Newcastle United Women Hit Burnley For 3 To Main Top Spot In WSL2

Newcastle United Women continued their impressive Barclays WSL2 campaign on Sunday afternoon, producing a dominant performance at St James’ Park to secure a convincing 3-0 victory over Burnley Women and maintain their position at the top of the league table.

The Lasses returned to St James’ Park looking to build on their recent positive results, and Tanya Oxtoby’s side delivered exactly what their supporters wanted, combining attacking quality with defensive organisation to claim all three points.

Goals from Kathleen McGovern, an unfortunate own goal from former Newcastle player Deanna Cooper and a second-half finish from Martha Thomas ensured United comfortably saw off their opponents in front of their home supporters.

It was another statement performance from a Newcastle side increasingly demonstrating their ambitions of securing promotion.

McGovern Gets Newcastle Up And Running

Newcastle started brightly and immediately looked to put Burnley under pressure, with the hosts enjoying plenty of possession and pushing their opponents backwards.

After an early opportunity narrowly escaped McGovern, the forward made no mistake in the 11th minute to give United the breakthrough.

Lois Joel produced an excellent delivery into the penalty area, finding McGovern, who finished confidently into the far corner to register her third league goal of the season.

It was an important moment for the Lasses, who had been threatening to break through from the opening exchanges.

Just six minutes later, Newcastle doubled their advantage through an unfortunate moment for Burnley.

Beth Lumsden created space down the byline before delivering a dangerous ball across the penalty area. Former Newcastle player Deanna Cooper attempted to intervene but could only turn the ball into her own net, leaving goalkeeper Kirstie Levell with little opportunity to prevent the second goal.

At 2-0, Newcastle were firmly in control.

The hosts continued creating opportunities before the interval, with Jordan Nobbs seeing an effort saved by Levell, while Katie Bradley also came close to adding a third.

Thomas Continues Her Excellent Scoring Form

Burnley needed a response after the break, but despite showing greater attacking intent, they struggled to seriously threaten Newcastle’s defensive organisation.

The visitors did create an opportunity through Emma Siddall, who broke forward before firing over the crossbar, but it was one of very few moments that caused concern for the home supporters.

Newcastle eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 62nd minute.

Beth Lumsden produced an excellent individual run before finding Martha Thomas inside the penalty area. The experienced forward took a touch before calmly slotting the ball beyond Levell to make it 3-0.

It was another important contribution from Thomas, who continues to demonstrate her value to Oxtoby’s attacking plans.

The forward’s latest strike was her ninth across all competitions this season and further strengthened her position among the division’s leading goalscorers.

With the result effectively secured, Newcastle were able to manage the remainder of the contest, making several substitutions while maintaining control.

Defensive Solidity Provides Another Foundation

While the three goals will understandably attract attention, Newcastle’s defensive performance was equally impressive.

Burnley struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the afternoon, with goalkeeper Kayla Rendell not required to make a single save.

Newcastle also handed Hanna Németh her first league start at St James’ Park, with the Hungarian international partnering Gemma Evans in central defence.

The pair produced a composed performance, helping United secure another clean sheet.

Statistically, Newcastle dominated proceedings, recording 60% possession and 22 attempts on goal compared to Burnley’s four. The visitors failed to register a single shot on target.

It was a comprehensive performance at both ends of the pitch.

Newcastle Remain Top Of WSL2

The victory ensures Newcastle maintain their position at the summit of Barclays WSL2, continuing their pursuit of promotion following another encouraging afternoon.

There is an increasingly positive feeling surrounding the women’s team, with Oxtoby building a squad capable of competing consistently and delivering results.

Importantly, Newcastle are demonstrating that they can win games in different ways. Their attacking quality was evident against Burnley, but their organisation, discipline and ability to control proceedings were equally impressive.

Attention will now turn towards next weekend’s highly anticipated meeting with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Wear-Tyne derby represents another significant test for the Lasses, with local bragging rights and valuable league points at stake.

However, Newcastle will travel with confidence following Sunday’s performance.

Three goals, another clean sheet and three valuable points.

The Lasses are continuing to set the standard in WSL2, and their promotion ambitions remain firmly on track.

Top of the table. Three goals. Another statement of intent.

The Lasses mean business this season.