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Everton v Chelsea in WSL, Championship, Scottish Premiership and more – clockwatch | Football

Published

2 months ago

April 26, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

WSL: London City are not finished yet as they score an almost identical goal to their third. Grace Geyoro is this time the happy recipient of the cutback and strokes it home for her first Lionesses goal. London City 4-1 Leicester. A first win since February incoming for the home side.

Scottish Premiership: Big, big thank you to Simon for a taste of some the fitba today. Some feels like a disservice for the Dundee derby. Consider yourself previewed people.

He writes, “Just rolled up at a packed Frews bar in Dundee, minutes from Tannadice where the final Dundee derby of the season kicks off at 2pm today. A win for United, for whom Jim Goodwin is now the longest serving manager since Jim McLean, having recently celebrated three years in charge, would see them well placed to finish top of the bottom six, and leave Dundee looking nervously over their shoulders. A fine day in the City of Discovery, match sold out, both sets of fans in fine fettle for now, three points, and bragging rights for the summer, up for grabs … Come on United!!!”

GOAL! Coventry 2-1 Wrexham

Striker! Coventry’s Victor Torp beats Danny Ward with an absolutely beautiful dipping free-kick. Not in the left corner but the keeper can’t handle the pace with which Torp steams it from flying over to cutting just under the bar. Gorgeous goal to take the lead.

Serie A: Fiorentina v Sassuolo finishes 0-0. Boooo. Or maybe wooo for fans of quintessential calcio?

Championship: Wrexham are going for this and bring on Nathan Broadhead and big Kieffer Moore. Perfect timing for a corner. They go back stick and win another corner that is again cleared easily by Coventry.

WSL: Oh dear. Everton fail to clear their lines and the ball bounces around the box until Erin Cuthbert says thank you very much right on the penalty spot and bangs it into the bottom left corner. 4-1 and out of sight.

Championship: Action at the other end now as Sam Smith has a one-on-one but Coventry’s Carl Rushworth makes a solid save. 1-1 but for how much longer?

Championship: Props to the Coventry fans making an absolute din at the Building Society Building. They might be a little proud and excited about Premier League action next season and who could blame them. Ooooh and Wrexham get a big let off after Dan Scarr gifts the ball to Milan van Ewijk in the box put a poor touch takes the ball out of play when he could have had a tap in.

WSL: Reportage from the fine Tom Garry at Goodison Park …

Chelsea are well on course to win this game now, 3-1 up thanks to Ellie Carpenter poking in from close range to add to Sam Kerr’s double. There has been significant controversy, though, as Kerr was denied what should have been a hat-trick as the officials did not see that her header had comfortably crossed the line, before being flicked away by Courtney Brosnan. Replays showed that Kerr’s header hit a post and bounced clearly over the line but it was not given. We do not have goalline technology in the WSL.

WSL: At London City a goal has quickly been disallowed only for the Lionesses to streak forward again and knock in the easiest of goals. Malou Marcetto taps in the cutback to make it 3-1 against Leicester. Tough for the Foxes who started brightly.

WSL: Chelsea open up Everton with ease and bag a third. Alyssa Thompson steams down the right and finds Ellie Carpenter wide open in the box. She strikes and a defender attempts a block but can only deflect the ball into the net. Blues cruise.

WSL: Chelsea strike quickly in the second half to take a 2-1 lead over Everton. Sam Kerr doubles up. Two chances, two goals. Perfect start after the break.

Thanks Will. Here we go then for some second-half WSL action and Coventry and Wrexham duking it out in the Championship. I have to declare some affiliation with the mighty Shrewsbury at this juncture. Zero bias of course just needed to be said. Moving swiftly on Kieffer Moore is warming up and will be keen to come on as Wrexham search for a win that would give them a juicy three point cushion to Hull outside of the playoffs.

Thanks for joining me. Graham Searles is with you for the next few hours. What an absolute treat for the optics.

Coventry and Wrexham are level, too.

Goodwin scores just before half time to put London City Lionesses ahead against Leicester.

Elsewhere …

Everton 1-1 Chelsea
Tottenham 0-0 Man United

It remains goalless at Tottenham v Man United in the WSL, in case you were wondering.

