Australians Mary Fowler and Sam Kerr both received unwanted setbacks while putting off the weekend offside.
The prospect that Mary Fowler has Champions League football to inspire her on the long way to recovery, was almost extinguished after her side of Manchester City was held on a 1-1 home stretch by Everton in the Women's Super League.
That she was in the minds of the city was clear when goal scorer Kerstin Casparij marked her goal by holding a city shirt up with Fowler's name on the back after the ACL injury of the Australians last weekend.
However, the injury hit team was unable to give their 13th minute a lead with Everton, including Matilda Clare Wheeler in their midfield, similar to Karen Holmgaard 20 minutes later. The Dane went in a cross of her identical twin sister Sara.
The city left seven points on drift of the third placed Manchester United with three more games.
City is now fourth at 36 points and has to win all their remaining competitions and lose United Lose All's to catch up.
The top two of Chelsea and Arsenal, who play the semi -final of Champions League this year, are already out of reach.
In the meantime, waiting for Sam Kerr to recover from the front crucifixion she sustained in January 2024 rarely longer for Chelsea fans than in Catalonia, because the English competition heads were hit by Barcelona 4-1.
Missed Al Kerr and the American striker Mia Fishel The London club lost the English Lauren James on the eve of the game, leaving them slightly in the attack on the holders in their UEFA Women's Champions League Semi-final first legs.
While Barcelona was able to take the most important scorer of the competition with them, Claudia Pina had fewer offensive options from the Bank Chelsea.
Pina scored twice when Barca struck three times in the 20 -minute closure to determine an impressive lead in the first legs.
With Lyon's Lyon van Ellie Carpenter with 2-1 in Arsenal on Saturday a repeat of last year's final, won by Barcelona, ​​probably looks.
The Spanish champions could even afford a missed punishment by the former global player of the year Alexia Putellas, who was refused after nine minutes by Hannah Hampton.
Polish striker Ewa Pajor broke the impasse in the 35th minute before her 36th goal in 39 games this season. In the second period, Pina doubled the lead, Sandy Baltimore halved it, then Irene Paredes and Pina made the commander.
The former Barca player Lucy Bronze of Chelsea insisted that her current team could destroy the opportunities at home next Sunday. “I think we can do it,” the English defender Bronze told TNT Sports. “Never say never. Nothing is impossible. '
That repeated the words of the Australian striker Caitlin Foord about whether Arsenal can win in Lyon next weekend.
A third final of Barca-Lyon in four years, however, probably seems to be in Lisbon on 24 May.