Things have changed in the standings after the weekend’s results in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with matchweek seven providing some intriguing moments, such as standout individual performances and a couple of goal of the month contenders as well.
Two big derbies headlined this past weekend’s action, where Arsenal claimed bragging rights in the North London derby, whereas the points were shared between two Manchester clubs following their draw on Sunday evening.
Elsewhere across the weekend, Chelsea notched up another victory, as did Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion, plus Birmingham City registered a first win of the season, and Liverpool and London City Lionesses played out a draw in their fixture.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal ended their five-game winless run in the Barclays WSL and defeated their North London rivals away from home, with Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo on the scoresheet for Renée Slegers’ side.
The game started out with a couple of nervy moments for both teams as well as some bright moments, even with Arsenal having the most possession in and around the penalty area. The opening goal though went to Tottenham Hotspur as Cathinka Tandberg headed in from a corner.
An immediate response came from the away side however, as Georgia Stanway struck the ball from distance, and a fingertip save by Lize Kop couldn’t deny the midfielder’s shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar. The finish is the first goal that Stanway has scored in the BWSL since she joined Arsenal back in the summer.
With the game all-square at half-time and both teams very much able to swing things in their favour in the second half, it was a very open affair. Minutes into the second 45 did see a concerning injury to Spurs defender Alice Sombath who left the pitch on a stretcher and was replaced by Ella Morris.
After the injury, Arsenal grew into the game and eventually won a penalty after a handball offence was given against the Spurs substitute Ella Morris, and stepping up to take the penalty was Alessia Russo, who converted the spot-kick and added to her tally of goals against Spurs, making it nine in total as the most she has scored against any other Barclays WSL team.
Arsenal would hold on for the victory to give them some relief after the recent results they have had after their previous league victory had been all the way back on the opening weekend against Brighton.
As for Tottenham, a third-straight league defeat has come for Martin Ho’s side despite competing well against their rivals on Saturday. Five shots overall over the 90 minutes, and one of those being on target highlighted a different approach that they took to this game, yet they did create less opportunities than their opponents on the day.
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 West Ham United
Brighton have climbed up the table after registering their second league win of the season, following a 3-0 home win at the AMEX Stadium against West Ham United, with it now being five defeats for Rita Guarino’s side since the start of the campaign.
Weather conditions were wet and blustery on the south coast, and despite Brighton leading the first half with much of the possession, West Ham United outshot them by eight-to-five, although neither team produced too many hugely-testing chances other than the only goal of the half.
From nowhere, Maisie Symonds produced one of the best goals of the weekend after an initial Brighton cross was headed clear by West Ham’s Saki Kumagai, only for the ball to fall to Symonds to strike the ball from long-range that swerved in the air before finding the top corner past Constance Picaud-Inconnu in goal.
The second half continued with Brighton controlling things, and they quickly could have doubled their lead after an error that ended with the ball deflecting back off Ines Belloumou before just going wide of the post. Two goals in the space of three minutes would follow for the Seagulls as the second 45 progressed, with Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike getting on the scoresheet.
Kirby scored first in the 63rd minute after a ball into the box by Marisa Olislagers deflected in and caught West Ham out, giving Kirby the chance to slide in at the back post and make sure the ball went in the net. Seike’s finish to make it 3-0 secured the three points for Brighton with the Japanese forward producing a small chip over the keeper as she made her way towards goal to give her a fourth so far this season, in terms of her scoring tally for her club in the Barclays WSL.
Brighton boss Arturo Ruiz spoke in the aftermath about it being “a complete performance” from his team, and he will be hoping that it is one that can help his side kick on now, whereas Rita Guarino spoke about “big mistakes” from her side and improvements that need to be made.
Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea
Chelsea’s unbeaten start continues, and they end the weekend on top of the Barclays WSL table via goal difference, but they did have to come from behind to beat Crystal Palace away from home with a double from Melvine Malard and a converted penalty by Sandy Baltimore ensuring them of the three points for the sixth time this season.
Sonia Bompastor’s side started off with the momentum and a couple of chances for the likes of Maika Hamano and Melvine Malard try and break through Palace’s backline, who produced a lot of blocking attempts to keep their opponents from taking the lead in the initial early stages.
