Carpenter leads Chelsea to victory against Manchester City

Ellie Carpenter has continued her thunderous campaign for Chelsea, helping set up the winner in the Blues' table-topping Women's Super League (WSL) victory over champions Manchester City.

By assisting on Sandy Baltimore's stunning goal that sealed the 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), the on-song wing back also earned the bragging rights over Matildas' teammate Mary Fowler, who was taken off by City with half an hour to go after a much more ineffective afternoon.

By inflicting City's first league defeat of the season, Chelsea went back to the top, leapfrogging the champs to go a point clear after 10 matches.

And as usual this season, the energetic 26-year-old Carpenter, who has looked one of the best players in the WSL this term, was at the heart of the win, already having caused plenty of problems with her crossing from the right flank even before her key contribution deep into stoppage time in the first half.

Carpenter found Baltimore in the box with a short pass and then sped off to take the return pass while dragging her defender with her.

That simply opened up more space for French international Baltimore, who had time to set her sights and curl home a superb left-footed strike beyond keeper Ayaka Yamashita.

It was Carpenter's first assist of her exceptional league season to go with her four goals.

However, across all competitions she's the club leader with nine goal involvements, five goals and four assists.

City looked as if they could eke out an equaliser but their hopes were finally dashed with a quarter of an hour left when Yamashita was sent off, losing out in a race to the ball with Alyssa Thompson and clumsily bringing her down.

Fowler, whose recent form has helped her really nail down a starting spot at City, had already been taken off by that point, replaced by fit-again WSL legend Vivianne Miedema, but the visitors still could not find an equaliser, Lauren Hemp missing a sitter from point-blank range in the 64th minute.

It was City's first defeat in any competition since April 25.

Elsewhere, Manchester United captain Maya le Tissier marked her 150th appearance for the club with a goal in a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace that moved them to fourth, while Tottenham drew 0-0 at home to Everton and Liverpool won 3-0 at Brighton.