Sky Sports analyzes the biggest and boldest talking points as Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea all score four goals to complete big wins…
Man Utd rise above the noise
Never a dull week in Manchester. Another misstep by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Another high-profile departure as Dan Ashworth, a public advocate for the women's program, leaves the club. There is always noise around Old Trafford, but this weekend Marc Skinner's side managed to rise above it.
Their 4-0 defeat of Liverpool – a team they lost home and away last season – was impressive in its unease, but even more so against the backdrop of Ratcliffe describing the men's team as the “main issue”. The priority list remains as confused as ever.
On the pitch, Man Utd were ruthless, scoring four times from six shots on target, their largest margin of victory in a year – and distributing the goals neatly throughout the team. It was a gutsy performance that convinced doubters of Man Utd's ability to mix with the best this season.
Critics have so far praised the defensive stability but never mentioned the productivity at the top – now they can do both.
Chelsea passes their biggest test yet
Chelsea remain perfect in the WSL after beating Brighton 4-2, but signs of weakness were, perhaps for the first time, apparent. They were pushed to their limits against Brighton in terrible conditions and made enough mistakes to show they could be caught if the opposition teams were prepared to be brave.
Hannah Hampton gifted Kiko Seike a goal before the Japan international missed a golden opportunity to draw level at 3-3 in the second half. If that had happened, we could have been talking about a different outcome. Chelsea were carless in possession and made far too many mistakes, especially in midfield.
High turnovers and sloppy transitions are not in the Sonia Bompastor playbook. The Frenchwoman will be happy with her team's resilience to get the result, but not with the way they achieved it.
Why is Slegers still interim boss?
At this point, it is difficult to understand why Arsenal have not appointed Renee Slegers as Jonas Eidevall's permanent successor. Since Eidevall walked in October, the Gunners have made eight appearances in all competitions, winning seven of them.
They have scored 24 goals – including five three-plus goals in single matches – and have conceded just twice. And the revival goes beyond collective results; individual performance has also improved enormously.
Alessia Russo is a case in point, having now scored in four consecutive WSL appearances for the first time ever. She plays with a natural rhythm and a freedom that was difficult to obtain under Eidevall. That is not a coincidence.
Slegers' audition was almost perfect – surely she is now the ideal candidate for the role permanently?
Sublime Shaw is unstoppable
Bunny Shaw has everything. The rate at which she scores goals is clearly impressive, but the way she scores them should be equally praised. Her performances are the reason second-placed Manchester City continue to put pressure on leaders Chelsea.
Manager Gareth Taylor praised her as “the complete striker” on Sunday as City defeated Leicester in style with Shaw scoring two of their four goals. “She gives us so much without scoring, and her goals are the icing on the cake,” he added.
Two powerful headers – copies of each other – were simply repeats of goals she has scored time and time again in the WSL, and yet no defender can handle the threat. Knowing what she wants to do is one thing, understanding how to stop it is another.
Since her WSL debut in September 2021, Shaw has found the net 59 times, at least 23 more times than any other. Astonishing numbers from an astonishingly good player.
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