As the half progressed, the home side got forward and made the most of a set-piece opportunity as Fuka Tsunoda’s corner swing in and was put into the back of the net by Molly Bartrip to give Crystal Palace a shock lead, and it was her first goal in the Barclays WSL in four years. The goal also meant it was the first time Palace had ever scored against any Chelsea team in their history, plus it was the first time Chelsea were behind in a BWSL game this season.
As they have done so on many occasions this season, Jo Potter’s side needed their goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin to come up with some crucial saves as the first half progressed and Chelsea continued to dominate. They even had two efforts that were cleared off the line, one of which was a Lucy Bronze header that was stopped by Allyson Swaby.
The second half carried on with much of the same, and Melvine Malard had mixed fortunes with some of her earlier opportunities to score in the second half. After missing an open goal minutes beforehand, she made amends with a strike from range that found the top corner to level things up in this game.
In terms of the next best chances, Chelsea pushed for a winning goal and so did Crystal Palace in the minimal moments they had to get forward, with Bethany England going closest as she hit the ball over the crossbar around the hour mark. Chelsea did however go on to take the lead with Melvine Malard’s second of the game after some great footwork by Sandy Baltimore in the build-up then led to a cross into Malard’s direction as the two French internationals linked-up to put Chelsea in front.
Malard’s performance was one of the standout points of this game, ending with more shots than anyone, five of which were on target, plus she had more touches in the opposition box than anyone else (15). She went close to a hat-trick after a disallowed goal for offside, but then she won a penalty that was converted by Baltimore to secure the victory for Chelsea.
Birmingham City 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Two teams in need of a win met at St. Andrew’s on Sunday, and it was Birmingham City who brought their winless start to an end, with just the one goal in the second half being the difference-maker between the home side and their opponents Charlton Athletic.
It was an important win for Birmingham City as it lifted them away from the bottom two positions in the table, whilst for Charlton Athletic, a seventh-straight defeat from their first seven league games matches how West Ham and Liverpool began their respective campaigns last season when too went without a point at this stage.
The game was largely controlled by Birmingham City, ending the game with 60% possession and a total of 20 shots, five of which were on target, but their xG of 2.2.6 suggests they could have converted more of their opportunities to score.
Amy Merricks’ side had some close efforts as the game progressed, with Shannon Cooke going close at one point, plus Lisa Naalsund nearly went for a long-range chance that struck the crossbar and the goal line. In-form midfielder Océane Hurtré also went close to scoring once again this season, however she was denied by a great save by Charlton goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse.
Hurtré did have some involvement in the eventual winner for Birmingham City after a suspected cross found its way towards hitting the woodwork, and the home side kept the play alive which allowed Lily Crosthwaite to find Wilma Leidhammar at the near post for her first goal in the top flight.
Having been the scorer of both goals for Birmingham against Charlton back in May’s BWSL 2 title decider, Leidhammar again helped clinch victory for her side, and her impact was felt as a second half substitute in this game, making two successful dribble attempts and converting her only shot of the game.
Everton 2-3 Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s form continues to go up as they made it back-to-back wins in the Barclays WSL and five games unbeaten in all competitions, this time winning 3-2 away from home against Everton, gifting interim head coach Brian Sørensen a win against his old club in the first meeting he has had against them since his departure in February.
The Danish coach is also the first visiting coach to have won a game at Goodison Park this season, with Villa denying Everton a third game this season without defeat at home. It also wasn’t long into the first half when Aston Villa opened the scoring through Noelle Maritz after she was sent through by Amalie Vangsgaard.
It was a standout display in the Barclays WSL for Villa forward Amalie Vangsgaard, scoring twice along with her assist for the opening goal, plus she took more shots (8) and touches in the opposition box than any other player in the game (12). The first of her two goals came in the 32nd minute as the away side made the most of their counter-attacking opportunities in behind Everton’s backline, and Vangsgaard caught Courtney Brosnan off her goal line with a chip from outside the box to double her team’s lead.
After half-time, Aston Villa’s two scorers were combining again to increase the lead further, with Maritz having a lot of space down the left to then find Vangsgaard in the box as she advanced towards the front post.
