Open Extended Reactions
It was another bumper weekend of football across Europe that saw movement at the bottom of the Women's Super League (WSL), as well as the top of Spain's Liga F, and the gap widening in the Netherlands. Here are 10 things from this weekend's action in the women's game across Europe.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Miedema steals the show on Merseyside
It had been 413 days since Vivianne Miedema's last goal for Arsenal, and over 300 of those were spent out of action after she suffered an ACL injury in December 2022. With Beth Mead making a successful return from her own ACL issue last November, it was Miedema's turn to get back on the scoresheet as she fired Arsenal ahead against Liverpool with her 79th WSL goal.
After a flat first half, patience proved to be key for the Gunners as Miedema's rocket of a shot proved too much for goalkeeper Rachael Laws to handle on the hour mark. Then, nine minutes later, Mead was the provider for Caitlin Foord to double the lead. USWNT defender Emily Fox's excellent work throughout the game also deserves a mention as Arsenal moved level on points with second-placed Manchester City.
But at a time when so many female players have been forced out of action with ACL injuries, the WSL's all-time record goal scorer Miedema rightly took the spotlight and told the BBC afterwards: "Coming back from injury, some players don't overthink it, but I did. I was scared to come back. I feel like the old me again, maybe even better than the old me. I don't think about my knees anymore which is good."
Vivianne Miedema celebrates getting herself back on the scoresheet again. Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesShaw, James sparkle again
After a muted first half from Chelsea in Crawley, the Blues found their mojo after the break and wiped out all Brighton's hard work within seconds of the restart. Few players are in better form than Lauren James right now, so it wasn't a surprise when the 22-year-old broke the deadlock. But the skill involved to volley Niamh Charles' teasing cross spinning into Sophie Baggaley's top left corner was breathtaking.
Editor's Picks
- WSL: City, Arsenal win to keep pace with Chelsea18hReutersWomen's football schedule is becoming unsustainable as injuries mount10dSophie LawsonFive things we've learned from the WSL so far this season26dSophie Lawson
2 Related
Fran Kirby added a second five minutes later to give the Seagulls little hope of mounting a comeback, before James found the back of the net again, this time slotting the ball under Baggaley to wrap up the 3-0 win just before the hour. Coach Emma Hayes made some changes amid a busy run of fixtures and Chelsea's world-record signing Mayra Ramírez came on as a second-half substitute, but the Colombia international ended up as something of a footnote as James' goal-scoring heroics took the plaudits once more for the WSL leaders.
Elsewhere, Bunny Shaw continued her run of fine goal scoring as Manchester City kept three points behind the Blues with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Shaw's thumping effort in the second half came after an own goal from Tottenham defender Amy Turner and was the Jamaica international striker's 13th from 11 games, which keeps her one ahead of James in the race for the Golden Boot.
Without the injured Jill Roord, who became the latest ACL victim last week, City were clinical as they scored from two of their four shots on target. But it helps when you have one of the world's best up front.
Levante stumble vs. Granada
Ramírez's record move to Chelsea has been the story of week, but what of the club she left: Levante? There is no hiding from the financial difficulties the club find themselves in, with CEO José Danvila announcing last month that the women's team would be facing major cuts.
The €450,000 transfer of Ramírez may be just the start for Levante but, sitting second in Liga F coming into the weekend, there are longer-term questions about what it could mean for the Frogs.
Conceding an early goal to relegation-threated Granda didn't do much to ease the clouds over the team and even with a swift response thanks to efforts from Gabi Nunes and Alba Redondo, Levante still contrived to mess it up.
Edna Imade's strike five minutes from time salvaged a rare point for the visitors as Levante dropped into third after the 2-2 draw and were overtaken by Real Madrid, who beat Athletic Club 1-0. It has certainly been a less-than-perfect week in Valencia.
Roma stop the rot
It's been a tough run of games for the reigning Italian champions as they stand on the cusp of an exit from the UEFA Women's Champions League, lost the Supercopa to Juventus, suffered a shock Copa Italia first-leg loss to Napoli, and then a league defeat at the hands of Inter. But on Saturday, the Giallorosse picked up an important 2-0 win at home to Sampdoria.
