Friday night saw the first big match up of the season as Arsenal traveled to Leigh to face Manchester United. Arsenal were looking to bounce back from an opening day defeat to Liverpool and United were looking to continue on from their opening day victory at Aston Villa. This was a very big game so early on in the season as we all know any points the big 4 teams drop are crucial in the Champions League spot fight so any result so early in the season could see either side ahead in the race for Europe next season. 

The game got underway at a fast speed with the majority of the opening ten minutes being end to end however, Arsenal took an early lead through Blackstenius in the 14th minute. Arsenal had been testing the United back line in the run up to this but for the goal they just could match the pace of the Arsenal forward and she found the back of net from a great piece of attacking play. United didn't let going a goal down get to them though and they soon picked up pace and begun to attack the Arsenal back line with some fantastic through balls and balls over the top. In the 27th minute the pushing finally paid off and a fantastic press from Galton saw a miss kick from Arsenal's 'keeper D'Angelo and Galton got in behind to slot the ball home bringing the scores level and this is how it would stay for the first half with the teams going into the break with the scoreline being 1-1.

Refereeing has been under the spotlight this weekend and it was no different in the United Arsenal match with some very questionable decisions called in the first half especially when it came to challenges on United's summer signing Geyse, she was constantly put under very strong challenges which any other day may have been considered a foul. The first half also saw the United faithful booing ex-player Russo after her summer switch to North London, in fact the boos didn't stop all game with the noise levels rising every time she touched the ball.

United came out for the second half with a fire in their belly and a point to prove, a strong start and lots of pressure really caused issues for Arsenal but united were just struggling to get that final ball through even though Garcia & Geyse were making some fantastic runs down the right. Arsenal were the first team to make some changes and they were definitely needed as United were putting them under a lot of pressure. We saw Codina, goal scorer Blackstenius and Pelova exit the pitch and McCabe, Foord and Maanum enter in the hopes of taking some pressure off themselves and putting pressure back on United. Once the subs were made Catley stepped up to a close range free kick which didn't put any pressure on Earps. 

Up until this point there had been no cards dished out for Arsenal but after just 3 minutes on the pitch McCabe stayed true to form and picked up a yellow card for a silly challenge, this yellow was closely followed by one for Foord which was yet another silly challenge and manager Eidevall soon found himself in the book alongside his players. It is safe to say these substitutions helped the game heat up a bit with challenges being put in and they also helped with the attacking essence for Arsenal too as Earps was call into action in the 66th & 67th minutes to pull off some brilliant saves to keep United in the game.

The sudden pressure from Arsenal may have been a factor in United making their substitutions not long after or it could possibly have been Skinner considering their upcoming PSG clash either way we saw Williams come on to replace Geyse who was definitely tiring after some great runs. Not long after Williams introduction we saw Miyazawa & Marad come onto the pitch in place of Toone & Garcia, again could Tuesday have been on Skinner's mind. 

As the game continued Arsenal took advantage of United settling into a rhythm after making the changes and they piled on the pressure which saw Russo fire a shot which rattled the cross bar and quite honestly we still aren't sure how it didn't go in. United didn't let the pressure get to them though and not long after Russo's shot a fantastic build up of play from United saw Miyazawa nod the ball through to Malard who opened her United goal scoring account to get Untied a 2-1 lead.

After the goal Arsenal made a few more substitutions which saw Beattie replaced by Wubben-Moy and then Maritz replaced by Lacasse. The substitutions definitely helped Arsenal push for an equalizer with some great build up play through to Maanum who slotted the ball home however, she had luckily for United just mistimed her run and found herself in an offside position meaning the score stayed 2-1 to United. Blundell then made a fantastic run down the right for United and Malard was unlucky not to get a touch on the ball in the box as any connection would have surely wrapped the game up for United. Arsenal kept on applying though and the away fans definitely got behind them as the 4th official put up the board to signal a questionable 6 minutes added time. It felt like United had done just enough to secure all 3 points but in the 93rd minute Lacasse brought the goals level with a fantastic strike right into the top corner which Earps had no chance of ever getting to.

The game ended 2-2 and the United fans could very easily feel hard done by due to conceding in the questionable added time but one point against one of the top 4 teams is certainly better than none. The 96 minutes played definitely showed us that Arsenal have room for improvement and the best is yet to come for them once the team is settled and those injured players start to filter back into the first team set up. It also showed us that yet again United are a team who can challenge for that top spot and that even with Russo gone they can find a way to pick up the points, it didn't look like the team missed her at all and Garcia really filled the void with some brilliant runs whilst Geyse also looks like a great replacement, she looks like she could be a key player in the squad and really help get results once she is fully settled. 

