. It was blocked by Lize Kop, sending it out for a corner. Kyra Cooney-Cross took this; Arsenal hit the post, and the ball was cleared. But it hits Ella Morris’ hand, giving a penalty to Arsenal. Alessia Russo steps up to take it, sending the ball left while Lize Kop dives right. Just after the break, it’s Spurs 2-1 Arsenal.

Arsenal tried to minimise Spurs’ chances after the penalty, with Georgia Stanway receiving a yellow card for a foul on Tinka Tandberg.

Substitutions were made with Tinka Tandberg and Matilda Vinberg coming off for Spurs and Emily Fox off for Arsenal. While Shekira Martinez, Kirsty Hansen and Ona Batlle replaced them.

Arsenal press for a third with chances from Olivia Smith, but each is collected by goalkeeper Lize Kop.

Kyra Cooney received a yellow card for a challenge on Signe Gaupset, stopping a chance to develop.

Both managers turned to their benches to introduce fresh legs. Arsenal made a defensive swap with Steph Catley coming off for Elisa de Almeida, while Tottenham responded by bringing on Olivia Holt in place of Eveliina Summanen.

Spurs create several chances with crosses from Julie Blakstad and Toko Koga, struggling to find players, but the big moment came from Shekiera Martinez. Kirsty Hansen sent the ball into the box for Shekiera Martinez; she took it first-time, shooting directly above the keeper. Misa Rodriguez was able to save, but the chance was ruled offside.

Towards the end of regular time, Arsenal make their final substitutions of the match, seeing Somalia Homburg and Stina Blackstenius coming on for Lisa Baum and Olivia Smith.

7 minutes of injury time is added, and both sides look for an additional goal, seeing the physical side of the derby come out. With key tackles in the box coming from Gaupset and Dijkstra, a yellow is shown to Signe Gaupset for a foul on Georgia Stanway after she pulled her to the floor.

but it isn’t enough for the comeback Spurs would have hoped for. In N17, it finishes Spurs 2-1 Arsenal.

Categories
WSL

CHELSEA VICTORIOUS IN LONDON DERBY: SPURS CONCEDE 6 AT STAMFORD BRIDGE

Image via @chelseafcw on Instagram, words by Sophie Hodson

Martin Ho’s side travelled south to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in anticipated London Derby. Tottenham Hotspur remain incapable of beating the Blues, extending their run of head-to-head losses to 19 games.


The game kicked off looking considerably open with exciting duels unfolding between players and both teams hungry to score. This arguably stood Spurs best chance at making history and ending their painful record, having started the season positively.


Chelsea soon shut down their hopes when Lauren James produced a piece of individual brilliance to break the deadlock, turning Toko Koga and placing the ball into the back of the net with composure.


Spurs responded convincingly to the goal deficit, enduring a spell of pressure on Chelsea who had seemed to switch off after taking the lead. Matilda Vinberg was the product of the Lilywhites hard work, scoring a header at the back post to beat Hannah Hampton and level the score before the break.

Chelsea took the upper hand for most of the first 45 but Spurs kept pushing and looked solid towards the halftime whistle.


The second half was an entirely different tale. Not long in, the Blues scored 3 goals in quick succession within just 9 minutes. The powerhouses of Alyssa Thompson and Ellie Carpenter collectively created Chelsea’s second goal with an impressive run and cross from Thompson which was pounced on and struck by Carpenter.


Shortly after, James bagged her brace, driving down the centre of the field and striking with ease past Lize Kop. Substitute Sjoeke Nüsken was next to add to the tally, unmarked in the box, she took a touch and smashed the ball into the goal, igniting the home crowd.


The Japan international, Maika Hamano, later scored a phenomenal finish from range into the top corner and was embraced by her teammates while Spurs heads dropped around her. The Tottenham players surely seeing flashbacks of their last WSL outing against London City Lionesses, in which they lost 6-1.

The travelling side got a late one back from Signe Gaupset who caught Keira Walsh out and slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Carpenter sealed the deal for Chelsea in extra time, scoring her second of the afternoon, this time beating Kop at the near
post.

