Is Olid under pressure?
The frustration among Manchester United fans at full-time was evident at Leigh Sports Village after they had watched their team get thrashed 5-0 by a rampant Chelsea. There are certainly things to be worried about, but perhaps judging United’s new manager, Eva Olid, on the basis of how they performed against Sonia Bompastor’s established side is a little premature. The likelihood of United taking three points was always slim, despite the false hope delivered by Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa the preceding weekend. Chelsea have not been an easy opponent for the Red Devils, who have only lost three WSL games by more than three goals, all against Chelsea. Having had only three weeks with her side, Olid had a harsh WSL baptism with defeats to London City Lionesses and Chelsea and United face Arsenal next. “These are difficult games to build the confidence in attack, but I’m here to build an identity, and I have to be faithful to that,” said the Spaniard. Suzanne Wrack
Arsenal lack finishing touch again
There was a strong sense of deja vu at the Emirates as Arsenal’s annual early season woes continues with goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace. For much of the game, it felt like they were re-winding the tape for seasons gone by, frustrated by resolute defensive visitors and their own lack of clinical finishing. Arsenal dominated every attacking metric – they had 79% possession, created 30 shots (nine on target) and recorded 70 touches in the Eagles’ box. The Gunners hit the woodwork twice, wasted golden opportunities and were denied by a stand-out performance from Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who made eight saves. “Yes, there were good things but at the end of the day it’s about scoring and we didn’t do that today,” the head coach, Renée Slegers, said. Arsenal’s title tilt last season was essentially ended by six draws and they will know that they have to improve on that if they are to challenge. Sophie Downey
West Ham expose London City
After beating Manchester United last time out, London City Lionesses were brought back down to earth by an inspired West Ham to suffer their first defeat of the campaign. West Ham put in a performance that simultaneously caught the eye for their own qualities as well as highlighting the early frailties of Eder Maestre’s team. If you were to just glance at the stats, you would think that the visitors dominated but it felt anything like that at Dagenham: Rita Guarino, the Hammers manager, set up her team perfectly. The burgeoning midfield relationship between Katie Zelem and Saki Kumagai nullified the threat of Alexia Putellas and Rosa Kafaji, Riko Ueki swept everything up in front of them, while the combined transitional threat of Viviane Asseyi and Kelly Gago had London City’s right side teetering on the edge. West Ham’s French duo both found their touch in front of goal following precise counter-attacking moves to secure a first win of the new season. SD
Flexibility helps Liverpool close the gap
Two games, four points and frustration that it’s not all six: Liverpool have come a long way in a year. Last season, it took the Reds until 25 January to earn a win and that win came against Sunday’s opponents Tottenham, a similarly resurgent side who are arguably a few steps further ahead in their project. It was tactical flexibility that helped Gareth Taylor’s side earn a draw, with Liverpool responding well after Signe Gaupset’s effort took a heavy deflection off Sam Kerr to give Spurs a lead, arguably against the run of play. The half-time introduction of Aurélie Csillag, who joined in January and grabbed the goal that gave them a point, was key. “They’re not going to give up the spaces easily,” says Taylor. “At times the spaces changed. Aurélie coming onto the pitch is a different type of proposition for back fours as she’s physically very good.” SW
Champions flex their muscle
The only team with a perfect record after two games, the reigning WSL champions showed theycan be ruthless, with a comprehensive 4-1 defeat of Aston Villa. Yes, Manchester City have played a newly-promoted side, Birmingham, and an unconvincing Aston Villa. Yes, we’re yet to see how City fare when they add Champions League football into the mix, but the firepower at Andrée Jeglertz’s disposal is hugely enviable. Khadija Shaw already has three goals from two games and City had 55 touches in the opposition box to Villa’s 15 and 23 shots to Villa’s five. Chelsea’s profligacy cost them last weekend and Arsenal’s cost them this weekend, but City are scoring for fun. “We’ve had different goalscorers in our games so far,” the impressive Lauren Hemp said to Sky Sports. “And it’s important to have momentum going into the next game.” That’s really all you can ask from them at this stage. SW
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Hills voices regret after controversial red card
The Charlton manager, Karen Hills, admitted she was “disappointed” after a second-half red card for Ashleigh Neville “changed the game” against Everton and led to a 1-0 defeat. Neville was sent off in the 58th minute for a high boot on Ruby Mace. The 33-year-old protested the decision, but while Hills suggested that there was more hip-to-hip contact than anything else, she did not outright criticise the officials. “Obviously it’s disappointing,” she said. “I don’t think the referee made the decision, it’s the fourth [official] and I guess they have to work together. If you watch it back it’s a hip-on-hip. Yes, her foot is a little bit high and that’s what they’ve seen, but disappointed because that changes the momentum of the game.” Charlton eventually went down to nine players after Hawa Cissoko received two yellow cards in quick succession. Emillia Hawkins
Birmingham’s lack of WSL experience shows
On paper, Birmingham’s 2-2 draw against Brighton is an impressive feat for a newly promoted side, but the head coach, Amy Merricks, did not look too happy at the final whistle. Her team led the match by two goals with 15 minutes of normal time left to play but Olivia Garcia got one back for Brighton in the 77th minute before Kiko Seike snatched a point with a last-gasp equaliser. The difference in experience between the two sides likely played a part in the latter stages of the match, with Birmingham in the WSL for the first time since 2022. “We’ll take a massive lesson today from those dying moments, and how we see that out a bit better,” said Merricks. “But certainly what we can’t question is this group’s application and intent. They were on the front foot, they were tenacious. We look improved from last week which, for me, is brilliant. We’re going to go up a notch because I know this team, they won’t settle, they’re very hungry.” EH
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