Liverpool Deal Chelsea a Blow in WSL Title Chase With Draw, West Ham Get First Win of Season

Soccer Football - Women's Super League - Liverpool v Chelsea - Brewdog Stadium, St. Helens, Britain - November 16, 2025 Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert shoots at goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - Women's Super League - Liverpool v Chelsea - Brewdog Stadium, St. Helens, Britain - November 16, 2025 Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert shoots at goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
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Liverpool Deal Chelsea a Blow in WSL Title Chase With Draw, West Ham Get First Win of Season

Soccer Football - Women's Super League - Liverpool v Chelsea - Brewdog Stadium, St. Helens, Britain - November 16, 2025 Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert shoots at goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Soccer Football - Women's Super League - Liverpool v Chelsea - Brewdog Stadium, St. Helens, Britain - November 16, 2025 Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert shoots at goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Winless Liverpool dented Chelsea's title hopes with a gritty 1-1 draw in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as Beata Olsson's strike cancelled out Alyssa Thompson's opener and earned Gareth Taylor's side a precious point.

Chelsea, who are chasing a sixth consecutive league title, are second in the table and trail leaders Manchester City by three points after nine games, while bottom-placed Liverpool have just two points.

Thompson put Chelsea on the scoresheet in the ninth minute when she latched onto a cross from Wieke Kaptein before cutting inside and curling home past Faye Kirby, Reuters reported.

Olsson levelled in the 32nd minute with her third goal in three games when she ran onto Lily Woodham's through ball and then pulled away from Millie Bright before calmly slotting past Livia Peng.

"Lily actually did all the hard work and then just put a ball through to me, and we knew that we are quick at front and they're rather slow with their centre backs, so that was a great ball, just had to put it in," Olsson told Sky Sports.

Aggie Beever-Jones thought she had scored the winner for Chelsea in the 64th minute after she rounded Kirby and fired home, but she was offside, and then Liverpool held firm under pressure for the draw.

"We know playing against teams like Chelsea and the others in the top four that it's always going to be a tough challenge, but when you stick together and you have that great determination and you nick a goal and stick with it, happy with that," Woodham told Sky.

West Ham United beat Everton 3-1 for their first WSL win of the season to climb over Liverpool into 11th spot, Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Leicester City 4-1 for seventh in the table, while Leicester are ninth, and London City Lionesses climbed to sixth with their 3-1 win over Aston Villa (eighth).

Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur hosted Arsenal, who are fourth, in Sunday's late game.



Wolves, Sunderland Condemn Racist Abuse Directed at Players

22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
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Wolves, Sunderland Condemn Racist Abuse Directed at Players

22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa
22 February 2026, United Kingdom, London: Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Selhurst Park. Photo: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa

Wolverhampton Wanderers ‌and Sunderland said they were appalled by the racial abuse directed at their players on social media on Sunday following defeats in the Premier League.

Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle both received online abuse, ‌with the ‌incidents coming less than ‌24 ⁠hours after Wesley ⁠Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri were racially abused following Chelsea's draw with Burnley.

Wolves said they were disgusted by the multiple instances of abuse ⁠received by Arokodare following ‌their 1-0 ‌defeat by Crystal Palace.

"We stand ‌firmly alongside him, and alongside ‌all footballers who are forced to endure this abuse from anonymous accounts acting with apparent impunity," Reuters quoted ‌the club as saying in a statement.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Sunderland v Fulham - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - February 22, 2026 Sunderland's Romaine Mundle reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

Sunderland, who lost 3-1 ⁠to ⁠Fulham, said they were working with the authorities to identify those responsible for the messages targeting Mundle.

"The abhorrent behavior displayed by multiple individuals is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Club under any circumstances," Sunderland wrote on their website.


Former Coach Macci Says Serena Williams Certain to Make Comeback

FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
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Former Coach Macci Says Serena Williams Certain to Make Comeback

FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Serena Williams acknowledges the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, in the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci ‌believes the 23-times Grand Slam champion is certain to return to competitive tennis and said the 44-year-old is "going all out" in training to get herself ready for a return to the sport.

Williams, who won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017 and has not competed since the 2022 US Open, can officially enter tournaments after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool last year.

The American has denied that she is preparing to return to the sport she dominated for two decades, ‌but raised eyebrows ‌last month by deflecting questions about a ‌comeback ⁠during an appearance ⁠on NBC's Today Show.

Macci, who previously coached Williams and her sister Venus in the early 1990s, told French publication L'Equipe that he believed she is preparing for a comeback.

"She's training with lots of sparring partners - guys," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"She's also played with Alycia Parks, a good friend of hers in South Florida. ⁠So I have no doubt about it (her comeback). ‌I always thought she would ‌come back from time to time to make appearances with Venus in ‌doubles.

"But we're not just talking about doubles here ... she's ‌going all out. If she didn't think she could compete with the best and win matches, she wouldn't do it. It's 100% certain she'll dive back into competition."

Macci, 71, had no doubts about Williams' ‌ability to handle the rigors of the tour.

"The question is whether that competitive spirit is ⁠still there," ⁠he added. "She's answering that question herself: she's coming back because she is a competitor at heart."

Williams said in August 2022 that she was "evolving away from tennis" and her team has not responded to Reuters requests for comment on her potential comeback.

Macci suggested that Williams could use Indian Wells or the Miami Open to launch her comeback next month.

"It'll be interesting to see how fit she is," he added.

"Making an appearance, playing an exhibition match or a match is one thing. Doing it again the next day and the day after that, and performing well day after day is another."


Report: AC Milan's Loftus-Cheek to Undergo Surgery after Jaw Fracture

AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
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Report: AC Milan's Loftus-Cheek to Undergo Surgery after Jaw Fracture

AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI
AC Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek is carried off the pitch injured during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Milan and Parma in Milan, Italy, 22 February 2026. EPA/MATTEO BAZZI

England ‌international Ruben Loftus-Cheek suffered a fractured jaw and will undergo surgery after the AC Milan midfielder collided with Parma keeper Edoardo Corvi in their Serie A match on Sunday, ‌Italian media ‌reported.

Loftus-Cheek was taken ‌from ⁠the pitch on ⁠a stretcher after being injured while attempting to meet a cross around the 10-minute mark at the ⁠San Siro. Milan ‌lost ‌the match 1-0.

"In addition to ‌broken upper teeth and ‌two cuts, the Englishman suffered a fractured alveolar bone," Sky Sports Italia ‌reported. "This is a very serious injury; he ⁠will ⁠undergo surgery on Monday ... and is expected to be out for several months."

AC Milan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside normal business hours in Italy.