Off the pitch this was our first game witnessing the dedicated away end and we can 100% agree that this is a fantastic addition to the WSL as the atmosphere was a whole lot better than it has been in the past with chants heard from both sides. There was also the very vocal and visual protests from the United fans to get rid of the Glazer's something we think we will see more of as the season progresses. It was also great to see a record attendance of 8,312 to say the game was originally scheduled for a Sunday lunch time but then was changed to a Friday evening to suit the TV cameras. With the atmosphere being as good as it was and the team putting in a brilliant performance it has made us all the more excited to be heading back to the LSV to watch United in their first ever Champions League game against PSG which is bound to be fantastic.

Our player of the match from Friday though has to go to Lucia Garcia, she had an absolutely brilliant game right up until the moment she was substituted. I think there is a possibility she was only replaced with the Champions League game in mind as she could play a key part in troubling that PSG defence just like she did the Arsenal one on Friday. Her pace is going to be a real asset for the team this season and I am sure we will see her on the score sheet plenty of times too.

We have certainly got that football bug back and we are really looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds for United as they definitely have a lot of potential. As for Arsenal once the team has gelled there could be some redeeming performances from them throughout the rest of the season.

After what feels like the longest festive break ever the WSL finally returned this weekend and it was a chance for us to head to Leigh Sports Village to watch Manchester United take on fairly local rivals Liverpool. This was always going to be a big game as it was between the two rival sides and it showed with a new record attendance being set for a WSL game at Leigh Sports Village, it was great to see a packed out stadium. The game was made even bigger though with the earlier game between Arsenal & Chelsea ending in a draw, a win for United meant they could end the weekend in second place in the league and it is safe to say they got that win and the scoreline has probably helped them out for if the league positioning does end up coming down to goal difference, which I think this season could definitely happen with how the results are going. 

United came out fighting from the get go and after 90 minutes they finished the game with a fantastic 6-0 victory, a scoreline I don't think many of us in that stadium actually expected. The win means Man Utd have leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference and when you actually look at the table that goal difference at the moment loos great in United's favour. 

Marc Skinner's side came out fighting from the get go and were working the ball around the pitch well getting into some great attacking positions and it didn't take long for them to get their first goal. The goal came after some great play down United's right and Garcia found the back of the net with a bit of a deflection from the Liverpool defence but in the end the goal was awarded to Garcia and it was great to see her on the score sheet.  After the first goal United just kept on pushing and were determined to get that second goal. The second goal came in the 24th minute and of course it was Alessia Russo who got herself on the score sheet. The build up to Russo's goal was absolutely fantastic with the team lining up well and moving the ball brilliantly before eventually slipping it through to Russo who calmly placed the ball in the back of the net, she definitely seemed to slip through the Liverpool defence a bit too easily but the finish was very well taken. Even after going 2-0 up you could see United were hungry for more goals and they just wouldn't let Liverpool get into the game whilst they tried to increase their lead. They finally got their 3rd goal of the game in the 41st minute when a brilliant cross was put into the box and found the head of Hayley Ladd, in all honesty we both thought this would be saved or at least cleared as the ball seemed to go in slow motion with little power on it however, it beat everyone and found the bottom corner. 

With 3 goals in the first half United went in at the break having performed really well and looking like they could very easily increase their lead further which eventually they did. Liverpool made their first change of the game at half time with Kearns entering the field and the change seemed to do the trick. United restarted the game very slow and Liverpool looked like the team on top for a while as they made a few threatening chances but they just couldn't find the back of the net. Throughout the start of the second half though Liverpool looked like a much better side than they did in the first half although it was short lived when United managed to grab their 4th goal of the game. It was in the 63rd minute when from our view at the opposite end of the stadium it looked like Liverpool were unable to clear their lines after another fantastic ball into the box, just like everyone else in the stadium we thought it was Millie Turner who had got her head to the ball and found the back of the net however, it looks like it has been given as an own goal against Koivisto, this 4th goal though was definitely against the run of play but it seems to be just what United needed to get them going again like they did in the first half. In the 72nd minute they got their 5th goal of the day with substitute Martha Thomas getting in on the scoring action. Thomas got herself into a fantastic position and hit the ball home brilliantly it just looked like such a composed goal from where we were sat. The 6th and final goal came from yet another substitute however, this time it was Rachel Williams who got on the score sheet. Her 84th minute goal wrapped up United's goal scoring for the day and it was a brilliant headed goal from yet another great ball into the box. Williams seems to be a bit of a super sub for United and she is one of the players I am really enjoying watching this season as she can get the goals but also get stuck in defending when needed too. 

