The FA WSL returned last weekend and after all the hype and anticipation, the opening games certainly did not disappoint.
Curiously, all six games had a winner with no draws in any of the matches and the majority of points went to the home sides.
The only away team to take three points on their travels was Tottenham, as they overcame Leicester City 2-1.
Arsenal began the new 2022-23 season with a 4-0 win over Brighton. The one-sided outcome was arguably spoilt by a controversial red card in the seventh minute to Emma Kullberg.
The centre-back was deemed to trip Stina Blackstenius as she looked to drive into the penalty area although the replay seemed inconclusive.
Unsurprisingly that led to a difficult night ahead for the Seagulls, Kim Little opened the scoring before Blackstenius eventually got her goal and Beth Mead grabbed a brace to round things off.
That game was followed by Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime, and that game would finish with the same scoreline as United look to prove their worth as a title contender.
Reading are well regarded in the FA WSL and have always had an impressive record, however, they will be very disappointed at how they began.
After less than 15 minutes they were 2-0 down thanks to new summer signing Maya Le Tissier earning her first United goal, before Katie Zelem fired home from the spot.
Le Tissier has been earmarked as one to watch this season and the defender added a second goal to her debut performance on 25 minutes. Alessia Russo added a fourth before half-time putting the game to bed.
Aston Villa stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller
The best of the action was kept for Sunday as the two televised games both delivered ‘upsets’. First up, Aston Villa against Manchester City turned into a seven-goal thriller at Villa Park.
Alisha Lehmann and debutant Rachel Daly put the home team ahead, before three goals in 10 minutes gave City a stunning lead.
Not many would have bet against City at that point, however, they held their lead for only three minutes as Kenza Dali fired Villa level from good pressure inside City’s half.
With the game evenly poised, Villa were the one to create more clear-cut opportunities late on and Daly grabbed her second to earn a winning start.
The late TV game brought drama in the form of disallowed goals and penalties, as newcomers Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1.
All goals came from the spot as US forward Katie Stengel kept her nerve twice to overcome Fran Kirby’s spot-kick in the third minute.
In the only other game of the weekend, Scotland’s Lisa Evans gave West Ham a 1-0 win over Everton.
This weekend’s action has a lot to live up after the opener and it will begin today with the North London derby at Arsenal’s Emirates.
😱 50,000 TICKETS SOLD! 😱
Who's ready for the north London derby? 😉
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) September 22, 2022
Over 55,000 people are expected to be in attendance as the FAWSL record is set to be broken. The current record is 38,262, and was set when Tottenham hosted the derby fixture in November 2021.
That isn’t all, tomorrow will then see the Merseyside derby take place at Anfield as the Sunday evening late kick-off.
Rangers fall to Champions League defeat at Ibrox
The Uefa Women’s Champions Lleague round two began last week, with two of the three remaining British teams in action.
Scottish champions Rangers faced Benfica at Ibrox on Tuesday night, meanwhile, Arsenal welcomed Ajax on the same evening.
Rangers showcased the club’s first ever UWCL knock-out match at the main stadium and despite the scoreline ending 3-2 for the away side, the night was lauded as a success.
Rangers took the lead through a great header by Kayla McCoy after neat footwork from Brogan Hay down the right. However, Benfica found an equaliser before half-time through Ana Vitoria, who then sent her team in front before the hour-mark with an emphatic finish after some slack defending inside Rangers’ own penalty area.
McCoy has been on fine form though, and two minutes later she clawed Rangers back on level terms sending a ruthless strike into the far corner after Nicola Docherty sent her clean through on goal.
The night ended with some disappointment, as goalkeeper Victoria Esson fumbled the ball over the line to gift Benfica a generous win, however there is all to play for next week in Portugal.
For Arsenal, Ajax posed a tricky task and manager Jonas Eidevall opted for a few changes from his weekend’s WSL winning start. Steph Catley and Lena Hurtig came in down the left for Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord.
On the whole it was tactically astute from Arsenal and they were definitely the better side, however the game ended 2-2 on the night, leaving them with a more uncomfortable proposition than expected in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Scotland want Hampden crowd boost for World Cup play-off
The women’s international window will follow the men’s fixtures this coming week, and for Scotland it comes with great importance.
The World Cup play-offs will begin at Hampden on Thursday October 6 as Scotland face Austria and there is a push for a maximum capacity crowd so the Scotland roar can drive the team to success.
Although some traditional outlets still suppress the game’s exposure, the players themselves continue to contribute to helping enhance ticket sales and promote the fixtures.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen continue to look for a first win after taking just one point in their opening five games. The Dons welcome Celtic on Sunday afternoon.