An emphatic 6 goal performance from the Blues but a sucker punch result for Martin Ho and his players who have now conceded 12 goals across two consecutive games.

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Basketball

A historic first for Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals

Screenshot

photo from @valkyries on Instagram

Golden State Valkyries were the expansion team for 2025 and are already in this year’s WNBA Finals but how did the squad get here in just two years. They now face Atlanta in the WNBA Finals with their opponents in this position for the first time since 2013. 

2025 Season Recap:

During their first season, it was full of highs and lows but they managed to place 8th and enter the playoffs. After facing top seed Minnesota Lynx, they lost 2-0 but in their second game, there was a one point gap showing the growth they had. Being 9th overall in Offensive rating and 3rd in Defensive rating, the new franchise grew week on week during the season and went on a number of winning streaks, followed by the same amount in losses. 


They played six Commissioner’s Cup games winning 3 and losing 3 but sparked a win against the Las Vegas Aces. During Rivals Week, they won all but one of their games which was against the Atlanta Dream (who they play in these finals), as they secured a good lead against LA Sparks, Connecticut Sun, Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky. 

What happened in the off-season: 

During the off season, they improved their ranks but also lost four players, three of which went to new franchise teams, Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Carla Leite (Fire), Maria Conde (Tempo), Monique Billings (Indiana Fever) and Temi Fagbenle (Tempo) all left Ballhalla (the nickname of the home court) but the Valkyries soon filled their spots. 

Gabby Williams spent four seasons at the Seattle Storm before transferring in the free agency on a multi year contract with the Valkyries also signing Kiah Stokes. She joined from the Las Vegas Aces on a multi-year contract after being with them since 2021. 

They also re-signed seven players from 2025 and activated a rookie scale contract. In a one year deal, Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton arrived back to the court in San Francisco. On a multiyear contract, they re-signed Cecilia Zandalasini, Janelle Salaun, Iliana Rupert, Veronica Burton and Kaila Charles and activated the Juste Jocyte contract from a rookie scale contract. 

There were also eight players on a training camp signing and three players signed in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Laeticia Amihere (Returning), Kaitlyn Chen (Returning), Mariella Fasoula (Addition), Miela Sowah (Addition), Cate Reese (Addition), Caroline Ducharme (Addition), Bailey Maupin (Addition) and Mdjakalenda Mwenentanda (Addition) were all on training camp contracts at the start of the season. During the draft, they recruited Ashlon Jackson from Duke (23rd Pick), Kokoro Tanaka from Japan (38th Pick) and Flau’Jae Johnson (from LSU) was picked 8th but quickly changed to Seattle Storm and their pick (Marta Suarez from TCU) arrived. 

2026 Regular Season Recap: 

They started the season off well with a double win against Seattle Storm before a couple of losses here and there before the Commissioners Cup in June. They won half of their games but lost against the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings with all around the same scorelines. 

After the FIBA Women’s World Cup in September, they won three and lost one in overtime against the Portland Fire so kept their winning momentum throughout the season even with a break. 

This season, they finished 2nd after winning 32 games and only losing 12 overall, going on multiple winning streaks throughout the season including a massive nine game run before losing to the Washington Mystics (82-90). During their Rivals Week streak, they played two games against Chicago Sky and LA Sparks, winning both which was included in their run of winning games. 

Photo taken from @gabbywilliams on Instagram

Their route to the finals: 

Playing the Dallas Wings in the first round, they won 2-1 overall after winning 104-80 and 77-73 but Dallas Wings brought one back in overtime, 108-100. They then faced the seed that finished third, Las Vegas Aces and had a clean sweep against them winning 71-60, 83-81, and 87-77. 

Players to Watch from Golden State Valkyries: 

Two players to watch during these finals are Kiah Stokes and Gabby Williams who both joined this season from Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm respectively. They both were players of the game respectively in the first semi-final game against Las Vegas Aces as Gabby Williams secured 25 points and 11 rebounds with Kiah Stokes getting 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists. 

