It is safe to say it is already getting pretty tight at the top of the WSL table and there is still a long way to go in the season. It might be early days but we are seeing a very competitive start to the 22/23 with Arsenal and Manchester United really standing out to us, they are both unbeaten and look very threatening on the attack, I just hope these two teams really keep on pushing and challenging Chelsea who are level on points but having played 1 more game than Arsenal & Man Utd, they definitely aren't where they would expect to be by now, that opening weekend defeat to Liverpool has got them playing catch up. As for the rest of the table Everton are really showing us that they have a point to prove after last season's struggles. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the table both Reading & Leicester are struggling, neither side have recorded any points yet and with how the rest of the table is moving I do believe they need to start picking up points soon. So here is a look at the weekend's results...
Tottenham vs Manchester City
The first game of the weekend was a good one. Unfortunately there was a delay in the opening minutes with Tottenham's Brazil going down with a nasty looking injury, fingers crossed she makes a speedy recovery and is back on the pitch soon. Tottenham looked promising at times with some good pressing however, it was Manchester City who walked away with all 3 points thanks to two goals from Shaw and 1 from Hemp. Shaw is really showing us all what she is capable of and why she is able to fill the boots of retired Ellen White with her run of goals at the moment and I think we could see her in the running for this seasons golden boot if she keeps going the way she is. It is nice to see City slowly getting back to winning ways too as they really didn't have the best start to the season.
Aston Villa vs Everton
A brilliant goal from Lucy Graham saw Everton pick up another 3 points for the season which sees them winning 3 out of their opening 5 games. They are really showing us that they are a much better side than last season where we saw them finish 10th in the league. If they keep playing like they have been doing I can definitely see them improving on that 10th place and also causing some upsets along the way. As for Villa they won their opening 2 games and have lost their last 2, with the teams around them starting to gain momentum are we going to see them start slipping or are we going to see them get back to winning ways soon?
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Arsenal have extended their unbeaten run in the league with yet another clean sheet. We saw a few changes to their starting line up after their midweek victory over Lyon, most surprisingly we saw Miedema starting on the bench. I don't think many fans expected this but it didn't slow Arsenal down as they comfortably won the game 2-0. We saw Walti get her first WSL goal for the club and what a strike it was and we saw Frida Maanuum on the scoresheet for the second time this week, showing us why Jonas believed in her to start the game. Liverpool did have a few chances and played some good football in the middle of the pitch at times but they just couldn't get themselves on the scoresheet.
Leicester vs Manchester United
Leicester continued their winless run at the weekend whilst Manchester United extended their unbeaten run with yet another clean sheet, thanks to yet more very impressive goal keeping from Mary Earps, who is having a fantastic start to the season. The win sees United level on points with Arsenal & Chelsea at the top of the table and to be honest I think we need to get used to seeing them up there as they definitely look like a contender for at least a Champions League spot this season. It was nice to see Parris get her first WSL goal for the club too and I am sure we will see plenty more from her throughout the season.
West Ham vs Reading
West Ham have had a bit of a mixed start to the season and have won 3 out of 5 games so far and at the weekend they found themselves 3 goals up against league strugglers Reading before half time, Reading managed to pull two goals back but just fell short of pulling back a draw to pick up their first points of the season. Reading are definitely struggling so far this season and fingers crossed they can get some points on the board soon, as for West Ham though they have started this season strong and if they keep these performances up we could see them cause a few upsets this season.
Brighton vs Chelsea
Well this game was touch and go for a bit with the bad weather and as the game got underway you could see why, there was plenty of surface water on the pitch but that didn't stop Chelsea and 2 goals, 1 from England and one from Harder saw them leave with all 3 points. Brighton definitely did a bit better than the previous weekend where we saw Man Utd score 4 past them, the defence looked a bit tighter at times and they did create some good chances that they were unable to convert. Did the weather effect Chelsea though? Well some passes didn't seem to connect as well as you would expect from the team and some shots just didn't seem to connect as well as they might have done in other games. Chelsea are definitely pushing to make up from that opening day defeat but with them having played a game more than Man Utd & Arsenal is that going to cause them a problem as the season progress.
The league is only in its early stages but we are already seeing teams make a better start than they did last season and we are seeing other teams like Man City finally starting to gel together and get the results we expect to see from them. We said before the start of the season we expected to see this season be much more competitive and it is already living up to those expectations. I wonder if we wil get any surprise results in next weeks wrap up? Check back next week to see.
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