Premier League updates, 8pm BST kick-off at Stamford BridgeEverton’s points deduction appeal will be heard before final dayMail Michael with your thoughts | Premier League standings I can’t tell you how excited I am about Jarrad Branthwaite. What a brilliant young defender he is, and I really hope he makes the England squad this summer, even if I suspect he won’t make Southgate’s starting XI (although he should IMO). The suitors will be hovering this summer, regardless of whether Everton survive or not. Manchester United have been linked with an £80m bid, which is not the first time in recent years they have spent that sum on a big English centre back. But Branthwaite is a more complete player than Harry Maguire, even at 21 years old, and has that magic quality: pace. Dom’s got a tight hamstring, nothing more, so we’re happy in the sense that we think it will recover quickly. It was a tight call. We also lost Gana this morning who woke up with a tight calf. Continue reading...

In shining a light on how female players were mocked and marginalised, documentary serves as a vital history lessonMoving the Goalposts: sign up for our free newsletter Last Friday night, Keira Walsh led England out in front of 63,000 fans under the iconic Wembley arch. It was by no means the biggest occasion for this generation of Lionesses or for many women’s teams around the world, but it was the latest in a series of showpiece events that have helped propel women’s football to new heights. Crowds of this size are becoming the norm, globally. Attendance records have been broken across multiple continents – whether that be at last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, or at a sold-out Dasharath Rangasala in Kathmandu for Bangladesh’s 2022 SAFF Championship win, or the record crowd for a friendly in Atlanta for the USA’s SheBelieves Cup opener just this fortnight. Whether in Europe, Africa, South America or beyond, the game is attracting the audiences it lacked for so long. Continue reading...

Watch the goals as Lauren James and Alex Greenwood score for England to pick up their first win of Euro 2025 qualifying with a 2-0 victory against Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

Championship promotion race is absorbing but amid reform comes a risk of financial divides widening between clubs “It’s like a start-up tech company in Silicon Valley,” says Baroness Sue Campbell, recalling Michele Kang’s description of NewCo, the independent company that will take over running the Women’s Super League and Championship from next season. It is the start-up that drew Kang, one of the most recognisable businesswomen in women’s football, with a portfolio including ownership of Washington Spirit and a majority share in Lyon, to acquire London City Lionesses, who sit mid-table in the second tier of English football. That is the same independent club whose players, at the end of last season, warned the previous owner, Diane Culligan, the “very existence” of the side would be under threat without more investment. Continue reading...

Republic of Ireland Women 0-2 England Women Scorers: James 12, Greenwood 18 The England captain, Leah Williamson, had joked that the best way to stop her Arsenal teammate, Katie McCabe, would be to make sure she didn’t get the ball, but starving Ireland of possession was exactly what the Lionesses did on the way to a 2-0 win to kickstart their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign. That dominance yielded first-half goals from the electric Lauren James and a cool penalty from Alex Greenwood that would prove enough. Continue reading...

The Arsenal defender credited Sarina Wiegman’s guidance after making her first competitive Lionesses start since 2021 When Lotte Wubben-Moy walked out at Wembley against Sweden there can be little doubt about the pride she was feeling. Named in England’s starting lineup in a competitive match for the first time since November 2021, a long and patient wait over, the 25-year-old defender finally had her chance. Entering the field hand in hand with her boyfriend Tao Geoghegan Hart’s sister will have been a memorable moment. “It’s a very special feeling for both me and my family,” says the England defender. “I had my partner’s little sister walking out with me so that was super special. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the cherry on top in terms of getting the win tonight but this is something for me personally to build on. There are a lot of relationships for me to gel together. I hope this is the start of many more. Continue reading...

European Championship winner must also deal with a careless midfield following the draw against Sweden at Wembley Sarina Wiegman’s side were given plenty to think about by Sweden who, despite lacking in possession of the ball and only having only one shot on target - Fridolina Rolfö’s 64th-minute equaliser - stretched the reigning European champions’ defence throughout. It is a display that will have caused slight consternation in the England camp about how easily Sweden were able to break through as their Euro 2025 qualification campaign got off to a stuttering start. Wiegman and her assistant Arjan Veurink will have lots to ponder over the next few days fully in the knowledge that the Lionesses must improve defensively. They have been arguably drawn in the toughest qualification group and cannot afford to drop off or lose momentum in games like they did on this occasion if they are to progress directly to next summer’s tournament. Continue reading...

England's defence of their European title gets off to a disappointing start as they are held to a draw by Sweden in their Euro 2025 qualifier.

World Cup winners also have ominously dominant youth sides, and catching them up cannot be done on a shoestring As I stood in Stadium Australia in Sydney last August after the final whistle, pondering England’s World Cup final defeat, I couldn’t help but think that was our one chance to conquer the world and add that illustrious star to our shirt. “Don’t be too disheartened,” people told me, “there will be another chance in four years’ time”, and of course, in football, there is always another opportunity. The Lionesses have a world-class coach in Sarina Wiegman and an exciting blend of experience and youth. But as I watched Spain lift the trophy, I thought this was a side and elite system that could dominate world football for the next decade. If youth success is an indicator of what’s to come, then Spain will be a global force for some time. Their vaunted set-up is producing some of the most technically gifted and skilful players in the world and this is translating into international success at youth level with Under-17 World Cup wins in 2018 and 2022 and Under-20 success in 2022. Many of the players involved haven’t broken into the senior team yet, which is a daunting thought for those other countries, including England, trying to catch up. Continue reading...

Bronze: back-to-back wins would be a ‘next-level achievement’Lionesses begin Euro 2025 qualifiers against Sweden on Friday Lucy Bronze has challenged England to complete a “next-level achievement” and become the first England team to win back-to-back major tournament trophies as they begin their bid to qualify for the 2025 Euros. The reigning European champions play Sweden at Wembley on Friday night in their first qualifying group game before travelling to Dublin for Tuesday’s game against the Republic of Ireland. Continue reading...

Clinton in squad for opening Euro 2025 qualifier at Wembley‘I’m most confident in midfield, in that No 10 or No 8 role’ England’s latest breakout star Grace Clinton has said she relishes the freedom that comes with playing in the middle as the Lionesses prepare to face Sweden in their opening Euro 2025 qualification game on Friday. Sarina Wiegman’s side welcome the World Cup bronze medallists to Wembley in their first fixture in the “group of death”, Group A3, which also contains Euro 2022 semi-finalists France and the only pot-four team to have qualified for the World Cup last summer, the Republic of Ireland. Continue reading...

Sarina Wiegman faces tough calls before England's Euro 2025 qualifying opener against Sweden, so we want to know who makes your Lionesses starting XI.

London City Lionesses midfielder Connie Scofield and Burnley's Brenna McPartlan are included in the squad for Northern Ireland's opening Euro 2025 qualifiers.

England manager Gareth Southgate will name an expanded initial Euro 2024 squad on 21 May, with Uefa to consider views on bigger squads.