WSL talking points: Arsenal’s attacking woes and Goodwin makes England case

Why do Arsenal struggle to break down low blocks? After being unable to find a way through Crystal Palace’s backline last time out, Arsenal were again frustrated at home in a draw with Manchester United on Saturday and Renée Slegers was asked post-match about how her team can turn their dominance of possession and territory into more goals. It could have been worse, of course, if Smilla Holmberg had not made it 1-1 in the 95th minute. “It’s not one thing, it’s a combination of things,” Slegers said. “It’s a cocktail of things, there are some details in decision making, some details in the technical execution. It’s also the ruthlessness in front of goal but I know the players want it and they want to do that, they want to execute for Arsenal.” Tom Garry

Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United

A good win for Lionesses, Goodwin for England? Just over a week before Sarina Wiegman names her Lionesses squad for October’s World Cup play-off tie against Greece, the England Under-23 international Isobel Goodwin did her chances of a first senior selection no harm at all, as she scored twice for London City Lionesses in a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Charlton. The 23-year-old, who linked up well with Alexia Putellas, scored five times in the WSL last term but will be keen to exceed that this season and impress Wiegman, particularly at a time when Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones has been out with a minor ankle injury and Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang is still returning from her ACL. Wiegman may be considering alternative options for a backup striker to Alessia Russo for these key fixtures. TG

Hemp adds goals to her repertoire She was the WSL’s leading assist-provider in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and supplied the joint-second highest number of assists last season, but goals were not coming regularly for the England winger Lauren Hemp, who had not scored in the WSL since last November until she decisively found the net twice on Friday night in a 4-2 win over Liverpool. The Manchester City boss, Andrée Jeglertz, heaped praise on Hemp as he told Sky Sports: “She’s an amazing player. I don’t know what she’s made of, because she just loves to be on the field and looks like she has so much energy. She’s a game-changer.” Hemp nearly had a hat-trick but she saw an early, rising strike tipped over the bar by Khiara Keating. TG

Match report: Manchester City 4-2 Liverpool

Potter shines at the heart of Chelsea's midfield. There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about the future of young English players in the WSL. People are asking whether these players get enough chances to play. England's Lexi Potter is one young player who has been standing out in the middle of Chelsea's midfield. The 2-0 win over Birmingham City was her second start in two matches. She played with confidence again. The 20-year-old stays calm and can control the ball in tight spaces. This helps her escape pressure from opponents. She also times her runs into the box well, which is a big strength. She scored the first goal at Stamford Bridge by reacting quickly to the second ball in the penalty area. Her growing partnership with Keira Walsh has also stood out. "They understand each other, and even when they are on the pitch and they close their eyes, they know where each other is," Sonia Bompastor told Chelsea media. Like Goodwin, she may have done enough to catch Wiegman's attention. Sophie Downey

Another own goal sends Everton up to fifth How do you register six points without scoring a single goal? Everton completed this remarkable feat after a late winner at West Ham – an own goal from defender Laia Codina – gave them all three points. It was the second time in as many weeks that a touch from their opponent handed them a victory but it will not matter to Scott Phelan’s side who sit pretty at fifth in the table. It was an even affair for the most parts in Dagenham with both setups nullifying the other. The Toffees looked defensively resilient, handling the threat of Kelly Gago and Viviane Asseyi comfortably. Down the other end, West Ham did the same with the visitors’ attack. Both had an equal share of possession, both had similar xGs and both registered just three shots on target. Everton’s ability to finish strongly, however, was the difference maker. Phelan turned to his bench and they were able to ratchet up the pressure with Yuka Momiki providing the delivery for the winner. SD

Holdt sparks Spurs to a big win. Olivia Holdt marked her first start of the season by scoring three goals, as Spurs turned a first half where they were in control but did not score into a 7-0 win at Crystal Palace. Palace’s job got harder when Fuka Tsunoda was sent off in the seventh minute for a reckless challenge on Cathinka Tandberg. But at first, Spurs struggled to break through a team that defended deep. "When they got the red card, I was thinking this could actually be tougher for us," Holdt said. At half-time, Spurs manager Martin Ho asked his players to get more players into the box. Holdt had scored her third goal by the 73rd minute, as Spurs finally showed the sharpness in front of goal that had been missing. Mitul Samji

Brighton’s lack of clinical edge proves costly Brighton may have had 25 shots, eight on target and an xG of 3.17, but they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa after failing to make their dominance count. Gabby George’s first goal for the club gave them a deserved lead in the 31st minute, but they could not find a second despite creating a total of 15 chances. The result was made all the more frustrating by the manner of Villa’s equaliser in the 89th minute, with Brighton unable to defend a corner. The result leaves the new manager, Arturo Ruiz, still searching for their first win of the season. “Here in our stadium, in these kinds of games we cannot lose two points,” he said. “We need to get three points in 100% of these games.” The performance was encouraging, but the finishing was not. Réshma Rao

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Man City Women 3 7 9 2 Tottenham Hotspur Women 3 9 7 3 Chelsea Women 3 7 7 4 London City Lionesses 3 3 6 5 Everton Women 3 1 6 6 Arsenal Women 3 1 5 7 Liverpool FC Women 3 2 4 8 Crystal Palace Women 3 -6 4 9 West Ham Women 3 -2 3 10 Brighton & Hove Albion Women 3 -1 2 11 Aston Villa Women 3 -3 2 12 Birmingham City Women 3 -4 1 13 Man Utd Women 3 -6 1 14 Charlton Women 3 -8 0