At the turn of the hour mark, Scott Phelan’s Everton had created very little in the way of clear chances to try and deny Aston Villa a clean sheet. They did get on the ball more as Villa settled into their defensive shape to see the game out, but that was also when Everton did find some spark going forward.
Holly McNamara made it 3-1 with over ten minutes left, and then substitute Noémie Mouchon played a cross that ended up lobbing over Akane Okuma to make it a nervy ending for Aston Villa despite being in a good position for much of the game.
Aston Villa did hold on in the last few minutes of stoppage time to register their first Barclays WSL win against Everton since 2024, and as a result, they have gone level with Everton on points in the table. Everton do still sit slightly above Aston Villa on goal difference.
Liverpool 2-2 London City Lionesses
It ended all-square at the St Helens Stadium as Liverpool ended up getting a late goal to make sure they avoided a third-straight league loss and also deny London City Lionesses the chance to extend their impressive winning run in all competitions.
The draw does still leave Liverpool without a win in the Barclays WSL since they won the Merseyside derby a month ago, and they did survive some early chances by their opponents to score, before a moment where Mapi León brought down Jenna Clark in the box, therefore conceding a penalty that was scored by Beata Olsson.
London City Lionesses did not stay behind for very long as Freya Godfrey took advantage of Liverpool goalkeeper Khiara Keating staying on the ball for a bit too long, before then placing the ball into the empty net. The goal was Godfrey’s second in as many Barclays WSL matches, plus she ended the game at the weekend with the highest xG average (1.36).
Eder Maestre’s side had edged the first half in terms of total shots, but Liverpool had limited a lot of the impact their attackers could have going forward, with the home side largely causing their own problems, much like they also did for the second goal. The windy conditions played a part, but an attempted header by Alejandra Bernarbé back to Keating in goal didn’t get the connection she would have wanted, and London City made the most of the opportunity with Daniëlle van de Donk squaring the ball across to Kadidiatou Diani for the goal that put them in front.
Much of the second half did play out in London City’s half as Liverpool put the pressure on to try and find an equaliser, whilst London City looked to manage the game and hold on for an important win away from home. Natalia Ramos had a curling shot saved by Elene Lete, and Cornelia Kapocs clipped the crossbar with a cross that dipped just enough to hit the woodwork.
After all the attacking pressure in the second 45 that led to 69% possession for Gareth Taylor’s side, they did find the equaliser after Kapocs crossed the ball in and Jana Fernández ended up bundling it in past her teammate. Because of this result, Liverpool drop down to 10th, whilst London City remain in the top three, but have lost some ground on first place.
Manchester United 1-1 Manchester City
This weekend’s Manchester derby saw Manchester City’s 100% start to the season brought to an end, but they did still claim a point in a 1-1 draw with their local rivals, with the point earned by Manchester United helping them to end the weekend in fourth place.
It also extended the unbeaten run that Eva Olid’s side are currently on as they have now gone nine games without losing in all competitions, and in the league alone it was the first game where they have dropped points since drawing 1-1 with Arsenal midway through September.
United had implemented their game plan well in a physical first half as they nullified much of Man City’s attacking threat, which left Andrée Jeglertz’s side a little frustrated out how little they could produce in terms of clear-cut chances. In terms of the best attacks, Manchester United’s Ella Toone, Andrea Medina and Elisabeth Terland were ones to watch on the counter-attack, although it ended 0-0 going into half-time.
Clinical finishing would be the key for both teams in the second half, as Khadija Shaw began to grow more into the game and win her battles, and she ended her 100th Barclays WSL appearance with the most shots (8) of any player across the 90 minutes. One of those efforts was converted into a goal for Man City as she brought up her eighth goal of this league campaign after striking the ball past Phallon Tullis-Joyce when given the space to turn up against United defender Dominique Janssen.
Manchester United had been performing well in the second half, but where struggling to convert their chances into goals, with Julia Zigiotti Olme having one shot go over the bar and Jess Park hitting the woodwork at one point as well.
The late equaliser eventually did come for the home side as a header in the box by Khadija Shaw to try and get the ball away fell to Elisabeth Terland, who then struck the ball with power and found the net just before stoppage time. It was a largely clinical showing by Man Utd’s Norwegian forward as she ended the game with her second goal of the campaign, and she ended with a 100% shot accuracy after having two other clear-cut shots on target.
