WSL talking points: Arsenal’s attacking woes and Goodwin makes England case

Goodwin makes her England case

Just over a week before Sarina Wiegman names her Lionesses squad for October’s World Cup playoff tie against Greece, Isobel Goodwin did her chances of a first senior selection no harm at all. The England Under-23 international scored twice for London City Lionesses in a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Charlton.

The 23-year-old linked up well with Alexia Putellas. Having scored five times in the WSL last term, she will be keen to exceed that this season and impress Wiegman, particularly with Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones sidelined by a minor ankle injury and Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang still returning from her ACL injury. Wiegman may be considering alternative options as backup to Alessia Russo for these key fixtures.

Hemp adds goals to her repertoire

Lauren Hemp was the WSL’s leading assist-provider in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and supplied the joint-second highest number of assists last season. Goals, however, had been harder to come by: the England winger had not scored in the league since last November before striking twice in Manchester City’s 4-2 win over Liverpool on Friday night.

City manager Andrée Jeglertz heaped praise on Hemp in an interview with Sky Sports: “She’s an amazing player. I don’t know what she’s made of, because she just loves to be on the field and looks like she has so much energy. She’s a gamechanger.”

Hemp nearly had a hat-trick, but an early, rising strike was tipped over the bar by Khiara Keating.

Potter shines at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield

Amid debate about whether limited opportunities are hampering young English players in the WSL, Lexi Potter is making her presence felt at Chelsea. The 2-0 win over Birmingham City was her second start in as many matches, and she produced another assured performance.

The 20-year-old’s calmness and ability to work in tight spaces enable her to escape pressure, while the timing of her runs into the box is a huge asset. She opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge by reacting to the second ball in the area, and her burgeoning relationship with Keira Walsh has been notable.

“They understand each other, and even when they are on the pitch and they close their eyes, they know where each other is,” Sonia Bompastor told Chelsea media. Like Goodwin, might Potter have done enough to catch Wiegman’s eye?

Another own goal sends Everton up to fifth

How do you register six points without scoring a goal? Everton managed that remarkable feat after a late own goal from West Ham defender Laia Codina handed them another victory. For the second time in as many weeks, an opponent’s touch delivered the decisive goal, leaving Scott Phelan’s side fifth in the table.

For much of the contest in Dagenham, the teams cancelled each other out. Everton handled the threat of Kelly Gago and Viviane Asseyi comfortably, while West Ham were similarly effective against the visitors’ attack. Possession was evenly shared, their expected-goals figures were similar and each side registered just three shots on target.

Everton’s stronger finish made the difference. Phelan turned to his bench, the visitors increased the pressure and Yuka Momiki provided the delivery for the winner.

Holdt ignites Spurs on way to rout

Olivia Holdt marked her first start of the season with a hat-trick as Tottenham turned a dominant but goalless first half into a 7-0 win at Crystal Palace. Palace’s task became harder in the seventh minute when Fuka Tsunoda was sent off following a reckless challenge on Cathinka Tandberg, but Spurs initially struggled to break down their deep defence.

“When they got the red card, I was thinking this could actually be tougher for us,” Holdt said.

At half-time, Martin Ho asked his players to get more bodies into the box. Holdt had completed her hat-trick by the 73rd minute as Spurs finally found the ruthlessness that had been missing.

Brighton’s lack of clinical edge proves costly

Brighton had 25 shots, eight on target and an expected-goals figure of 3.17, yet were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa. Gabby George’s first goal for the club gave them a deserved lead in the 31st minute, but they could not find a second despite creating 15 chances.

The manner of Villa’s 89th-minute equaliser, with Brighton unable to defend a corner, deepened the frustration. New manager Arturo Ruiz is still searching for his first win of the season.

“Here in our stadium, in these kinds of games we cannot lose two points,” he said. “We need to get three points in 100% of these games.” The performance was encouraging, but the finishing was not.

WSL standings