Chelsea edge past Birmingham to close in on Women's Super League; Arsenal hammer Aston Villa 7-0 to stay second

Pernille Harder's second-half penalty saw Chelsea beat a stubborn Birmingham 1-0 at St Andrew's to move Emma Hayes' side closer to retaining their Women's Super League title on Sunday night.

The visitors largely struggled to break down the league's bottom-placed team, with striker Sam Kerr the closest to making the breakthrough when she thumped an effort against the underside of the bar just six minutes into the contest.

However, that was as close as the visitors got to opening the scoring before half-time, with Birmingham continuing to frustrate their opponents in the second half, that is until 19 minutes from time when Lisa Robertson handled Niamh Charles' close-range header to hand Chelsea a penalty.

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Harder kept her cool from the spot to send the previously unbeatable Emily Ramsey the wrong way as Chelsea stayed four points ahead of Arsenal ahead of their north London derby with Tottenham at the Emirates on Wednesday night, a game they have to win in order to take the title down to the final day of the season.

"It's one of those games where you come here and you know it's going to be tight," Hayes said. "These are the games where you hope for the early goal and when you don't, the opponent gets buoyed. You've just got to dig it out in these moments.

"What I know is if we win at home next week we're champions, that I know. So, we need to win next week to become that."

Darren Carter's Birmingham, though, remain bottom of the table and five points behind Leicester City, but with a game in hand on the Foxes at Man City on Wednesday.

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Elsewhere on Sunday evening, Everton and Tottenham played out a four-goal thriller at Walton Hall Park.

Spurs led early thanks to Asmita Ale's strike, before a late flurry of goals saw first the hosts level through Danielle Turner, only for the visitors to retake the lead from the kick-off with Josie Green's close-range effort, but Megan Finnigan's injury-time header gave Everton a share of the spoils.

Earlier in the day, Vivianne Miedema scored a pair of pile-drivers and Nikita Parris netted her 50th WSL goal from the penalty spot as Arsenal hammered Aston Villa 7-0 to keep the pressure on Chelsea.

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Miedema scored twice with powerful shots in the opening 13 minutes to send Arsenal in at 2-0 up at the break, and an own goal by Rachel Corsie seven minutes into the second half saw Villa crumble.

Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Stina Blackstenius all got on the scoresheet before Parris smacked home a 90th-minute penalty to reach a half century of league goals in the English top flight as the Gunners climbed to 49 points, one behind Chelsea.

Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in midweek at the Emirates Stadium before finishing their league campaign away to West Ham, while Chelsea meet Birmingham, before taking on Manchester United in their final fixture.

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Earlier in the day, United cruised to a 3-0 win over West Ham United to climb back into third place above Manchester City, who thumped Brighton & Hove Albion 7-2 on Saturday.

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At the bottom of the table, Leicester grabbed a goalless draw with Reading for what may prove to be a vital point in the battle against relegation. The Foxes are on 13 points after 21 games, five ahead of bottom side Birmingham, who have one game in hand.

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Coventry's great escape in Championship

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There was unbelievable drama on the final day of the Championship with Coventry United, who were minutes from being liquidated back in January and hit with a 10-point deduction, scoring a 97th-minute winner at Watford to send the home team down and secure their own Championship status.

Mollie Green's last-gasp screamer from 30 yards saw Coventry complete a remarkable turnaround this campaign and started wild celebrations.

Meanwhile, 21,737 were in attendance at St James' Park for Newcastle Women vs Alnwick Town. It is the biggest crowd for a league game in the women's game this season. Newcastle, who are in the fourth-tier, repaid their fans with a 4-0 win.

Here's how to follow the WSL on Sky Sports...

Sky Sports - All 35 games will be available across Sky Sports' flagship channels, including Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.

Sky Sports digital - Follow all the latest from the WSL across skysports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage and in-game clips from games live on Sky Sports. You can watch free match highlights from every WSL game this season on Sky Sports' digital platforms and YouTube channel.

Sky Sports News - Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week Barclays FA WSL fans can enjoy Sky Sports News (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the league and its storylines throughout the season.

Inside the WSL - Hosted by award-winning broadcaster and journalist Jessica Creighton, Inside the WSL is a comprehensive round-up of all things Barclays FA Women's Super League and women's football. Airing weekly from Thursday, September 9 on Sky Sports Premier League, the half an hour show will review and preview matches, include in-depth analysis and exclusive player interviews. Viewers can expect gripping behind-the-scenes access as well as a summary of all the action both on and off the pitch.

Sky Sports Social - Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, a new bespoke Twitter channel @SkySportsWSL will be the home of all Barclays FA WSL content on Sky Sports.

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