Millie Turner of Manchester United battles for a header with Amanda Nilden of Tottenham Hotspur. Photograph: Leila Coker/WSL/WSL Football/Getty Images

A potentially big goal at the bottom of the WSL as Shannon O’Brien gives bottom-placed club Leicester the lead against London City Lionesses, who then go down the other end and equalise thanks to Lucia Corrales.

Wrexham are level! Ollie Rathbone, one of their shining stars this season, arrives late to finish a Kabore cross.

Tom Garry

Everton stunned Chelsea in December and they’re causing them problems again. Halfway through the first half it’s currently 1-1, thanks to Yuka Momiki’s long-range strike in the 10th minute having cancelled out Sam Kerr’s well-worked, early opener, which saw Kerr score for the fourth game in a row for club and country. Chelsea are on top but the home side are looking stubborn and disciplined at the back since drawing level. Chelsea can ill-afford to drop points here, in the race for European places.

A bit of a blow for Wrexham’s playoff hopes as Brandon Asante-Thomas gives Championship champions Coventry the lead.

It is already 1-1 in Everton v Chelsea in the WSL. Sam Kerr opened the scoring for the visitors before Yuka Momiki equalised for the Toffees.

Never have I experienced such scenes as those at the Crown Oil Arena, as one is supposed to call it. Had to do a good three rewrites in the space of 10 minutes and then the Wi-Fi broke down, so had to file the first bit on my phone. Glory days for all involved.

I was at Spotland for Rochdale v York yesterday, so I am hoping this work experience will be a lot calmer.

Thanks John. Good afternoon, one and all. What a lovely day for a bit of liveblogging and FA Cup buildup.

Time then to pass the reins to the estimable Mr Will Unwin.

Tom Garry

From Goodison Park.

After Manchester City’s defeat yesterday and with Arsenal busy in European action, the attention in the WSL today primarily turns to the battle for Women’s Champions League places and the pressure is on Chelsea this lunchtime. They have arrived here in sunny Merseyside with a two-point advantage over fourth-placed Manchester United, whom they will face on the final day of the season. Chelsea’s opponents today, Everton, were shock winners the last time these two sides met in the WSL in December, when the Toffees ended what was a 34-game unbeaten league run for Chelsea, so Sonia Bompastor’s team must not take them lightly today. Sam Kerr starts up front for the visitors here, as speculation around her future at Chelsea continues. Her contract expires this summer.

Elsewhere, it’s a potentially decisive day in WSL2 in the race for promotion to the top tier. Birmingham City will be all-but promoted if they can beat Ipswich Town (14:00 kick-off) and they would definitely be promoted if they better Crystal Palace’s result. Charlton, in second place, can also be promoted today if Palace slip up. At the other end of table, Portsmouth desperately need a result at home to Nottingham Forest to try and avoid relegation.

News from Jeddah, via Associated Press

Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia successfully defended the AFC Champions League Elite crown after beating first-time finalist Machida Zelvia of Japan 1-0 on Saturday.

It took an extra-time goal from Saudi international striker Firas Al-Burikan to settle a bad-tempered final in front of 60,000 mainly Al-Ahli fans in Jeddah.

Al-Ahli played with 10 men for almost an hour but Machida was unable to make the advantage count.

“It’s amazing,” said Al-Ahli winger Riyad Mahrez, who won the Uefa Champions League with Manchester City in 2023. “It was difficult for us again. We like to make it difficult for ourselves. Ten against 11 is nearly impossible, I don’t know how we found the strength and the energy. … After the red card we stuck together, we fought more, we ran more until we scored.”

A shock result on Saturday in the WSL, and that opens up some possibilities. Four fixtures at midday, with Arsenal playing their Champions League semi-final.

Chelsea, the reigning WSL champions, could narrow the gap to six points on Sunday with a win over Everton. Arsenal, who also remain in contention for the title, may also now have a renewed sense of optimism with three games in hand.

Coventry v Wrexham teams:

Coventry: Rushworth; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva; Onyeka, Grimes; Thomas-Asante, Eccles, Mason-Clark; Haji Wright. Subs: Wilson, Latibeaudiere, Woolfenden, Bidwell, Kesler-Hayden, Torp, Allen, Esse, Simms.

Wrexham: Ward; Hyam, Scarr, Doyle; Kabore, Dobson, James, Rathbone, Thomason; Windass, Smith. Subs: Okonkwo, Cleworth, Brunt, Cacace, Longman, O’Brien, Keillor-Dunn, Broadhead, Moore.

