London City Lionesses go top of Barclays Women’s Championship | OneFootball

Jay Patel/SPP

London City Lionesses knocked Birmingham City off the top of the Barclays Women’s Championship, Charlton Athletic nearly let slip a four-goal lead at Sunderland.

Durham 6-0 Portsmouth Bristol City 3-0 Sheffield United Newcastle United 1-2 London City Lionesses Sunderland 3-4 Charlton Athletic

London City won 2-1 at Newcastle United to lead the table by two points from Birmingham City, with five games to go for the top two.

The Lionesses made a great start with Izzy Goodwin giving them a third-minute advantage, Beth Lumsden levelling after Emily picked up a loose ball.

Sofia Jakobsson restored the lead when finding the far corner of the net from the wing.

Charlton Athletic stormed into a 4-0 interval lead at Sunderland but the hosts pulled three goals back after the resumption.

Katie Skeels set up two goals in the space of four first-half minutes, Ellie Brazil and Jodie Hutton taking full advantage, with both going on to complete braces by half time.

Sunderland hit back with two goals in three minutes before the hour mark, Natasha Fenton and Mary McAteer finding the net.

Ellen Jones gave them hope of completing an incredible comeback when putting away an 89th-minute penalty.

Durham’s Aimee Claypole notched a treble as relegation-threatened Portsmouth were hit for six.

Claypole fired Durham in front and they were two up after 20 minutes, when Sarah Wilson netted their second.

Claypole struck twice in two minutes close to the hour mark, in wrapping up her hat-trick and the points. Carly Johns and Eleanor Ryan-Doyle added stoppage-time goals to add to Pompey’s plight.

Bristol City beat Sheffield United 3-0 to leave the Blades still three points adrift at the bottom.

The visitors conceded twice just before the break, Maria Ward’s cross finished by Fi Morgan, before she turned provider for Tianna Teisar.

Just two minutes after the interval it was 3-0, Morgan again involved when forcing an own-goal from Leanne Cowan.

Hereford FC Women lift Herefordshire FA County Cup