Women's Super League

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Brighton assistant head coach Chris Roberts accepts his side are underdogs against Arsenal on Sunday (14:30 GMT) but insists Albion hold no fear and is challenging his players to compete with the reigning European champions.

"I don't think the word fear is right, but in this league every single game brings pressure," said Roberts. "It's very unique here that from top to bottom anyone can take points off anybody else.

"Of course, the teams at the top are consistently winning more, but on any day, any team can take points off another - it's one of the biggest selling points of the WSL."

The Seagulls won this fixture 4-2 last season and Roberts wants his side to see Sunday's game at Broadfield Stadium as another opportunity to pull off an upset.

"When you play teams like Arsenal, you have to be at your absolute best," he said. "You need to ride the storm at times in the game and deal with big spells of pressure.

"Ultimately the pressure is on them, but the internal expectation here is that we perform and we play and we compete.

"We're certainly not turning up to park the bus and to pray for a draw."

Brighton have struggled for consistency since the turn of the year, winning two and losing three of their five games across all competitions, including throwing away a two-goal lead to lose against West Ham last time out.

"We've got an amazing bunch, a great mentality, great team spirit and a real togetherness in the group," he added.

"When another game is coming, you get over what's happened, and you start to focus on the next one."

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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West Ham manager Rita Guarino says her side have taken "a lot of energy" from their remarkable comeback win against Brighton in the Women's Super League on Sunday.

The Hammers trailed 2-0 with eight minutes of normal time remaining and looked set to finish the day bottom of the table.

However, late goals from Ffion Morgan, Shekeira Martinez and Vivianne Asseyi secured victory to push them up to 10th.

"We keep a lot of energy from this weekend," Guarino said before her side's WSL match against Everton on Sunday (15 February, 12:00 GMT).

"From the first minute until the end of the game, the performance was very high. In the last 10 minutes I was surprised about the energy, effort and resilience of my players.

"But we refocus on the next game, it's very important to prepare well and not to be too excited. For sure, we got a lot of energy from that game."

Two of West Ham's three WSL wins this season have come in Guarino's four league games in charge, after she replaced Rehanne Skinner as manager in December.

Despite the upturn in fortunes, Guarino is still demanding more consistency in West Ham's performance levels.

"It's something we need to work on every day," she said. "Consistency is something I want to see in my team not only during one game but also across [several] games."

Martinez's equaliser against Brighton was her third goal in as many games, but Guarino stressed that West Ham must not solely rely on the in-form striker.

"Shekeira is a fantastic striker. When she has confidence, she can score any goals and performs very well. We work for her to be confident on the ball and confident scoring.

"But it's also very important that the whole team performs. You can't score if you don't defend well [and] create opportunities to progress.

"It's very important the team performs well so that individuals can show their strength."

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Arsenal captain Kim Little has been named Women's Super League player of the month for January.

The former Scotland midfielder was instrumental for the Gunners as they beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, their first win against the Blues since December 2023.

She also played the full 90 minutes in their draw with Champions League qualification rivals Manchester United at Emirates Stadium.

It has been a week of milestones for the 35-year-old after making her 400th Arsenal appearance off the bench against OH Leuven in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Manchester United's Jess Park has been awarded the goal of the month prize for her solo run and strike in the side's 4-1 win at Aston Villa.

Finally, Liverpool boss Gareth Taylor has picked up the manager of the month award after guiding the Reds to four points from a possible six against Tottenham and London City Lionesses to help them off the foot of the table.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Manchester City manager Andree Jeglertz says Sam Coffey has added leadership and physicality to his squad, but has challenged the January signing to play an unfamiliar advanced role in midfield.

City signed United States midfielder Coffey from Portland Thorns last month for a club record fee of £600,000.

Yui Hasegawa and Laura Blindkilde-Brown have formed a strong midfield partnership for the Women's Super League leaders this season, but Jeglertz believes the addition of Coffey has improved the dynamic of the team.

"She is a little different from the other [midfielders]. She is a more physical player than the other ones in that position, speaking a bit more, taking leadership on the field," Jeglertz said before City's WSL match against Leicester on Friday [13 February, 19:00 GMT].

"She is a little bit different and that is good for us because that makes the dynamic of the team even better."

Coffey is widely regarded as one of the best holding midfielders in the world, but Jeglertz wants the 27-year-old to develop her offensive game.

"To not be too predictable as a team, we need those playing in central positions to be playing both attacking and defending, to be both a higher six and lower six," he said.

"I want her [Coffey] to be able to play higher up if needed because that will make it more unpredictable for opponents. Players can't just play in one position, they must play in different areas of the field."

Coffey's three WSL appearances since joining City have all come from the bench, but she will likely become a regular starter when Hasegawa goes to the Asian Cup with Japan next month.

Jeglertz expects to have a full squad to choose from on Friday, with forwards Mary Fowler (knee) and Aoba Fujino (concussion) fit and available.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Kim Little made history on Wednesday as she became only the third player in Arsenal history to reach 400 appearances for the club.

Arsenal's club captain replaced Olivia Smith from the bench in the 82nd minute of her side's 4-0 victory over OH Leuven in the first leg of their Champions League play-off round tie.

The 35-year-old Scott made her Gunners debut in 2008, and is behind only Ciara Grant (403) and Emma Byrne (459) in the club's all-time appearance list.