Give this commentary a listen if you can. An, er, interesting choice of metaphor here.

Radio highlight of the year? Coverage from the football radio stations Rasio 5 Live and Talk Sport on Rochdale versus York City. Utterly bonkers stuff. No wonder that the football journalists sounded like they were going to pass out with excitement. Seeing Rochdale score after 5 minutes of extra time, to go into the football league automatically, and then see York City score after 13 minutes of extra time, giving them the automatic promotion instead, was deranged stuff.

Every person there, seeing two big explosions in short order, became modern versions of Tsutomu Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on business on 6th August 1945, suffered burns when he saw the first nuclear bomb, but went off to Nagasaki, just in time for 9th August’s second nuclear bomb. He lived until passing from stomach cancer in 2010, aged 93. Now that, THAT, was a man.

York City will probably mainly want Rochdale to get up anyway so they can share their experiences but, if not, a small part of them will think: “See? See? Don’t eff with us!”. I suffer long-term illness but, hearing this on the radio, made me grab my phone and text to explain to people what just happen and to make sure they look out for the coverage. Amazing stuff.

It’s already been a big weekend of European football.

Atlético Madrid first staged a comeback then survived one to beat Athletic Club 3-2. Aitor Paredes gave the Bilbao team the lead in the first half, then early in the second Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sørloth overturned it. Sørloth thought he had made the game safe with his second in stoppage time, but Gorka Guruzeta scored in the 97th minute to set up a nervy finish.

Atlético held on, strengthening their grip on the final qualification spot for next year’s Champions League – but they are still in this year’s, and such a tense game was perhaps less than ideal before a semi-final first leg at home to Arsenal.

In Serie A later, it’s Turin v Milan, with Torino v Inter preceding Milan v Juventus.

Ligue 1 features the Derby de la Mediterranée, Marseille v Nice, with the home team hanging on to a Europa League spot, under Newcastle legend Habib Beye.

Perhaps the biggest game in La Liga is Osasuna v Sevilla, the latter in dire relegation trouble.

We await news of Salah’s injury, and that of Kai Havertz, and Xavi Simons, too. Their seasons may be over, and there are World Cup worries, too.

Relatively calm after Liverpool’s win, but sad after reading more about the injuries affecting Ekitiké, Alisson and Mo. Also deeply disappointed for Saints and a bit miffed for Wolves and Newcastle. Ah well, off to watch some Under-8s playing with joy, strict application of the rules, and no VAR. Handshakes all round!

The Championship promotion race is going to the wire. Southampton v Ipswich on Tuesday is massive. But before that, it’s Wrexham, in a play-off position after Hull’s defeat, being the guests at Coventry’s party.

Some transfer/HR news from Germany. Bayern Munich‘s director of sport, Max Eberl, has revealed that Jackson will be heading back to Chelsea when the loan agreement expires “We will not trigger the option for Nicolas Jackson.” The deal included an obligation to buy, worth £56.2million, if Jackson played at least 45 minutes of 40 matches. More problems for Chelsea, particularly after this farrago last summer.

The Champions League semi-finals are with us, and Bayern v PSG is the first of them on Tuesday. Jonathan Wilson runs the rule.

It probably is the case, as the critics claim, that Premier League teams are wasteful and far less efficient than their continental rivals. But it’s also true that once you get beyond the top couple of teams, every Premier League side is way stronger than its equivalent in any other league in the world, something seen in the domination of the Europa League and Europa Conference League. Aston Villa came sixth in the Premier League last season with revenues of £491m; sixth in France were Lyon with revenues of £141m and sixth in Germany were Mainz with £105m.

That means Bayern or PSG can rest players or take certain periods of certain games a little easier and that leaves them fresher come the end of the season. As the demands on players have increased, it may be that the benefits of not being flogged through an exhausting battle every week have come to outweigh the disadvantages of not being quite so case-hardened as their English opponents.

Will Unwin was at 2026’s equivalent of a “ghost goal”, and saw an amazing pitch invasion as an epic National League title race was decided.

The Minstermen are back in the Football League after a decade away, but it all came down to injury time after 46 matches and 4,140 minutes of football. It was utter chaos as the final fixture included more pitch invasions than goals.

Arsenal, the holders, take on Lyon in the Women’s Champions League.

