BIRMINGHAM, England:Tottenham Hotspur’s Martha Thomas fired a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Aston Villa that saw her side briefly lead the Women’s Super League on Saturday, but they were swiftly overtaken after Manchester City beat Leicester City 1-0 to reclaim top spot.
Chloe Kelly’s 10th-minute goal gave City the win they needed over the Foxes in the late kick-off to go top on 10 points, one ahead of Spurs and three ahead of third-placed Chelsea and Leicester, who are fourth.
Tottenham had one of their best performances of the season earlier in the afternoon, but they still had to come from behind after Villa’s Rachel Daly broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the fifth minute.
Thomas, who joined Spurs from Manchester United in September on a two-year deal, netted her first goal in the 33rd minute and Ashleigh Neville scored deep into first-half stoppage time to send Spurs in 2-1 up at the break.
Thomas trebled her tally with a pair of excellent strikes from the edge of the box in the second half, with Lucy Parker grabbing a second for Villa deep into second-half stoppage time as the game finished 4-2.
Chelsea host Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday while Arsenal, who are a disappointing seventh in the table with four points from three games, take on newly promoted Bristol City, who have yet to secure a WSL point this season, in the late kick-off.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Reuters)