"You obviously don't count when you're playing but it's so special. I have loved every minute of those 400 games," Little told Disney+.

"Leah [Williamson] said some nice words in the huddle that made me a bit emotional. I have played with Leah for a long time, she is a close friend and she just spoke about how we've been playing, how we are as a club, our humility and our respect. That's all I want."

Arsenal were cheered on by a strong travelling contingent of fans who are hoping to see the Champions League holders defend their title.

"We've got an incredible fanbase and its growing and growing," said Little, who after the final whistle was hoisted into the air by her team-mates.

"They follow us far and beyond. Makes us on the pitch feel special. It is special to be a part of this club."

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Manchester United boss Marc Skinner says his players are "in game mode" as they prepare for the return of the Champions League on Thursday.

United have travelled to Atletico Madrid for the first leg of their knockout round play-off with the Spanish giants (20:00 GMT).

It will be the second time the two sides have met this season after Skinner's team won with 10 players in October after Dominique Jansson was sent off.

"We are prepared for the huge challenge ahead," Skinner said. "We are in game mode because the matches are coming thick and fast.

"We are in really good form and playing with really good quality. We know how tough it was last time but we are looking forward to it."

The Red Devils have won their past five games in all competitions and face Atletico knowing Bayern Munich await the winners in the quarter-finals.

"I have seen us fight, I have seen us play beautiful football and I have seen us find a way to win," said Skinner of United's journey in the Champions League.

"The growth of the team has been great. We aim to win both legs as we don't think we can sit back and try to draw either of them. We have not travelled over to not try to do that."

The United boss also reserved special praise for full-back Anna Sandberg, who joined him for the pre-match news conference.

"She will be one of the best left-backs in the world - I firmly believe that," he said.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Manchester City boss Andree Jeglertz has called for the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) technology in the Women's Super League

WSL leaders City saw their 13-game winning streak ended by a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, but remain eight points clear at the top of the table.

City felt Gunners midfielder Mariona Caldentey should have been sent off in the second half for bringing down Lauren Hemp just outside the penalty area with only goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to beat.

Referee Abigail Byrne judged Caldentey won the ball and waved play on.

"I've seen pictures from different angles and for me, it's very clear it is the wrong decision," Jeglertz said before his side's WSL match against Leicester City on Friday (13 February, 19:00 GMT).

"We can't do anything about it now. As long as the players are working to develop, I'm pretty sure the referees are working to develop. I'm sure in the future we will develop the game in that way.

"I think VAR should be [introduced]. I know there are some challenges with that, but it should be in our league because it's the most fair way for these situations."

Arsenal manager Renee Slegers called for the introduction of VAR in November after her side had an equaliser against Chelsea incorrectly disallowed for handball.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Tottenham midfielder Eveliina Summanen has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The Finland international joined from Swedish side Kristianstads DFF in January 2022 and has become a regular starter for Tottenham.

The 27-year-old made her 100th appearance this month and is the club’s all-time leading assist provider in the Women’s Super League.

She was part of the Spurs squad that reached the Women’s FA Cup final in 2024 and represented her country at Euro 2022 and Euro 2025.

"I'm happy here. I've found my place at Spurs and I think it was natural to keep going on that journey," said Summanen.

"That's why I'm excited to stay here, to see what we can build on. Hopefully [we can] achieve big things."

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Basketballer Giannis Antetokounmpo says he joined the ownership group of Chelsea Women.

In a post on X, he said he was "proud and honoured" to partner with Alexis Ohanian, the founder of social media platform Reddit who bought a stake in the club in 2025.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo, 31, said Chelsea is a "historic club built on passion, excellence, and a willing culture".

"Chelsea's history speaks for itself, and I'm excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women's sport," he wrote. "This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!"

It is the latest in a series of minority stakes in professional sports teams that the NBA star has taken, following investments in baseball side Milwaukee Brewers, football club Nashville SC and the Los Angeles Golf Club.

Ohanion purchased an 8-10% share in Chelsea Women, believed to be worth around £20m, last year.

Manchester United made it four wins in a row across all competitions with a 2-0 victory at Leicester.

Julia Zigiotti Olme gave them the perfect start when her cross evaded everyone to find the corner after 13 minutes.

They had to wait until the final two minutes to seal the victory when substitute Elisabeth Terland scored from close range.

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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says seeing Arsene Wenger on stage at the Champions Cup presentation last Sunday was a "special moment".

The legendary ex-Arsenal men's team manager was there to hand out the medals after Slegers' side saw off Brazilian champions Corinthians 3-2 in extra-time to become the tournament's first winners.

"He has been one of my big inspirations," Slegers said before this weekend's return to Women's Super League action against runaway leaders Manchester City.

"I watched his team play when he coached Arsenal but I didn't know he was going to be there. It was a special moment for me when he handed out the medals.

"We just exchanged some words on the stage - I didn't see him afterwards unfortunately."

Since losing to Manchester United in the League Cup semi-finals, Arsenal have won three in a row but trail WSL frontrunners City by 13 points, albeit with a game in hand.

"We are in a good rhythm as a team," Slegers added. "A lot of players are performing.

"We're very proud of winning our first trophy of the season and making history as the first team to do it. But it fuels us to win more."