Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action | OneFootball

A question of identity at Tottenham

Arsenal will steal the headlines, with five goals, a clean sheet, Chloe Kelly making her second debut and a 56,784 crowd, but the plight of Tottenham is the bigger talking point. Spurs have lost as many games as they did across the whole of last season (seven) and only bottom-placed Crystal Palace have conceded more goals. Last term they were a team full of promise, an FA Cup final the reward for the progress made under Robert Vilahamn. This season they look a shadow of that side. The loss of the loanee Grace Clinton and Celin Bizet, both to Manchester United, has weakened their midfield but does not justify the apparent aimlessness of the players that remain. Vilahamn said they needed to stay true to the way they want to play – building out from the back – without conceding as many goals (31 in 14 games). He said he wanted to “make sure we have an identity that we follow”. The question is, do the players maintain their belief in that identity? Suzanne Wrack

Report: Arsenal 5-0 Tottenham

Terland ticks all the boxes

The Norway striker Elisabeth Terland found the net twice for Manchester United against Crystal Palace to take her goals tally to four in her past three games in all competitions. United’s head coach, Marc Skinner, sang her praises after the 3-1 win, saying: “Her first goal showed the touch of class she has in the box, that turn and finish. The second goal sums her up as a person, because she’s tenacious, she runs, she works for the team. I’ve not seen many better finishers in the box than Elisabeth. But the development in her hold-up play, from the start of the season to now, outside of the box, has been incredible.” Tom Garry

Report: Manchester United 3-1 Crystal Palace

Shaw gives Reds more nightmares

No matter how they try, Liverpool simply cannot stop Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. The Jamaica striker has played against Liverpool six times and has scored 10 goals, including nine in the past four meetings, after Sunday’s first-half double. Matt Beard, Liverpool’s manager, said: “She doesn’t just score against Liverpool, she scores against everyone. She’s a world-class forward. She’s difficult to play against: pace, power.” Shaw extended her lead in the WSL’s Golden Boot race, taking her tally to 11 goals in 12 games, at a rate of one every 73 minutes. TG

Report: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool

Home comforts growing for Hammers

Lack of consistency has been a theme of West Ham’s season, as it has for most of the bottom half of the table. Winning back-to-back home league games, however, will give Rehanne Skinner’s side a platform to build on as they head into the business end of the campaign – four of their remaining eight games will be at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. Despite having just over a third of the possession, the Hammers created almost double the chances of a frustrated and frustrating Brighton. The hosts had their goalkeeper, Kinga Szemik, to thank for keeping them in the first half but they turned up the intensity after the break, finding their clinical side in the right moments and capitalising on the recurrent defensive fragility of Dario Vidosic’s side. Sophie Downey

James shows more than talent

Lauren James was lauded by the Chelsea manager, Sonia Bompastor, after the 23-year-old scored in the 93rd minute to complete a 2-1 comeback win against Everton. Chelsea showed they are mentality monsters to extend their unbeaten run,with only Manchester City (10) and Brighton (5) having recovered more WSL points from losing positions than the Blues (four). The sensational 25-yard winning goal led Bompastor to call James “incredible”. She said: “If she was not on the pitch we probably could not have won the game. The talent is really helpful in that situation. She could show her talent with the ball, but also she works really hard for the team and I think that’s something really good. As a player I think her teammates also value that and I think that’s really important.” Sarah Rendell

Foxes can smell safety

Leicester have been battling at the bottom but their dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa may secure safety. The victory, inspired by the Belgium international Janice Cayman, who scored twice, enabled them to leapfrog Villa to 10th and put them six points clear of bottom-placed Crystal Palace. With eight rounds to play it is possible for Leicester to be relegated but their form and momentum make it unlikely. Their manager, Amandine Miquel, told BBC Radio Leicester’s When You’re Smiling podcast: “Six points is good but it’s not enough. We have to focus on ourselves and perform every weekend to hopefully get the points. At least we aim to come out of every game with no regrets.” SR

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