WSL talking points: Russo to Arsenal’s rescue and Olid makes Manchester United progress

Will derby win kick-start Arsenal’s season?

The penalty that allowed Arsenal to come from a goal behind to take the lead may have come with a healthy helping of luck, with the ball having come off Ella Morris’s raised arm as her teammate attempted to clear it, but it could prove to be the turning point Arsenal needed. “It’s been tough. We haven’t got the results we wanted,” penalty scorer Alessia Russo told the BBC afterwards. “This was an important win as far as north London derbies goes. It was really important and this was a great opportunity to try and turn it around.” It has taken seven games for the Gunners to secure their second league win of the season despite high hopes ahead of the new campaign and, while the result was a significant one, there is still a long way to go if Arsenal are to salvage anything from the most disappointing of starts. The performance against Tottenham was far from perfect and, in the first half in particular, sloppy and lacking fight. Tightening up their passing and harnessing the grit they found as they clung onto their lead towards the end of the match will be critical if they are to really kick on from this result. Suzanne Wrack

Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal

Godfrey a star in the makingFreya Godfrey of London City Lionesses Photograph: Clare Overfield/SPP/Shutterstock

Is Freya Godfrey England’s future? That’s what Alexia Putellas thinks of her London City Lionesses teammate, and the Spain icon heaped praise on the 21-year-old winger after she scored in her second consecutive WSL game. Godfrey – who made her senior England debut earlier this month against Greece – capitalised on a Khiara Keating mistake to score in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday and her all-round display delighted Putellas, who told Sky Sports: “She can arrive where she really wants. I always tell her, she’s a star girl. She will be the future of this club. She has to keep working like she is doing now. She will be the future of England as well as the present.” TG

United show progress under Olid

Manchester United’s display in Sunday’s derby draw was night and day compared to their most recent previous home league fixture against a title challenger, when they were torn apart in a 5-0 defeat at home against Chelsea just six weeks ago. Against Manchester City on Sunday they competed toe-to-toe with the defending champions, and while it would be wrong to suggest that Eva Olid’s team are anywhere near the finished article, their improvements are striking, both with and without the ball. Olid feels that heavy defeat early in her tenure actually helped her side. “It was a hard week after Chelsea but sometimes you need a difficult moment to happen, to react and see exactly where the problems [were] or the things we had to solve as a team,” she said. “It had to happen to now be the team we are.” Tom Garry

Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Manchester City

Birmingham earn first win of WSL return

Birmingham’s first win of the WSL season came in the first encounter between league newcomers this season. Following an impressive point at the Emirates the week before,the 1-0 win over Charlton marked another key step as Amy Merricks’ side continue to settle into the top flight. The Blues were almost made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal against a familiar foe from last season in WSL2. They dominated proceedings and created 20 chances in total but registered just five on target. Océane Hurtré and Lisa Naalsund rattled the crossbar while Lily Crosthwaite missed three gilt-edged opportunities before Wilma Leidhammar struck a 68th minute-winner. “That was the most important thing today,” Merricks said. “We needed to pick up three points and we delivered that. I don’t think the performance was our finest. You could feel the caginess across the pitch and that is something we need to work on. We are in a better place, and we keep pushing.” Sophie Downey

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Depth the difference as Chelsea produce comebackMelvine Malard displayed her class as Chelsea despatched Crystal Palace. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

For 51 minutes on Sunday afternoon, it felt like it might just be one of those days for Chelsea. Despite dominating the first half – they created 12 opportunities to Crystal Palace’s four and registered 20 touches in the opposition box – they found themselves trailing and running out of ideas. A key difference between the two sides, however, is the strength in depth available to their respective managers. In bringing on Erin Cuthbert and Sandy Baltimore at half-time, Sonia Bompastor was able to call on the services of two experienced internationals. Cuthbert added a crucial bite to the midfield that had been lacking in the first half while Baltimore set up Melvine Malard to put the Blues in front before scoring from the spot to confirm the three points. In contrast, Jo Potter made just three substitutions with the first coming in the 77th minute. It is this ability to change things from the bench that truly illustrates the gap in class between the eight-time WSL champions and the league newcomers. SD

Sørensen makes statement against former club

Brian Sørensen and his Aston Villa side came away with a 3-2 win against Everton. Sørensen, who took over from Natalia Arroyo last month, faced the Merseyside club for the first time since his Goodison Park exit in February. Villa dominated the clash and went 3-0 up within 50 minutes thanks to goals from Noelle Maritz and Amalie Vangsgaard, but they were given a scare following a late comeback push with Holly McNamara and Noémie Mouchon both scoring. Villa saw the game out to take three points – just. Nevertheless, Sørensen will be thrilled with the outcome, especially as it moved his team up to eighth. It also marked the first time since the 2024-25 campaign that Villa have won back-to-back games. “I’m happy, it was overall a good performance,” the interim head coach said. “Of course, maybe they got a bit too excited at the end but I also think we had the opportunities to kill the game off a lot sooner. But three points is three points, that’s all that matters.” Emillia Hawkins

Symonds’ stunner inspires Brighton win

Maisie Symonds’ stunning strike set Brighton on course for a 3-0 victory over West Ham. The Brighton captain broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, meeting a headed clearance with a first-time strike from distance that swerved beyond West Ham goalkeeper Constance Picaud-Inconnu and kissed the post on its way in. It was her second goal of the season, rewarding Brighton’s early dominance. Fran Kirby doubled the lead in the 63rd minute before Kiko Seike struck three minutes later. Brighton’s head coach, Arturo Ruiz, called it his side’s “most complete” performance of the season, praising their confidence and tactical adaptability. Symonds said Brighton “got control” in the second half. It was the Seagulls’ first Women’s Super League clean sheet of the campaign. Mitul Samji