WSL winners and losers: Man City striker hits stride, Reading at the mercy of margins

Bunny Shaw - WINNER

The Manchester City forward raced into the lead in the Women’s Super League goalscoring rankings with a quickfire brace against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Once again, the Jamaican international got City off the mark with a powerful header from a corner, easily breaking free from Spurs midfielder Eveliina Summanen to steer home the opener at Brisbane Road.

Some persistent pressing earned Shaw a second opportunity just minutes later and after dispossessing the hosts from a Spurs goal kick, the 25-year-old struck the bottom corner from 20 yards to send City into the interval with a two-goal lead.

The double takes Shaw’s league total to five goals from four games and keeps the attacker firmly in the manager’s good books.

"Bunny is great to work with,” Taylor said after the game.

“She had a great season last year but got overlooked a bit.

“She’s the number nine now - she’s a young player and there’s a lot to come from her."

Reading - LOSER

Close, but no cigar. It’s beginning to characterise the Royals’ season.

Since an opening day trouncing at the hands of Manchester United, pointless Reading have not lost a game by more than one goal - and more than once, they’ve come painfully near closing the deficit altogether.

There still hasn’t been a draw in this WSL season and, while United and Arsenal are locked into a contest to see who can go the longest without conceding a goal at the top, Reading are racing fellow strugglers Leicester City to the first points.

Only a player-of-the-match performance by Gunners ‘keeper Manuela Zinsberger prevented Reading from snatching a draw against title contenders Arsenal last weekend.

On Sunday, the Berkshire side showed fighting spirit again to come from three goals behind against West Ham to make it 3-2 in the final ten minutes.

It must have been difficult for Royals boss Kelly Chambers to watch her side fall short for the second time in seven days - but surely, you feel, Reading’s time is coming.

Dagný Brynjarsdóttir - WINNER

The Hammers skipper is on fire and showing no signs of slowing down.

Brynjarsdóttir waited just four minutes to put her side ahead against Reading on Sunday, netting her fourth goal in four appearances for West Ham.

After celebrating the opener, the Iceland international took the opportunity of having her team-mates gathered around her to deliver some insistent instruction.

Leading by example, Brynjarsdóttir’s early exploits triggered a dominant first-half display which gave them a three-goal lead inside half an hour.

The hosts resisted a late Reading fightback to grab all three points - a brilliant outcome after a turbulent week for Paul Konchesky’s side.

Women’s Super League facilities - LOSER

An hour before kick off between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea, the pitch at the Broadfield Stadium in Crawley was given the green light after Sussex experienced colossal rainpour on Sunday evening.

The movement of the ball was heavily affected, bouncing strangely and causing passes to fall short as the ball stopped dead on the watery turf.

With both teams forced to negotiate the same conditions, the match played out justly, and neither side were cowed into hoofing it for fear of the strange way the ball rolled on the floor - in all, the crowd enjoyed no less on-pitch entertainment than they would have done on a fairer afternoon, albeit perhaps with soggier feet.

Despite this, some still complained that the game ought not to have gone ahead, and had the contest been closer the objections would certainly have been louder. The incident brings to the fore again the disparity in facility provision between the top levels in the men’s and women’s games.

Top division side Brighton are sharing facilities with a Crawley Town, who are in the fourth tier of the men’s pyramid - while Premier League pitches benefit from drainage systems worth more than the 22 starting players at Broadfield combined.