Clinton mixes class with graft

The England midfielder Grace Clinton’s return to her former club Everton was a happy one as she scored her second goal in as many games for Manchester United and again looked integral to the way Marc Skinner’s side want to play. Aside from her goal, the 21-year-old from Merseyside showed good strength on the ball and a physicality that added industry and purposefulness to United’s midfield, and it was her off-the-ball work that Skinner admired the most. He said: “You always get the glory when you go down as the goalscorer but I thought her pressing was really good today. She’s in a good space but I’ve got to keep pushing her – that’s my job.” Clinton spent last season developing on loan at Tottenham. “I always knew we were bringing her home,” Skinner added. “I gave her the No 8 shirt for a reason. We wanted her to go to Tottenham and learn the defensive side. That’s what she did.” Tom Garry

• Match report: Everton 0-1 Manchester United

Chelsea yet to make case for defence

The 7-0 scoreline may look emphatic, but Chelsea’s swashbuckling defeat of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park was very much a game of two halves. It took 38 minutes for Chelsea to break through Palace’s back five on Friday night and Aggie Beever-Jones’s goal was their only reward for a dominant first half. In that first 45 minutes Palace had a number of very good chances that stronger and more experienced WSL sides would have punished Chelsea with. The home team also carved out openings on the break despite the six goals conceded in the second half. Sonia Bompastor’s side may have found their scoring boots but they need to prove their defensive solidity. “I always reflect a lot on the games, on training sessions; I never take anything for granted,” said Bompastor. “Tonight on the defensive part of the game we have some work to do and there is some progress [to be made].” Helpfully for Chelsea, next Sunday’s showdown with a more threatening Manchester United side has been postponed owing to the tight turnaround before their Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday. It means their next WSL fixture isn’t until 12 October, when they travel to Arsenal for what is likely to be a genuine test of their defensive resolve. Suzanne Wrack

• Match report: Crystal Palace 0-7 Chelsea

Praise for returning Roord

The Manchester City midfielder Jill Roord returned in the 1-0 win over Brighton after 249 days on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Roord entered the fray in the 80th minute, replacing Vivianne Miedema, who she also played alongside at Arsenal, and looked bright. As she was introduced, applause rang around the Joie Stadium, with fans and coaches on their feet to welcome her back. City’s head coach, Gareth Taylor, said of the 27-year-old’s recovery: “She asked questions, really got aligned quickly and when she knew that was the plan she smashed it every single day. I never heard a bad word from the medical team around her, she never had an off day. She completely nailed it and that’s why she’s back now. You have to give her great credit for that. Her mentality is one of her biggest strengths, as well as being a top player.” SR

Leicester give Gunners a gift

Leicester put in a valiant effort against Arsenal on Sunday but a passing blunder meant the Gunners left the King Power Stadium with a 1-0 win. Leicester defender Catherine Joan Bott, who otherwise had a good game, underhit a backpass to the goalkeeper Lize Kop, allowing Alessia Russo to intercept. The Arsenal forward manoeuvred around defenders and chipped a pass to Frida Maanum, who scored her second league goal of the season and what proved to be the winner. Leicester’s manager, Amandine Miquel, who was appointed in the summer, was matter-of-fact about conceding from an error. “The goal came from a mistake, that will happen,” she said. SR

Smith shines but Reds not ruthless enough

There was plenty of excitement when Liverpool signed Canada’s Olivia Smith in the summer. The 20-year-old forward is one of the rising stars in world football and she has wasted little time in showing what she is about. The energy of her press was instrumental in the move that led to her first goal for the club against West Ham. The neat turn and well-placed finish that followed showed why Matt Beard was persuaded to break Liverpool’s transfer record to bring Smith in. Her opener came in the seventh minute in Dagenham, a perfect start for the visitors, but Beard was frustrated at his team’s inability to finish the game off. Liverpool had more possession and chances but registered two shots on target. As the match wore on, an equaliser was inevitable as Rehanne Skinner’s side grew in confidence and Riko Ueki duly delivered it in the 85th minute. SD

Spurs show rising maturity

The growing maturity of Robert Vilahamn’s Tottenham was on display in the 2-2 draw at Villa Park. The encounter was heavily tipped to be an all-out attacking affair but Spurs were far from their best going forward against an equally offensively-minded Aston Villa. The visitors’ resilience, maturity and work rate defensively were notable, however, compared with this time last year. Villa dominated, energised under their new manager, Robert de Pauw, but Spurs worked hard to limit their opportunities while taking theirs when they arrived. The match finally burst into life in the final 20 minutes with two familiar WSL faces at the heart of it. Rachel Daly thought she had secured her side the victory with two minutes to play but Tottenham’s own prolific striker had other ideas. We arguably have not seen the best of Bethany England since her injury at the start of last season but her 96th-minute header to salvage a point showed how valuable she is to this Tottenham side. SD