It was a dominant first-half showing from the Blues, who were in the ascendancy with three goals before the break. Fran Kirby converted from close range after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd put the ball on a plate inside the box, before Jelena Cankovic netted a quick-fire brace to cap a fine individual display.

However, it was not plain sailing for the Blues who almost fell foul of a spirited fightback from Reading in the second half. Between them, Sanne Troelsgaard and Amalie Eikeland netted twice in as many minutes forcing a nervy last half an hour, but we stood firm to secure a vital three points in freezing wintry conditions.

This victory in our final league match of 2022 means we will enter the Christmas break and the New Year occupying top spot in the table. Bright, an ever-present figure at the heart of our defence, hinted at a tale of two halves but expressed her delight at the resilience shown to protect our slender lead.

‘In the first half, it was a really strong performance. We were disappointed to concede the two goals in the second half, but that’s football. Teams are getting better this year and we expected that from Reading, that grit and determination to keep pushing and challenge us from start to finish. As disappointing as it is, we have to put it to one side and not dwell, it’s three points in the bag.’

Reading came into the match off the back of two impressive results against Liverpool and Tottenham, and showed their capabilities in the second half. Bright referenced the progression being made by teams across the league and believes we are in a good place going into the mid-season interval.

‘It’s a position we definitely wanted to go into the Christmas break in. We’ve put ourselves in a strong position, but we all know that this league is very competitive and challenging. We keep going game by game, but a brilliant position to be in.’