Arsenal maintained their 100% record with a 5-0 thrashing of defending champions Chelsea. Brighton got their first point of the campaign with a thrilling 3-3 draw against Everton. Manchester City carried out a 7-1 demolition over West Ham. Liverpool beat Yeovil 2-1 and Birmingham City won 1-0 against Bristol City to keep the pace with Arsenal. Here are five talking points from another entertaining WSL weekend.
Arsenal mean business
Four games played, four wins, no draws and no defeats. Things are looking good for Arsenal. Joe Montemurro's side made a huge statement on Sunday when they beat Chelsea 5-0 in a brilliant away win. The Blues had not lost a league game at Kingsmeadow since May 2016 but that record was broken in spectacular fashion. Once Arsenal got their first goal, a penalty converted by captain Kim Little, they were simply unstoppable.
Arsenal last won the league in 2012 and they have become a cup team rather than challenging for the league. However, this season feels different. Manchester City and Chelsea have dominated the league in recent seasons but now Arsenal seem ready to prove once again why they are the most decorated team in the history of women's football in England.
Brighton are finally off the mark
After four straight defeats in the league, Brighton finally have a point to their name. A thrilling comeback against Everton gave them a much needed confidence boost. Danielle Buet opened the scoring for Brighton, which was their first goal of the campaign, before Everton scored three times through Inessa Kaagman, Gabby George and Chloe Kelly.
It seemed like Brighton would once again taste defeat but two almost identical headers from set-pieces from substitute Ellie Brazil ensured the Seagulls came away with a point. Brazil very nearly completed her hat-trick to make the comeback even more remarkable but Everton keeper Kirstie Levell saved the effort with her feet. Brighton will have plenty of positives to take from a game where they scored their first goals of the season and earned a much needed point.
Manchester City teach West Ham a harsh lesson
West Ham have adapted well to the top tier of women's football so far but they were brought back down to earth with a bump after a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Man City. Nine shots on target resulted in seven goals for the home side who didn't exactly have to work hard for their victory. Man City were 3-0 up at half-time despite not playing particularly well.
West Ham's defending for three of Man city's goals was very poor. For the second goal, a header scored by Nikita Parris, Ria Percival booted the ball into the air rather than away from danger and Parris pounced to head home. Man City's fourth goal came after Parris reacted first to Becky Spencer's goal kick and squared to Georgia Stanway to finish from close-range. Tessa Wullaert's shot was fumbled into the net by Spencer as Man City completed the rout. One result doesn't reflect the team at all but this will be a steep learning curve and West Ham must bounce back from this humbling defeat.
No manager, no problem for Liverpool
Neil Redfearn resigned after just one game in charge of Liverpool last month and they are still managerless. Chris Kirkland is currently the caretaker manager along with coach Vicky Jepson. Having no manager can be difficult for any team and Liverpool have made an inconsistent start to the season.
The Reds got back to winning ways with a 2-1 home win over Yeovil who are now the only pointless team in the league. Jess Clarke was instrumental in the victory and she provided an assist with a pinpoint cross for Kirsty Linnett as Liverpool took the lead. Annie Heatherson equalised for Yeovil before Clarke scored the winner with three minutes to spare from Satara Murray's cross.
Birmingham continue to impress
The Blues have made an excellent start to the season with four wins from their first five games. They are currently level on points with leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand. Marc Skinner's side recorded their fourth 1-0 victory of the season so far, this time against Bristol City.
Aoife Mannion was crucial for Birmingham again. Former Blues keeper Sophie Baggaley, who won the inaugural PFA Women's Player of the Month Award for September, saved Mannion's first-half penalty but she was unable to prevent Mannion scoring a dipping effort in the 75th minute to cause Bristol City to suffer a league defeat for the first time this campaign.
Week 5 Results:
Manchester City 7-1 West Ham
Chelsea 0-5 Arsenal
Everton 3-3 Brighton
Liverpool 2-1 Yeovil Town
Bristol City 0-1 Birmingham City