Suzanne Wrack has spoken to Olivia Smith: “As the season reaches its climax, a Champions League semi-final against Lyon on Sunday is testament to how far up the ladder Smith has climbed. Now, she is heading towards unknown territory: a second season at the same club for the first time in her senior career. “I do feel quite calm now, knowing that I have set down some roots here, but at the end of the day, football is football and you never know what’s next,” she says. “So I’m always on my toes but, right now, I’m kind of laid-back, just enjoying the time here in the present with Arsenal and looking forward to winning more silverware and growing as a player and a person.”

From one of the game’s greatest ever goalkeepers, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, an extract from his autobiography.

I sorted out my mind: “Come on, Gigi,” I said to myself, and I gave myself strength: “When the game is over you can stop playing football. Just take on this hour and a half and then say goodbye to it all.”

Hearts just have to win today:

Such a big game for Leeds, safe from relegation, just about. Now for a chance to play in a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987 and reach a first final since 1973.

Hsve Liverpool seen the last of Mohamed Salah? At least Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz scored for Liverpool against Crystal Palace, a belated downpayment or two.

What a battle at the bottom, West Ham and Spurs both looked down at one point. Amd yet there’s still four games to go, and so much to play for.

Chelsea v Leeds will see Calum McFarlane taking charge, and the caretaker has had to do some sweeping up after Marc Cucurella’s barber was the latest to leak team news.

“Of course, everyone at the club has to feel responsible, staff and players. We need to, the players know that, staff and all that, we’ve spoken. We know the recent form has not been good enough and we’re going to do absolutely everything we can and work as hard as we possibly can to make sure we can put in a good performance on Sunday and I think that’s where it starts.

“I think a lot of football is about momentum and we obviously have had a bit of a losing streak. That can change with one positive result and one positive performance and what we’re going to be able to do.

On the leaks: “It has been addressed. It’s been addressed previously. It’s something that we are looking into and it needs to stop. “We’ve spoken to them about the importance of that and making sure it doesn’t happen again.”

City and Pep Guardiola had Arsenal on their minds, too. The Gunners moved back to the top. Mikel Arteta had City on his mind, by little coincidence.

Saturday’s FA Cup tie was a slowburner but took off in the last 15 minutes. For a brief monent, the shock was on. Then City did City.

Preamble

Good morning, and welcome. Saturday was a big day in the Premier League, and in the FA Cup. We will have all the reaction here. Sunday is all about Chelsea v Leeds, about as evocative an FA Cup tie as there can be, In Scotland, Hibs v Hearts, an Edinburgh derby with so much riding on it, 40 years of hurt in the Jambos’ case.

That and all the morning news, as it happens. Join me.

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Gasps and tears in court as 10 more sentenced over Ely riots

Published

3 minutes ago

June 18, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

The deaths of teenagers Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans sparked hours of violence and vandalism.

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Supreme court sides with Texas marijuana user who wants to own a firearm in latest case expanding gun rights – live | US supreme court

Published

1 hour ago

June 18, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Supreme court backs challenge to ban on gun ownership for drug users

The supreme court has sided with a marijuana user who wants to legally own a gun, the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights.

In a 9-0 ruling, the justices sided with Ali Danial Hemani, a resident of Texas who was charged with felony gun possession after he acknowledged being a regular marijuana user. Hemani wasn’t charged with any other crimes or accused of using the weapon under the influence.

The 1968 Gun Control Act makes possession of a firearm illegal for anyone ⁠who “is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance”.

That gun restriction led to the 2024 conviction of Hunter Biden, who later that year received a pardon from his father, then-president Joe Biden. Prosecutors had accused him of lying about his use ⁠of narcotics in 2018 when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun.

Hemani argued that a federal law barring gun ownership from anyone who uses drugs illegally violates the constitution’s second amendment.

The decision is a loss for the Trump administration, which had defended the 1968 law despite arguing against other gun restrictions.

Key events

Supreme court releases opinions

The supreme court has started releasing opinions, so far it has issued a ruling backing a challenge to a federal law barring drug users from owning guns.

We’ll bring you any more updates here as we get them.

Indeed, this morning’s Washington Post Early Brief (paywall) asks the question: “Are we back to where we started on Iran?”

The memorandum ends the fighting, reopens the strait of Hormuz and gives Trump a chance to claim he prevented a broader economic crisis. But many of its core terms appear to return the US and Iran to roughly where they were before the conflict: with Iran’s government still in power and its long-term nuclear commitments still unresolved.