The game was definitely a stand out performance for United and the fact that once again all 6 goals were shared between 6 different scorers just shows how versatile the squad is and how even if the 'star' player is having an off day they still have other players on hand to get the goals. There were some scrappy plays throughout the game for both sides with the ball being lost however, looking at the pitch at times it wasn't in the best condition and the downpour pre-game definitely won't have helped the conditions. Even when United did lose the ball though they seemed to win it back very quickly by not giving up and really piling on the pressure on Liverpool. I love how Skinner still made attacking changes even with the team winning by quite a large margin, I am not sure if it was the fact he had that goal difference in mind or if he just knew the team were capable of getting more goals but those substitutes came on and kept the momentum going for United and we saw them extend the scoreline even further. The fact that they can bring on the likes of Thomas, Leon, Williams and Boe Risa on whether they are winning or losing just goes to show the depth United currently have in their squad, something they are going to need if they want to really challenge for that top 3 finish for the remainder of the season.  

As for the player of the match for this game I think it has to go to United's Ona Batlle, she is really becoming a standout name this season and is slowly becoming one of our favourite players due to us absolutely loving her style of play. She had yet another fantastic game on the weekend and helped get United into some fantastic position and put some great balls into the box to create some fantastic chances for the team. She really does cause problems down the right hand side for the opposition and even defensively she is brilliant, if she loses the ball she is straight in there winning it back or tracking back well to put in some much needed tackles to stop the opposition attacks. Against Liverpool she just never seemed to stop and throughout the full game she was either providing opportunities or stopping Liverpool.

United are really showing us what they are capable of this season and they are such a great team to watch, they face Reading on Sunday, will we see another big scoreline or will Reading come to cause problems? I can't wait to see how this game plays out and see how the league table looks after next weekends fixtures.

Finally on Sunday we managed to get to our first Manchester United game of the season. We picked up our first season tickets for the club and the game vs Brighton was the first we could attend due to prior engagements on the day of the Reading game. This was definitely a great first live WSL game of the season for us with a fantastic result going Man Utd's way. On the drive to the game we said we could end up seeing a few goals but I don't think either of us expected all 4 goals would go in United's favour. 

United started the game really well though and looked threatening from the get go. It only took 14 minutes for United to get off the mark and of course it was Ella Toone who got the goal with a pretty good header.  She then went on and doubled United's led in the 26th minute, the goal was nicely slotted home after a fantastic bit of build up play through the middle of the field. In the 40th minute Leah Galton finally found her way onto the score sheet after playing a big part in Toone's goals, it was another great goal created by United getting through Brighton's defence too easily. The first half was absolutely fantastic from United but in the second half they just seemed to sit back a bit and passes didn't flow as well as they had in the first half. We did get to see a goal in front of us though as Leon got her first for the club with a brilliantly placed low driven shot. The game ended 4-0 to United but Brighton could have certainly got themselves on the score sheet as they had some great moments of build up play throughout the game, they just couldn't get past Earps who made some absolutely brilliant saves. Her save at the end of the first half was certainly the best though as she was outstretched and it looked almost certain that the ball was heading into the top corner.

Manchester United moved the ball around really well throughout the game however, in the first half a lot of the best plays were coming from link ups down the left hand side with Galton being instrumental in a lot of the attacks especially those that led to the goals. To be honest Galton could possibly have been our player of the match as she seemed to be everywhere making runs that Brighton didn't expect and getting the team into some dangerous positions. I think it is safe to say Galton is going to be a key player this season if United want to challenge for the top spot so I really hope she stays injury free. Her reading of the game is definitely a great asset for United to have. I am glad she got on the score sheet too as she definitely deserved it. 

It has been a long time coming but I finally got to see Lucy Staniforth in action, she is one of those players I have loved watching for a long time now and I really do believe she is a massively under rated and I wish other people would see her potential. She reads the game well and doesn't panic when in possession, her balls through the backline are brilliantly placed and she can switch the play to the other side with ease. She just seems to be aware of things before they happen and it was rare we saw a bad ball from her on Sunday. Again just like with Galton I think she is going to play a big part in United's chase for glory this season if she can stay away from any injuries. As for Ella Toone it is safe to say she has gone from strength to strength this summer and her two goals on Sunday just shows us she is on fire and ready to help United improve on last seasons 4th place finish. If she stays in the form she is currently in I can see her being on the scoresheet becoming a very regular occurrence. 

With the performances we have seen from Man Utd this season I think it is safe to say they are definitely giving it their all to get a Champions League spot come the end of the season and if they keep performing like they have in these early stages I think they have a strong possibility to gain a Champions League spot and even challenge to be the winner of this seasons WSL. After 3 games they are sitting at the top on goal difference with a game in hand on current title holders Chelsea, it might only be early days but United are getting their fans hopes up so let's hope the momentum keeps on rolling.

We are back at Leigh Sports Village for the next home game vs Chelsea in November and it is safe to say the countdown is on. It is going to be a big test for United and I think it is going to be a close game but I guess only time will tell, can they extend their lead or will Chelsea prove too strong for them? 

There may or may not be a new shirt on its way ready for this game but can you guess who's name is on the back?