Sub Beth Mead set up the winner as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1 in dramatic fashion; Mead teed up the winner for Alessia Russo on 94 minutes, moments after Katie McCabe equalised; Man City put five goals past Bristol City as Man Utd were held by Leicester, while Spurs won 3-1 at Brighton
Monday 16 October 2023 07:33, UK
Beth Mead put 330 days of injury woes behind her by setting up a winner for Alessia Russo as Arsenal scored two stoppage times goals to seal a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Aston Villa.
Villa took a 1-0 lead into 12 minutes of stoppage time after Maz Pacheco scored from a first-half corner, but the Gunners delivered their two devastating blows in front of 35,829 fans at the Emirates Stadium.
Mead's introduction on 88 minutes - her first outing since severely injuring her knee which forced her to miss the Women's World Cup with England last November - sparked the comeback as Katie McCabe lashed in a leveller after good work from Caitlin Foord in the second minute of stoppage time.
Arsenal thought they missed their chance to win the game when Stina Blackstenius ran through on goal and struck the post - but their winner came two minutes after their leveller.
Mead jinked her way to the edge of the box to set up Russo, who put a low effort under Villa goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to score her first WSL goal for Arsenal since moving from Manchester United.
It was harsh on Villa and Van Domselaar - who had superbly kept out Foord by pushing her effort onto the post earlier in the game, as Arsenal snatched the points.
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw with battle-hardened Leicester on Sunday afternoon, where Maya Le Tissier's second-half leveller cancelled out Aileen Whelan's opener.
It was the visitors who stole the lead on the hour mark, with Whelan lurking at the back post to expertly turn home Courtney Nevin's lofted free-kick.
The midfielder was naively left unmarked, sweeping beyond Mary Earps with superb precision, before Le Tissier rescued the situation by glancing Katie Zelem's delivery into the far corner of Janina Leitzig's net seven minutes later.
Willie Kirk's impact on this Leicester side has been immense since taking over in November last year - and it was their defensive stubbornness that prevailed as United came on strong late on.
Hinata Miyazawa, the summer's World Cup Golden Boot winner, crashed an effort off the underside of the bar, while substitute Rachel Williams tried to force the issue with a couple of headed efforts in the final moments - neither doing much to trouble Leitzig. United also had Earps to thank for tipping Lena Petermann's fierce strike over the bar on her 100th appearance.
Perhaps the most concerning thing for Marc Skinner will be the fact his side have conceded the first goal in all three of their WSL encounters this season, as well as falling behind to PSG in their Champions League qualifier midweek.
Leicester drop to second in the standings, while United are fifth - and this will be considered a fairly significant blow in their pursuit of a first-ever WSL title, despite an impressive recovery rate and fighting spirit.
Man City demolished Bristol City at the Joie Stadium, winning 5-0 with all the goals coming in the first half.
Jill Roord opened things up inside nine minutes. Khadija Shaw's effort pinged off the underside of the crossbar, with no one sure if it was over the line or not. But Roord was waiting at the back post to nod the ball firmly home.
It took 25 minutes for the next goal as Man City continued to press their opponents. It was a lovely glancing header from Laia Aleixandri as she sent home a fine free kick from Alex Greenwood.
Shaw finally opened her WSL account for the season shortly after. It was an inviting cross from Mary Fowler from the right, with the Jamaica international powering home the header.
But there was more to come as six minutes of added time were shown. Man City's players were lining up as a Fowler cross came in from the left, with Roord winning the battle to nod home her second of the afternoon.
Shaw followed with the last action of the half. It was a more stilted header from the striker as she met Chloe Kelly's cross, adding to Bristol City's woes.
The Robins were improved after the break - conceding none and even drawing a few saves from Khiara Keating - but did little to inspire an unprecedented comeback.
It leaves Bristol City rooted to the bottom of the WSL table with no points yet this season. Man City are joint-top on seven points with Leicester and Chelsea.
Tottenham came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 at the Amex, a result that saw the visitors go fourth in the WSL, a point behind joint-leaders Man City, Leicester and Chelsea.
The home side made the perfect start when top-scorer Elisabeth Terland glanced in Maisie Symonds' left-wing corner after eight minutes, only for Spurs to respond in style.
First, Drew Spence's spectacular long-range volley crashed against the bar, with Martha Thomas quickest to react to guide the rebound into the far corner in first-half injury time.
That strike gave Robert Vilahamn's side a lift heading into the second half, when a goal-of-the-season contender from Grace Clinton, who found the back of the net from 35 yards out, and a late Ria Percival effort saw Spurs win after conceding the opener in the WSL for the first time since December 2021.