Before the war, the strait of Hormuz saw the free flow of shipping, including roughly a fifth of the world’s oil traffic. Reopening the water way essentially restores the status quo.

Iran and the US had also already engaged in negotiations – albeit brokenly – on a framework over Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting U.S. sanctions. The negotiations were in pursuit of a deal to replace the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under President Barack Obama, which Trump vehemently criticized and left during his first term.

The terms of the MOU diverge substantially from Trump’s initial threats to obliterate Iran unless it agreed to “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” back in March. And it diverged from long-standing conservative criticisms of Obama’s deal that lifted sanctions on Iran.

After Donald Trump’s signing of the 14-point agreement with Iran yesterday at the Palace of Versailles – the home of humiliating treaties – the question of what the president’s war was actually for continues to divide some Republicans and foreign policy hawks.

GOP senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally, appeared to soften his view of the memorandum of understanding yesterday (from this to this) after a “very lengthy and productive” conversation with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

“After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop,” Graham wrote on X. “Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.”

But a handful of other Senate Republicans were more scathing in their views.

Outgoing Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy, who Trump failed to back in a tightly fought primary last month, said that the whole affair had Ronald Reagan “rolling over in his grave”. He wrote on X:

Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future.

Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.

Ted Cruz, who has backed the war, said the president was getting “very poor advice when it comes to this deal”.

Susan Rice, a former official in the Obama and Biden administrations was more blunt in her assessment, calling it “the biggest national security blunder in decades”, while Democratic senator Adam Schiff said it was “hard to imagine a more thorough capitulation”.

Iran gets sanctions relief, the release of frozen funds, the ability to export oil, and a $300 billion reconstruction fund. The US gets a reiteration of the vague promise Iran won’t develop a nuke.

In case you missed it, last night Donald Trump signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a “major win” for the United States – even as it made significant political and financial concessions to Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and prevent a “worldwide depression”.

In extraordinary remarks yesterday, Trump went from threatening Iran with a new wave of attacks to suggesting the country had basic rights to enrich uranium for civilian use, that he would not pressure Tehran to abandon its ballistic missiles programme and the US was “going to have to give back” billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.

Those remarks, as well as the full text of the agreement – which was hailed by the Hezbollah chief, Naim Qassem, as a “great victory” – are likely to fuel anger in Israel and among hardliners in the Republican party who had urged Trump not to make a deal with Tehran.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed the agreement yesterday from Tehran. US vice-president JD Vance is also expected to sign the deal at a more formal ceremony in Geneva tomorrow.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said:

The agreement is a record of US failure. People will see it and judge.

Trump signs 14-point peace agreement with Iran - video — Trump signs 14-point peace agreement with Iran – video

Supreme court to release opinions with several high-stakes rulings to come including birthright citizenship

Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

The supreme court is expected to render at least one judgment today as the term is set to come to an end later this month. There are a series of cases yet to be decided that are relevant to Donald Trump, including his attempt to limit birthright citizenship and plan to remove legal protection from Haitian and Syrian immigrants.

Generally, terms last between October and late June – but the most significant cases are often left until the end of the term.

There are two main immigration-based decisions yet to be made. One pending ruling is on Trump’s desire to ban birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and those whose parents are temporary residents.

“Birthright citizenship is one of America’s most consequential commitments – the idea that where you are born, not where your parents came from, determines your belonging to this nation,” said Adam Strom, executive director and co-founder of Reimagining Migration, in The74. “For the millions of immigrant-origin children in our schools, this isn’t an abstraction. It’s the ground they stand on.”

The court also has a case that will decide if the US can terminate the Temporary Protected Status that has allowed Haitian and Syrian immigrants to live and work in the country.

Other significant cases include Trump’s wish to fire a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.

President Donald Trump. Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/Shutterstock

In other news:

Donald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a “major win” for the US. The Guardian’s Andrew Roth argues that the US entered war with maximalist goals and exited it with a pragmatic decision to end conflict despite political cost.
A teenager has died after being thrown to the ground on Wednesday when a Central Park carriage horse bolted away from its driver, police in New York have said.
On Wednesday, court proceedings revealed that Luigi Mangione’s legal team plans on pursuing a psychiatric defense during his upcoming Manhattan state court trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.