Everton v Arsenal: Women's Super League – live!

There’s a symmetry to the current WSL table: Arsenal and Chelsea have both won five matches on the spin, while their closest challengers (Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton in that order) have all won three and lost two of their past five games. Arsenal are on 24 points ahead of today’s matches, with Chelsea two points behind and Man City a point further adrift. Man Utd and Everton both have 15 points.

You may already have spotted this story in the links atop the page, about Australia and New Zealand launching a joint bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Pre-match reading, part three:

If you have an insatiable appetite for pre-match reading, why not take a look at Suzanne Wrack’s interview with Chelsea’s Beth England?

To keep you entertained ahead of the 12.30pm kick-off, here’s a recent interview with the aforementioned Miedama, by Suzanne Wrack:

Everton make two changes to the side defeated 3-1 by Manchester United last time out, with Kika van Es and Hannah Cain starting today, and Simone Magill and Molly Pike on the bench.

Rested for that midweek cup tie, Arsenal goal-machine Vivianne Miedema is back to lead the line today. The Dutchwoman has hit the back of the net 12 times in the WSL so far this season, with seven assists.

Everton team: Korpela, Turner, Van Es, George, Kaagman, Kelly, Morgan, Cain, Graham (c), Finnigan, Clemaron. Subs: Levell, Hinds, Brougham, Boye-Hlorkah, Magill, Stringer, Pike.

Arsenal team: Zinsberger, Evans, Williamson, Schnaderbeck, McCabe, Walti, Little, Roord, Van de Donk, Miedema, Mead. Subs: Peyraud-Magnin, Quinn, Maier, Nobbs, Filis, Grant.

Hello everyone and welcome. WSL leaders Arsenal are in a rich vein of form at the moment, and that’s putting it mildly. They’ve won their past three matches in all competitions 11-1, 3-0 and 9-0 (the 9-0 a cup win against London Bees on Wednesday). The Gunners have truly been firing.

But if you think that indicates Joe Montemurro’s side are turning the 2019-20 WSL title race into a procession, think again. Chelsea are breathing down their necks, just two points behind. If Arsenal lose at Everton today and Chelsea win, as expected, at 12th-placed Liverpool, the Blues will top the WSL table at Christmas.

Both Arsenal and second-placed Chelsea are on five-match winning streaks in the league, and both will be desperate to avoid a slip-up today. (The Gunners last tasted defeat over two months ago, a 2-1 reverse against – yes, you guessed it – Chelsea.)

There won’t be any Christmas presents forthcoming from Everton this afternoon, either. The fifth-placed Toffees took maximum points from their matches across November, which earned Willie Kirk the WSL manager of the month gong.

Everton’s flawless November included a 1-0 away success against city rivals Liverpool in the first-ever WSL match to be staged at Anfield in front of more than 20,000 fans. Confidence will be high and given the fearsome goal-scoring form of visitors Arsenal, it will need to be.

In today’s other 12.30 kick-off, Manchester City meet Brighton & Hove Albion. Liverpool v Chelsea and Reading v Tottenham are the 2pm matches. Can the Gunners make it nine wins from 10 in the league this season, and stay at the summit into 2020? We are about to find out. Team news to follow soon.