Chelsea Beat Man United 1-0 to Win Sixth Straight WSL Title

30 April 2025, United Kingdom, Manchester: Chelsea celebrate as they win the league after the Barclays Women's Super League match against Manchester united at Leigh Sports Village, Manchester. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
30 April 2025, United Kingdom, Manchester: Chelsea celebrate as they win the league after the Barclays Women's Super League match against Manchester united at Leigh Sports Village, Manchester. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
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Chelsea Beat Man United 1-0 to Win Sixth Straight WSL Title

30 April 2025, United Kingdom, Manchester: Chelsea celebrate as they win the league after the Barclays Women's Super League match against Manchester united at Leigh Sports Village, Manchester. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
30 April 2025, United Kingdom, Manchester: Chelsea celebrate as they win the league after the Barclays Women's Super League match against Manchester united at Leigh Sports Village, Manchester. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa

Chelsea wrapped up their sixth consecutive Women's Super League title and record-extending eighth in total after a 1-0 victory at Manchester United on Wednesday, with Lucy Bronze heading home a corner late in the game.
Sonia Bompastor's Blues, who needed only a point from Wednesday's match to secure another title and continue their WSL dominance, sit atop the league table with 54 points for an unassailable nine-point lead over Arsenal with two games remaining. United are third on 43 points.
Despite terrific scoring chances for both sides, the game looked headed for a draw before Bronze leapt to head in Sandy Baltimore's corner just inside the far post in the 74th minute sparking a celebration that looked like a mix of joy and relief from Bompastor's players.
"It's a great achievement," Bompastor told Sky Sports. "It feels a bit unreal. Tonight it's a team performance. We bounced back and showed the great character the team has.
"This league is really competitive. Maybe for some people they just think being Chelsea, it's really easy for us to achieve this, but it isn't," she added. "We work really hard and we had the right mindset from the beginning of the season until now."
The team celebrated arm-in-arm in front of Chelsea's visiting fans.
The title caps a remarkable debut season for Bompastor after she stepped into the shoes of former manager Emma Hayes, who left Chelsea after 12 trophy-laden seasons to coach the United States women's team.
Bompastor has guided Chelsea to an undefeated season thus far, with 17 victories in their 20 games, Reuters reported.
Aston Villa had paved the way for Chelsea to clinch the title with their 5-2 hammering of Arsenal earlier in the evening.
"We knew before the game that Arsenal had got beat, so we knew what we needed, but we wanted to win, we want to go unbeaten all season," Bronze told Sky. "We get to finish at home at Stamford Bridge. All our fans get to come down and celebrate winning the trophy."
The one-goal night was not for a lack of chances on both sides.
United squandered an opportunity to break the deadlock just before halftime when Melvine Malard latched on to a back-pass but Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton got out quickly to stifle her chance. The ball then fell to Grace Clinton, who unleashed a shot from 20 yards that Hampton pushed over the bar.
"I don't think I've got enough words to say (how I'm feeling)," Hampton said. "We're all ecstatic and we're not going to let up in the last two games, we want to go the whole season unbeaten."
United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made a brilliant triple save in the second half, batting Aggie Beever-Jones' shot into the path of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, whose strike hit Tullis-Joyce before Erin Cuthbert fired straight at the keeper.
United had to watch Chelsea celebrate last season as well when they clinched their fifth title in a row with a 6-0 thrashing in Manchester in a fitting finale for Hayes.
Chelsea's league title comes three days after they were eliminated from Champions League contention by holders Barcelona in the semi-finals.



Veteran Brazilian Defender Thiago Silva Signs for Porto

(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
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Veteran Brazilian Defender Thiago Silva Signs for Porto

(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)
(FILES) Fluminense's Brazilian defender #03 Thiago Silva participates in a training session at the Harrison Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 7, 2025, on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal football match between Brazil's Fluminense and England's Chelsea. (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

Former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has signed for Porto at the age of 41, the Portuguese club announced on Saturday.

One of the finest center-backs of his generation, Silva arrives in Porto after a two-season spell with Fluminense in his native Brazil.

"Thiago Silva is a Dragon,” AFP quoted a club statement as saying in reference to the side's nickname.

The move completes something of a circle in his career as he played for Porto's B side in the 2004-05 season.

He then moved on to Dynamo Moscow, before a stint with Fluminense's senior team and then AC Milan where he won a Serie A title, before a 2012 switch to Paris.

He left PSG in 2020 with seven French league crowns and signed for Chelsea, winning the Champions League with the Blues at Porto's Estadio do Dragao stadium.

In all Silva has a total of 32 trophies in his decorated career, and could well add another as Porto are leading the Primeira Liga by five points.


Africa Cup of Nations Moved to Every Four Years

Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Africa Cup of Nations Moved to Every Four Years

Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Final - Senegal v Egypt - Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 6, 2022 General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The Africa Cup of Nations will ​in future be held every four years instead of every two years, the Confederation of ‌African Football ‌said on ‌Saturday.

The ⁠surprise ​decision ‌was made at the organization’s executive committee meeting in the Moroccan capital and announced ⁠at a press conference ‌by CAF ‍President ‍Patrice Motsepe, Reuters reported.

The tournament, ‍which brings in an estimated 80% of CAF’s revenue, has ​traditionally been held every two years since ⁠its inception in 1957.

Sunday marks the start of the 35th edition, hosted in Morocco with the home team taking on Comoros.


Mohamed Salah Apologized to His Liverpool Teammates over Contentious Comments

 Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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Mohamed Salah Apologized to His Liverpool Teammates over Contentious Comments

 Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) sits on the bench during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Mohamed Salah apologized to his Liverpool teammates after complaining of being “ thrown under the bus ” by the Premier League champion, midfielder Curtis Jones said.

Jones told broadcaster Sky Sports on Saturday that Salah took the time to address the issue with them, The AP news reported.

“Mo is his own man and he can say his own stuff. He apologized to us and was like, 'If I've affected anybody or made you feel any sort of way, I apologize.' That's the man that he is," Jones told Sky. “He was the exact same Mo, he had a big smile on his face and everybody was exactly the same with him. I guess it’s just part of wanting to be a winner.”

Dropped by Slot The 33-year-old Egypt star has scored 250 goals for Liverpool overall but has only netted five times this season in 20 games.

Last season was one of his best with 34 goals in 52 outings for Liverpool, and he clinched the player of the year award from the Professional Footballers’ Association for the third time.

Salah, who is now at the Africa Cup of Nations, made his explosive comments about feeling unfairly treated at Liverpool after being dropped for a third game in succession.

In the wake of those comments, Liverpool coach Arne Slot left Salah out of the squad for a Champions League game at Inter Milan. But following subsequent talks with Slot, Salah returned to the team against Brighton last Saturday.

Unbeaten run Since losing 4-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in late November, Liverpool was unbeaten in five matches heading into a Premier League game at Tottenham later Saturday.

“We’re past that now and we’re gelling well as a team," Jones added. “Playing well and starting to win games.”