A roundup of the weekend’s WSL results, where Arsenal are no longer perfect, unbeaten or top of the league, Manchester United are the new leaders, and Alex Morgan made her Tottenham debut.
[ PREMIER LEAGUE: Man City, Liverpool split rain-soaked spoils ]
Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal
And just like that, the three-horse title race is suddenly a four-way affair.
Arsenal’s rampant start to the season came to an unceremonious end on Sunday, as the Gunners dropped points and were beaten for the first time this season. It wasn’t an overwhelming result or performance from the Red Devils, but it was certainly the first time all season that Arsenal looked to be a team comprised of humans rather than otherworldly specimens. Coming into the weekend, Arsenal were a perfect 5-for-5 on wins and had scored 29 goals while conceding just four.
Ella Toone scored the only goal of Sunday’s top-of-the-table showdown, and it didn’t come until the 83rd minute which left precious little time for Arsenal to respond.
Up next: Manchester United v Manchester City (Saturday); Arsenal v Chelsea (Sunday).
Chelsea 4-0 Everton
Chelsea made the most of Arsenal’s first slip-up of the season and moved three points closer to their London rivals and title foes with a resounding win over Everton.
Ji So-yun opened the scoring after 16 minutes, followed by a quick brace from Bethany England (73rd and 76th minutes), but it was Pernille Harder’s 97th-minute screamer which truly impressed and stole all of the social media clicks.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Reading
Alex Morgan made her Tottenham Hotspur debut on Saturday, but more importantly it was her first competitive outing since giving birth to her first child in May. The USWNT superstar completed her long road back to full fitness and came off the bench as a 70th-minute substitute.
“It just feels good to get back on the field for the first time in over a year so happy about that,” Morgan said after the game. Obviously not too happy about the result but I just had to start to get some minutes and build from there. I felt like there was definitely a lot more sprints than in training. I’ll get used to it pretty quickly. I’m looking forward to getting into more of the game to settle into it more. I think my fitness is getting back there. It’s just going to take some time. I’m going to have to get game time to get match fit.”
Other WSL results
Manchester City 8-1 Bristol City
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 Aston Villa
Birmingham City 1-2 West Ham United