Arsenal set a new WSL record with victory over West Ham on what was a good weekend for north London as Tottenham went goal crazy against Brighton.
It took Tottenham six games to score eight goals in the Women's Super League last season. On Sunday, they scored eight in a single match. Have they got the firepower this year to be a force?
That incredible win over Brighton was the headline result from a huge weekend in England's top flight, with the biggest story concerning the red side of north London, with Arsenal setting a new record for successive wins in the league as they beat West Ham to record their 13th victory in a row.
Elsewhere, an early season six-pointer between the division's two bottom sides, Reading and Leicester, provided the drama, with the Royals scoring twice at the death to turn the game around and clinch their first points of the campaign.
With plenty to digest across the WSL, here are GOAL's winners and losers from the latest round of fixtures…
GettyWINNER: UWCL representatives
It was a difficult weekend for Europe's top clubs as many struggled in their domestic fixtures after Women's Champions League action in midweek.
Lyon, eight-time champions on the continent, needed a stoppage-time winner to beat a Fleury side that were down to 10 from the 25th minute.
Bayern Munich didn't break the deadlock against newly-promoted Meppen until the 71st minute, while two former champions, Barcelona and Wolfsburg, were under pressure until the final whistle in narrow one-goal wins over Levante and Werder Bremen, respectively.
It was the same in England, where Chelsea were pegged back at 1-1 against Aston Villa, while a sloppy bit of defensive play saw Arsenal fall behind at home to West Ham. That goal also denied them an 11th clean sheet in succession that would have extended their WSL record.
However, both went on to record 3-1 wins that were eventually comfortable.
How these two handle their post-UWCL games may well decide the title race this season, but neither were caught out this time despite early scares. Their performances weren't perfect, but it was the results that were important here.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Leicester
As the clock ticked into the 90th minute on Sunday, Leicester were 1-0 up away at Reading, the only other team in the WSL without a point yet this season. After scoring against the run of play in the first half, it looked like they were going to hang on for an absolutely massive three points.
But it all changed incredibly quickly. Rachel Rowe swung in a corner and it was defended in inexplicable fashion given the circumstances, flying into the back of the net to level things up.
Two minutes later, Rowe produced something even more spectacular, dancing past several Leicester challenges before unleashing a powerful strike from range that sailed into the bottom corner. It sent the Royals into raptures and secured all three points in sensational style.
It was a big defeat for the Foxes given the opposition – and an even bigger one given how it happened. Now, they need to pick themselves up and go again, which won't be easy, and not only in terms of morale. Leicester must host high-flying Arsenal next week…
GettyWINNER: Tottenham
Tottenham scored eight goals on Sunday. Eight goals – a number that accounts for a third of the league goals they scored all of last season.
It was a fantastic performance against Brighton, with a clean sheet adding to head coach Rehanne Skinner's delight.
Spurs have always been a defensively astute side, with the questions surrounding their attacking output in terms of who is going to score the goals but also in who is going to create the chances.
This season, it looks like things are clicking. Ashleigh Neville appears unstoppable going forward, scoring twice this past weekend and producing two assists – one of those a sublime backheel to send Drew Spence through on goal.
Spence, signed from Chelsea this summer, has been brilliant, too, playing in a more attacking role and currently sitting just one goal off her best-ever total in an WSL season – with just five games played.
With forwards Jessica Naz and new arrival Nikola Karczewska also recording their first strikes of the campaign on Sunday, Spurs look primed to become a really dangerous attacking force in the league.
GettyLOSER: Brighton
The other side of that 8-0 story on Sunday was a biggest ever defeat in the WSL for a Brighton team that have won plenty of plaudits since promotion to the top flight back in 2019.
They've been Chelsea's bogey team and made great progress off the pitch, securing some super signings over the years as a result. Things don't look so rosy at the moment, though.
Brighton lost two huge players this past summer, with young defender Maya Le Tissier joining Manchester United, while Inessa Kaagman, their top goal-scorer last term, returned to the Netherlands. They brought in some interesting replacements but it hasn't come together yet.
Right now, they look like a relegation candidate. Only Leicester are keeping them off of the foot of the table and if they are dragged into a battle for survival, this huge hit to their goal difference won't help their chances in a race regularly decided by the finest of margins.