Plus: Niamh Charles turns Chelsea's key creator; there are signs of life for West Ham under Rehanne Skinner; Jill Roord is proving to be a superb addition to Man City's midfield
Monday 16 October 2023 08:06, UK
When the Chelsea players' names were read by the announcer at Kingsmeadow on Saturday evening, there was one corresponding cheer that was louder than the rest. Mille Bright's name went down well, as did Niamh Charles', but Sam Kerr's brought the most passionate from the Blues faithful.
They love her in these parts and - with 89 goals across the past three seasons - it's not hard to see why.
But the cheers were just that little bit louder this time because it was the first occasion Kerr had started a game this season, after a calf injury kept her out of much of Australia's World Cup campaign earlier in the summer.
Emma Hayes confirmed Kerr was available for selection earlier in the week and she looked eager to get on the scoresheet minutes after starting against West Ham. Twice she headed Lauren James crosses the wrong side of the post and, in the middle of those two openings, she saw a goal chalked off for offside. It didn't look as though it would be her night.
But she kept on plugging away and it just so happened that a cross from the opposite flank, put on a plate by Niamh Charles, made her job a relatively simple one. She was up and running for the season. The monkey off her back before it caused any problems.
At her best, Kerr might have had a couple more, but with Hayes admitting the striker looked "rusty" in her post-match press conference, just the one will, imaginably, do nicely for now.
Dan Long
Sam Kerr will naturally grab the headlines after scoring Chelsea's decisive goal, but Niamh Charles is the one who deserves the credit. The Blues' xG was up at 2.21, touches in the opposition box: 39, and passes in the final third: 231 - most of that was down to the defender's marauding wide runs.
This was Chelsea's first clean sheet of the season, but it was Charles' work at the top end that caught the eye, driving her side upfield, and delivering killer balls into the box.
Charles herself was responsible for 71 touches in the final third - remarkable for a full-back. Three league appearances, three assists this season.
Manager Emma Hayes has spoken about Charles' ability to play as a left-back, wing-back or left winger. "The winger's provide the width which allows our more creative players to get on the ball centrally," the 24-year-old said herself post-match, but that does her impressive contribution a disservice.
Her delivery for Kerr's winner was executed with pinpoint accuracy, but openings down the left were frequent and numerous thanks to Charles' incredible running power. A top performance from an ever-improving professional.
Laura Hunter
Rehanne Skinner is already showing signs of winning over West Ham fans who were less than sure about her summer appointment.
The Hammers have lost two of their first three matches, but those defeats have come against Manchester City and Chelsea, two sides who will be there-or-there-abouts come the end of the season.
The other, a 2-0 away win at Brighton, is the only positive result so far - but there was far more to Saturday's scoreline at Chelsea than met the eye.
"When you come away from Chelsea disappointed not to get any points it says a lot," Skinner told Sky Sports. And it did. This isn't a fully firing Blues side yet, but their 17-game run of home league wins speaks for itself.
Emma Harries, Viviane Asseyi, Riko Ueki and Kirsty Smith will all wonder whether they could have done more with opportunities in either half before Erin Cuthbert's last-minute second.
At times West Ham looked like the more committed side, winning 50-50 battles across the pitch as Chelsea laboured in possession and gave up the ball too easily.
They can take a lot from performances like this to suggest when they face the kind of opposition they need to beat to mount a top-half assault, wins will follow.
Ron Walker
Manchester City had a quiet summer of incomings compared to other teams in the league, but Jill Roord could prove to be one of the best transfers.
She already came armed with not only WSL experience, but Champions League and international pedigree. While it can take some players time to adapt to the English league, Roord has needed no time at all to make an impact.
She has now scored three goals in her opening three WSL matches, two of which came on Sunday. Both were smart finishes, and almost every touch Roord has oozes class. She knows how to score goals, but also helps keep things ticking over in midfield. The Netherlands international will fight for every ball, and knows how to win.
After just missing out on Champions League football last season, she is just the type of player Man City need to propel them to the next level.
Credit too must go to Khadija Shaw. She looked back to her best for Man City, netting her first two goals of the season. She had the most shots (8) and touches in the opposition box (19) of any player in the game.
With both of these players, peppered with the vibrant, young talent of Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp and Mary Fowler on the wings, Man City's forward line is looking very healthy indeed.
Charlotte Marsh
One moment summed up Beth Mead and it was the one that won Arsenal the game.
The small jink to create some space on the edge of the area shows the technical quality the Lionesses attacker has. Not that anyone needed any reminding of that.
But what Mead is all about is the quick-thinking in a matter of seconds to not shoot, but pass to Alessia Russo to strike home the winning goal against Aston Villa.
"In that moment, it shows what mental strength looks like," said Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall after the game. "If she takes a shot, it could be blocked and it's a transition against us. But what is special about her is that she knows the shot is not on."
Mead was only on for 15 minutes but had time to set up the winner and create a one-on-one for Stina Blackstenius. But most importantly, overall, the England winger put fear into Aston Villa's defenders.
Eidevall played the return of Mead to perfection. The 35,000 Emirates Stadium crowd rose to their feet when she entered the field on 88 minutes. Then it went up another notch as 12 minutes of added time were shown soon after that. From that point, it felt something was coming.
But Mead's magic also encapsulates the additional depth Arsenal had. Victoria Pelova joined Mead in coming off the bench to set up a goal, Blackstenius struck the post in between the two strikes while Chloe Lacasse troubled with her direct running.
It is reminiscent of the firepower Emma Hayes has at Chelsea, where the substitute is just as good and as effective as the one who started.
Arsenal have some early work to do too catch up with the leaders but there is no doubt they have the capability to challenge, especially with gems like Mead in the team.
Sam Blitz
We saw a new resolve from Tottenham on Sunday as Robert Vilahamn's side came from behind to win in the WSL for the first time in almost two years, an unwanted run stretching back 19 games.
Spurs fans could have been forgiven for thinking, 'here we go again' when Brighton top-scorer Elisabeth Terland glanced in Maisie Symonds' left-wing corner after just eight minutes at the Amex.
And with the game heading into first-half stoppage time and still no response from the visitors, few on the south coast would have backed Spurs to turn the contest on its head.
But that is exactly what they did thanks to two mouthwatering strikes either side of the break from Martha Thomas and then Grace Clinton, who found the back of the net with a swerving 35-yard rocket that could already be goal of the season.
A late Ria Percival effort sealed the victory for Spurs, who showed great character to come from behind for the first time since beating Aston Villa in December 2021.
Richard Morgan
This should be a kickstarter for Everton, who haven't managed to put together a complete league performance until facing their famous foe. There's something about the Merseyside derby that seems to ignite Everton's determined side - the Toffees have come out on top in all four meetings to be hosted at Liverpool's Anfield home. In fact, they're yet to concede a goal.
Most on the blue side of the Mersey will admit that the start to the season has been far from ideal, but this has the potential to be a catalyst, and it's finally clear there's some emerging talent within Everton's relatively new-look ranks.
They lost a lot of experience over the summer. Most of the pre-match chat actually centred on Liverpool's impressive recruitment - Matt Beard's side have bolstered really well, particularly at the back, and up until facing Everton, hadn't conceded a single goal.
But it was Brian Sorensen who got this tactically spot on, utilising the old guard to great effect. Everton's longest serving current player Meg Finnigan netted the winner, while Toni Duggan's presence from the bench was equally impactful. It was a classic smash and grab. And now, with a bit of momentum, Sorensen can hope for a rise from the foot of the table to a position much more appealling.
Laura Hunter
