Durham 3-1 Blackburn Rovers
Durham got their first win of the season when they hosted Blackburn Rovers. Durham started very strongly, registering several attempts on goal early on before Saoirse Noonan finally put the ball into the top corner. Sarah Robson made it two before half-time when her strike went in off the post.
Blackburn came out fighting in the second half and Saffron Jordan got a goal back from 12 yards out, but Durham were unfazed and came close again not long afterwards. A corner from Ellie Leek gave Blackburn another chance, but nothing came of it. The winner, when it came, was a second for Saoirse Noonan, who regained possession and immediately scored. Durham came close to a fourth, but it wasn't needed and they took the points.
Chloe Williams made her first start for Blackburn. She, Ellie and Lauren Thomas all played 90 minutes.
Lewes 0-0 London City Lionesses
Josie Longhurst was a 76th-minute substitute as Lewes managed to hold on for a point against London City Lionesses at the Dripping Pan. With three matches played, Lewes are the only unbeaten team in the Championships other than leaders Bristol City - but Lewes are also without a win.
London City were causing problems for Lewes right from the start, but while Lewes kept London City keeper Shae Yanez busy. Lois Joel made a very good attempt from outside the box for London City in the first half, but the shot was saved. She and Atlanta Primus were a constant threat, with shots hitting the crossbar, flying over the top, while Lewes caused problems with their set pieces. London City's Lily Agg received a second yellow card on 85 minutes, but the game finished 0-0.
Rhian Cleverly was an unused substitute for Lewes.
Highlights can be watched here.
Sheffield United 8-0 Coventry United
Sheffield United got their biggest ever win in the Championship in a match which they'll remember forever and Coventry United, who are bottom of the table with no points, would probably rather not.
Bethan Davies probably didn't have a great deal to do considering everything that happened at the opposite end of the pitch, but I'm sure she had a role to play in preserving Sheffield United's lead. Every keeper does, even when they are 'reduced to mere spectators'. (Brilliant as goalkeepers are, spectators are very important so I'm not so sure where 'reduced' and 'mere' come from, but let's not worry about that now.)
Coventry suffered some major bad luck on 18 minutes when their keeper, Eleanor Heeps, suffered a bad injury while Grace Riglar was scoring Sheffield United's first goal. I'm certainly not going to blame substitute goalkeeper Jodie Whiteman for everything because I do actually like goalkeepers and it takes up to eleven players to make a team (and Sheffield United were just brilliant), but very few players are ready to come on - or expecting a change - that early in the game.
The second goal didn't come for a while, though Sheffield United always looked the more likely side to score, but Rhema Lord-Mears scored from a corner and then things really got a bit crazy with three goals coming in six minutes. Maddy Cusack scored a long-range stunner, Charlotte Newsham added Sheffield's fourth, then Maddy scored again.
The half-time whistle must have come as something of a relief, but Coventry had a real job on their hands and substitute Mia Enderby made it harder when she scored Sheffield's sixth goal of the match from a corner. Debutante Maria Francis-Jones and Georgia Walters entered the fray in the 63rd and 64th minute respectively, with the score at 6-0. Bex Rayner scored from another corner, Mia Enderby pretty much gave a replay of her first goal, and the match finished 8-0.
Hayley Hoare, Meesha Dudley-Jones and Evie Gane might prefer it if I didn't mention it (as if they'd care what I do), but they all started for Coventry United.
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