Two goals each from Beth England and Ji So-yun helped Chelsea come from behind against Bristol City and secure an emphatic 6-1 victory in the Women’s Super League on Sunday. City’s 18-year-old forward Ebony Salmon scored in her third consecutive game to give them an early lead but Chelsea broke back in the 28th minute and cruised to the win with Hannah Blundell and Jess Carter both on the scoresheet.

After all the hype of a golden boot shootout between the new Chelsea striker Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema, both remained off the scoresheet for the second successive game since the Australian Kerr arrived in London. Arsenal, though, were untroubled by the lack of a goal from their talismanic forward as her Dutch compatriots Daniëlle van de Donk and Jill Roord and the England duo Jordan Nobbs and Beth Mead ensured a 4-0 defeat of Brighton.

Emma Mitchell struck a curling effort from outside the penalty area to give Tottenham the lead over West Ham on the defender’s full debut having joined on loan from Arsenal for the remainder of the season. Kenza Dali levelled the score late on but Rianna Dean’s stoppage‑time header snatched all three points for Spurs.

Amalie Eikeland scored the only goal in a hard-fought win over Birmingham to lift Reading up to fourth. Manchester United’s visit to Liverpool was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

The Manchester City forward Pauline Bremer paid tribute to the patience of the departing Nick Cushing after her fourth double of the season helped them to a 3-1 defeat of Everton. The German forward Bremer joined City from the European champions, Lyon, in 2017 as part of a deal that took England’s Lucy Bronze to the French side but a nasty leg break after scoring on her debut and subsequent related injury problems led to her making only six appearances in two years.

Cushing kept the faith, though, and on Saturday Bremer rewarded the manager with her eighth and ninth league goals of the season. “I’m really thankful,” said the 23-year-old of Cushing. “He’s the one who brought me to this club and to England and I’m really grateful for the opportunity. With my injury history I’m glad that he didn’t let me drop at any point and always believed that I could make it after a long time out.”

Bremer believes she is almost back to her best and that the injury has helped her development. “I feel like the injury was a big challenge but it definitely helped me in many ways,” she said. “When I was younger I maybe went into tackles a bit blind but now I’m a lot more clever about it. Mentally as well, you have to be strong to overcome an injury. I know what it is like not to have football, so I’m just very grateful to be back on the pitch and training pitch.”

The manager, who leaves City for the MLS side New York City FC after his team play Arsenal on 2 February, told the players he was leaving on Thursday. “It was quite a surprise for all of us,” said Bremer. “We thought we would finish the season with him but sometimes in football things can happen really quickly.” Quelling fears that it could disrupt the flow of the team, the Germany international added: “I think we can manage it definitely. We have great staff behind the squad as well, the assistant coach will take over. We all know how to play football.”

Cushing agreed and backed the assistant manager, Alan Mahon, to lead the team through to the end of the season and potentially beyond. “He’s got the ability to take it for sure,” he said. “It’s whether he sees being a head coach as his future, it’s whether he feels he is ready. He will be brilliant for the team because he has good relationships with all the players, he’s got a great football knowledge, he’s played the game at the highest level, but this football club will look for the right person.”

His own legacy will be that of developing young English talent and his attention to technical details but his proudest achievement is in the relationships he has built. “It’s earning the respect of the players,” said Cushing. “People like Jill [Scott], Steph [Houghton], I call them friends now.

“OK, I’ve pushed them hard at times and maybe they’ve pushed me hard and we’ve fallen out and argued. There’s a million things I’ve loved about this job but probably the proudest thing is earning the respect of the players and hearing them say nice things about me now is a testament to the hard work we’ve all put in together.”