With men’s club football on pause thanks to the international break, the women’s domestic game took centre stage as multiple leagues used the window to fit in their biggest matches: From Arsenal‘s damming 2-1 loss to Chelsea, to the 1-1 draw in the Madrid derby, and Juventus‘ key win over Roma.
Elisabeth Terland‘s double helped Manchester United best Tottenham Hotspur in the highest scoring Women’s Super League (WSL) game of the weekend, before Bunny Shaw‘s brace saw Manchester City come from behind against Liverpool. Elsewhere, Athletic Club snatched a stoppage-time win over fellow Basque side Eibar, Inter Milan got back to winning ways with a narrow victory over Como, and Le Havre emphatically put an end to Saint-Etienne‘s winning streak in France.
Shaw to the rescue for City
Manchester City snatched a dramatic stoppage-time goal to secure a late 2-1 win against Liverpool, maintaining early pressure in the WSL title race.
Liverpool, hoping to end their three-game winless streak at Anfield, took the lead through summer signing Olivia Smith, who coolly slotted home in the first half for the women’s team’s first-ever goal at the stadium. However, City’s star striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw stole the spotlight with a second-half brace, continuing her stellar form after scoring in the 2-0 victory over UWCL holders Barcelona earlier in the week.
City, who narrowly missed out on their first WSL title since 2016 last season on goal difference to seven-time champions Chelsea, are determined to end their title drought this season now that Emma Hayes has departed Stamford Bridge. With only 22 games in a season, early mistakes can be costly come May. City could look back on Shaw’s goal as a pivotal moment. — Emily Keogh
Chelsea, Man United still unbeaten
Chelsea and Manchester United remain unbeaten in the league after three games, with United the only team yet to concede a goal as Chelsea’s perfect defensive record was broken during their 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Both teams have maintained their impressive starts but still have a game in hand after their match last weekend was postponed due to UWCL scheduling and player welfare concerns. United kept pace with Chelsea by securing a commanding 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, with Terland netting twice, both assisted by former Spurs winger Celin Bizet.
Meanwhile, title rivals Arsenal have struggled, collecting just five points from their four games and managing only one WSL win so far this season. And they might not have the same manager for long with Jonas Eidevall’s future in doubt. — EK
Wolfsburg snap Bayern’s unbeaten streak
Heading into matchday six in Germany, Wolfsburg were already in questionable shape with five points dropped. But the seven-time Frauen-Bundesliga champions got some respite this weekend, as a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich snapped the Bavarians’ 44-match unbeaten streak and trimmed the gap at the top of the table to just one point.
The She Wolves didn’t need to be brilliant at the Volkswagen Arena, they just needed to take their chances in a close game, which is exactly what they did. Vivien Endemann‘s fine strike in the fifth minute was the only real moment of quality, before Lineth Beerensteyn made it two with a scrappy finish against her former club. Bayern looked short on ideas and a team that have so often just done enough under Alexander Straus were left bereft and frustrated after their midweek mauling of Arsenal in the UWCL.
The match was far from a classic, but it was enough to throw some early chaos into the title race and there’s never anything wrong with that.
Bayer Leverkusen will be left ruing the two points they dropped late in a 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen, as a win would have taken them top, but there is still a chance for the Bavarians to be knocked off their perch with Eintracht Frankfurt able to leapfrog the champions with a win over Freiburg on Monday. — Sophie Lawson
Quick hits
EIGHT: Terland at the double — Somewhat anonymous in her first two games for Man United since moving from Brighton over the summer, Terland opened her account in spectacular fashion against Spurs just before half-time, firing in a second five minutes later to leave the visitors with it all to do. Unfortunately for Spurs, they’d been afflicted with a familiar case of poor finishing that seems to have struck most of the league, keeping goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce busy but far from overwhelmed between the sticks. The team with more shots, total and on target, as well as the lion’s share of possession, the areas needed for improvement are more than obvious for Robert Vilahamn.
SEVEN: Villa remain winless — Another week, another comment about Aston Villa not taking their chances. This time it was any of their 16 efforts in 0-0 draw against a similarly winless Leicester City, who are struggling to assert themselves in games and show their quality. But for Villa, it’s all about the wasteful finishing. The Midlands side create plenty of chances match after match but continue to miss them.
SIX: Brighton get over the line — There is certainly a question to be asked over the validity of Bruna Vilamala‘s winner over Palace after a foul was not given on Eagles shot stopper Shae Yanez, but once again this season, the Seagulls have found a way to win, even if the hosts gave them a run for their money. We know the margins in the WSL tend to be fine, but if any team picks up a head of steam and shades their luck against their opposition, it only leaves them heading one way up the table.
FIVE: Irons leave bodies on line — Four matches into the season and four teams remain winless in the WSL. But had it not been for West Ham’s resolute defending in the 1-1 draw away to Everton, it surely would have just been three. Going ahead early, an unfortunate own goal from Camila Sáez brought the teams level again, but when the Toffees piled on the pressure, the Hammers dug in and threw everything in front of Kinga Szemik‘s goal to stop the hosts from scoring a second. With things so congested at the bottom of the table, their never-say-die defending could be key for the Irons’ survival.
FOUR: Roma still off colour — With just two wins from five coming into their clash with Juventus, Roma had two options: get better or get frustrated. And they opted for the latter. The Italian champions have routinely created chances this season, but have lacked their usual bite on the ball, as a change of shape from a back three has left them looking less fluent across the pitch and more prone to conceding. Against Juventus, the story of their season could only repeat. The Bianconere, who claimed their sixth win from six this season, were good value for the 2-1 win with two first-half goals and are already looking a good bet for the title — three points clear of Fiorentina and four of Inter..
THREE: Lola stands firm — Real Madrid are playing some very nice football in Liga F. From the return of midfielder Caroline Weir, to the top-heavy nature of the team, Las Blancas have been on form and made light work of scything through rivals Atletico time and again on Sunday evening. But thanks to the tireless work of goalkeeper Lola Gallardo, the hosts couldn’t open up a bigger lead and were hauled back to 1-1 by Vilde Boe Risa‘s second-half penalty. The draw is a costly one for Real as, six games in, they’ve already lost ground to Barcelona.
TWO: Barcelona mount second-half comeback, AGAIN — Down 1-0 at half-time to Madrid CFF last week before scoring EIGHT in the second half, the Spanish champions found themselves in a similar position against newly promoted Espanyol on Sunday. And, almost just like against Madrid, the Catalans came away with an imperious win after scoring SEVEN in one half to win 7-1. Unlikely last week, the difference was made by those who came off the bench, with second-half substitutes Ewa Pajor and Alexia Putellas bagging a hat trick and brace respectively. Following on from Barcelona’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the midweek, the second half turn around should be the tonic the European champions need to kick back into gear.
ONE: Fans turn out for Nantes — Although the only goal of the game came for Paris Saint-Germain, courtesy of Grace Geyoro‘s third-minute strike, it was Nantes in their debut Première Ligue season who enjoyed the better chances. Far from overawed on their first big night at home, in front of a crowd of 16,847 at the Stade de la Beaujoire, the newcomers went toe-to-toe with the Parisian giants only to be undone by a lack of bite in front of goal, something of a growing theme for Les Canaris. Meanwhile, PSG and Lyon are now the only two teams unbeaten in France as Saint-Étienne were thrashed 5-1 by Le Havre. — SL
