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

Agyemang impresses and gets first goal of campaign

After making herself a household name this summer and being handed the No 9 shirt at Brighton, Michelle Agyemang must have felt a little pressure to build consistent performances across 90 minutes. A series of bright displays have impressed so far but she had little to show for it from the first three games in terms of scoring. Her winner against Everton this weekend, therefore, would have come as a huge relief. It was an eye-catching performance from the 19-year-old who was at the heart of everything Brighton did in the 1-0 victory – a constant threat who was happy to drop deep to impact play, strong in her duels (she won the most) and a presence when Brighton needed to defend their own box. Her goal subjected Everton to a third straight defeat as Brian Sørensen continues to work out the best formula for his team. Sophie Downey

Arsenal struggle to pick up momentum

It is only September, so it feels somewhat silly to be questioning Arsenal’s title challenger credentials, but four points dropped in their past two games is far from where Renee Slegers’s side would like to be. Particularly as champions Chelsea dropped just six points across their entire campaign last term. The draw against Manchester United could be somewhat forgiven as Marc Skinner’s side are organised and defensively robust, but the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday was a more humbling point picked up. Arsenal dominated against the visiting team at the Emirates Stadium but just could not build on their early lead, which came courtesy of a Villa error. “We have more shots [than against Manchester United] at least, which of course we want at home,” said Slegers. “We always look at how many we have on target and of course it’s not enough. We had more possession and solutions today but we didn’t have enough urgency in and around the box today and when the game is 1-0 the opposition always believe they can get back in it.” Suzanne Wrack

Inexplicable red card hampers Hammers

West Ham’s woes went from bad to worse against the champions, Chelsea, on Sunday, with a chaotic and disengaged defence partly responsible for Rehanne Skinner’s side going three goals down within 15 minutes. Desperate to regroup, they were dealt a further blow eight minutes later when Inès Belloumou inexplicably pulled Alyssa Thompson’s hair, eliciting a straight red card from the referee. It was a moment of madness that plunged the Hammers into deeper water; the east London side already sit bottom of the table without a win. That the scoreline ended at 4-0 is a testament to their ability to get their heads back in the game on the one hand, but Chelsea were also able to relax a little, their three goal cushion courtesy of Aggie Beever-Jones, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Erin Cuthbert, and then added to by Wieke Kaptein. This could be a long season for the Hammers. SW

Taylor changes taking time to bed in

Liverpool struggled to keep hold of the ball during their home defeat against Manchester United, particularly during the first half, and after an improved second half, Gareth Taylor’s team managed only 38.3% of the possession overall. That is something Taylor – who was appointed on 8 August – is trying to change as he tries to build a new style of play at the Merseyside club. “It doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “Everyone wants to try and play in a possession-based team but trying to get it is really tough. Some of it, you have to give United a little bit of credit for, in the way they pressed. But certainly we needed to be better in that, definitely. There are learnings from this game, for sure, but [being] possession-based, that’s really hard, it takes time. The signs have been positive so far but we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Tom Garry

Spurs show bouncebackability

There is no doubt that Tottenham have rediscovered their spark. After a lacklustre 2024-25 season, there would have been a few fears about how Martin Ho’s side might react to the recent and heavy Manchester City defeat. But they raced out of the blocks at the King Power Stadium with confidence to earn an important 2-1 victory. Two goals in six minutes were just rewards for the energy of their press that has become such a feature under Ho in these early weeks. Eveliina Summanen set the tempo from midfield, Olivia Holdt sparkled and stretched the defence, while the new striker Cathinka Tandberg continues to illustrate why the club were desperate to bring her in on deadline day. This Leicester side, however, do not give up without a fight and Rick Passmoor will be encouraged at how they rallied in the second half. SD

Shaw back on form from the spot

Andrée Jeglertz praised Khadija Shaw’s “strong” personality after the striker bounced back to score two penalties against London City Lionesses. Shaw missed a spot kick in Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Tottenham earlier this month. However, she confidently struck twice from 12 yards to help her side to a 4-1 victory over London City on Sunday. The brace also saw her goal tally rise to three in four games. “It’s mentally challenging for her [Bunny] but it shows she’s a strong personality and has belief in herself,” Jeglertz said. “We believe in her by giving her the opportunity again so that’s very good for her. She’s now scored two and it will give her confidence.” Emillia Hawkins

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