Kiah Stokes was originally selected by NY Liberty as the 11th pick in the 2015 draft but she really shone at Las Vegas Aces where she won the WNBA three times (in 2025. 2023 and 2022) as well as the Commissioners Cup in 2022. During offseasons, the center has won the EuroLeague, two-time Turkish Cup Champion and four-time Turkish Super League with Fenerbahce. Her stats this season have also been steady averaging 3.6 Points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game and was in the all-defensive and all-rookie team for 2015. Ahead of the finals, she was announced in this season’s all-defensive second team alongside team-mate Veronica Burton. 

Gabby Williams has been impressive for the Valkyries after joining in the free-agency this summer and over the season, her stats have helped the side win, consistently averaging 14.4 points per game. Ahead of the finals, it was announced that she was in the all-defensive first team for the season which has been her third appearance (2022 and 2025). She is a two-time All Star (2025 and 2026), two-time EuroLeague Champion (2022 and 2026) and three-time EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2025 and 2026). She has also represented France at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics where she won Bronze and Silver respectively. 

When to watch the finals: 

If the games run to the 5th or 7th game, then the Valkyries will win at their own venue, with the venue for the Atlanta Dream being State Farm Arena. The games are as follow (All GMT times in the UK) and can be watched on WNBA League Pass or Sky Sports+ (In the UK):

Game 1: Saturday 17th October – 8:30PM (Dream @ Valkyries) 

Game 2: Tuesday 20th October – 1AM (Dream @ Valkyries) 

Game 3: Friday 23th October – 1AM (Valkyries @ Dream) 

Game 4: Saturday 24th October – 8:30PM (Valkyries @ Dream) 

If Necessary: 

Game 5: Tuesday 27th October – 12AM (Dream @ Valkyries) 

Game 6: Friday 30th October – 12AM (Valkyries @ Dream)

Game 7: Sunday 1st November – 12AM (Dream @ Valkyries) 

(L-R) Kiah Stokes, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton | Photo taken from @gabbywilliams on Instagram 
Categories
Spotlight WSL

How can Carlotta Wamser fill the hole that Manchester City have needed

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Carlotta Wamser vs Birmingham City | photo taken from @carlottawamser on instagram

Manchester City boosted their defence during the summer after signing Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen on a four year deal and even though she has only been in the Women’s Super League a month, she has shone game after game. 

During the season prior to her arrival at the blues, she was chased by a number of clubs in Europe including WSL giants, Chelsea and Arsenal which just shows how much she was wanted. After spending one season with Bayer Leverkusen, she played 20 times and scored on one occasion playing mainly as a left back with her ability in defence catching the eyes of different clubs. 

She was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals in Switzerland for Germany and aims to play for her beloved country in the Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year. She hopes to join her club and country teammates, Rebecca Knaak and Sydney Lohmann in South America after playing a pivotal role for the current league champions. 

The dynamic defender comes forward to attack when needed and has helped Lauren Hemp on the left side of the flank in the more recent games for the champions. Playing four games in the league, she has made four interceptions and made her league debut coming on for Alex Greenwood against Birmingham City with 15 minutes to go. Ahead of Khadija Shaw’s goal versus Aston Villa, she was pivotal up to the assist that Lauren Hemp provided, helping the players coming into the midfield alongside either Sam Coffey or Yui Hasegawa. 

She impacted straight away for the side and later replaced Gracie Prior in defence for Aston Villa with Alex Greenwood moving into her more natural role of Centre Back rather than where she has been playing the last season or so. She started against Liverpool the week later and assisted for Lauren Hemp’s goal coming further and further up the pitch mirroring what Kerstin Casparij and Iman Beney do on the right side. 

Against bottom of the table Charlton, Wamser came on for Casparij with 12 minutes to go, proving that she can switch between both sides on the pitch allowing a variety of players to come in and out of the team. 

Prior to the arrival of the German International, City had players like Demi Stokes and Leila Ouahabi covering the role at left back with Stokes lasting nearly ten years with the squad between 2015 and 2024. Wamser looks to provide a different look to the role and work with Lauren Hemp providing assists to Khadija Shaw mainly.

Wamser is a player to watch throughout the season and in the future as she aims to be a key player for the cityzens and earn her place in the German National Team squad for the Women’s World Cup 2027.