The goals from Elena Linari and Giada Greggi might not have been the most beautiful or memorable, but for a team who have suddenly struggled for goals they were vital. The win halted a run of three games without one, keeps them six-points clear at the top of Serie A and will give the team a confidence boost going into a must-win midweek game against Ajax in the UWCL.
Magull delights as Inter look for stabilityLina Magull has started well for Inter Milan. Sara Cavallini - Inter/Inter via Getty Images
Eyebrows might have been raised when Lina Magull, a mainstay for Germany and Bayern Munich, left the club she supports to try her hand in the burgeoning Serie A. But she made an immediate impact for her new club, Inter Milan.
A goal down to basement-dwellers Napoli, Magull helped turn the tide after the break as she struck twice in four second-half minutes to get the visitors out of the mud in Cercola. Elisa Polli added a vital third late in the game, before Miharu Kobayashi pulled a stoppage-time goal back for the hosts, but they could not conjure an equaliser as the match ended 3-2 to Inter.
Just like with the men's game, the Italian league offers something a little different to others around Europe and it's likely we'll continue to see a steady stream of players move there as into Serie A grows as a professional league.
Werder fight back
Battling in midtable of the Frauen-Bundesliga, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen have spent most of the season bouncing from good result to bad. Werder have done a better job at building up a head of steam, though, and that showed as they came away with a 2-1 win.
Leverkusen took the lead halfway through the first half through Spurs loanee Nikola Karczewska. But they never seemed good value for it and could not capitalise before Werder found an equaliser after the break as Synnes Skinnes Hansen turned the ball into her own net.
Even that wasn't enough to rally the visitors, but Werder continued to push and found a stoppage-time winner through Jasmin Sehan to jump above their opponents into sixth. While the men's team are on top of the world at the moment, there will be likely be questions for women's coach Robert de Pauw at the end of the season as this team are capable of much more.
Ajax inconsistently consistentSTREAM ESPN FC DAILY ON ESPN+
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
Ajax have been one of the surprises of the Champions League group stage, claiming home wins over PSG and Bayern Munich, as well as a picking up a point in Bavaria to sit second in Group C with one game left. However, in the Eredivisie, the team have struggled. And, seven points adrift of leaders Twente coming into the weekend, Ajax stumbled again with a 1-1 draw at home to Fortuna Sittard.
Lotte Keukelaar struck 17 minutes from time to put Ajax ahead, but the hosts couldn't hold on to their advantage and were hauled back when second-half substitute María Grós fired home an equaliser for Fortuna just eight minutes later. Unable to find a winner, Ajax look out of the title race now, but will have to rally ahead of their must-win clash against Roma in the UWCL on Tuesday.
Aston Villa fall flat once more
Last season, Aston Villa impressed to finish fifth and although they suffered a few heavy losses over the summer, generally looked set to make a charge for the top four this season. However, it simply hasn't come together for Carla Ward's side and everything they did right last season has failed to materialise this time around.
Facing Manchester United in Sunday's early kickoff, the Villa defence failed to cope and gave up two Nikita Parris goals in the first half, while an attack which had been so on a song last year struggled to hit the right notes.
The visitors did pull a goal back on the hour after winning a soft penalty, and even rallied to look for an equaliser, but ended up with a 2-1 defeat. Although Villa aren't in imminent danger of relegation, there are questions about where they go and what they do after this season.
Leicester breathe a sigh of relief after rare win
This season was supposed to be different for Leicester. It was supposed to be about the Foxes 2.0, who weren't going to get sucked into a relegation battle but rather were going to be battling in mid-table. And that was what it looked like at the start of the season, with back-to-back wins (albeit over Bristol City and Everton) and a draw against Man United
Since then there have been draws (against Spurs, Brighton and West Ham), but also five defeats, making it nine league outings without a win. So there was a real sense of relief when they finally picked up all three points this weekend, with a 1-0 win over Everton thanks to Janice Cayman's delightful second-half curler.
West Ham rally
The WSL's weekend six-pointer belonged to Bristol City and West Ham United as the WSL's bottom two battled it out. West Ham went ahead courtesy of Honoka Hayashi's low shot but saw two subsequent goals chalked off as Viviane Asseyi's 25-yard volley was ruled out for a foul in the buildup and Shelina Zadorsky's effort cancelled for offside.
But, moments after play restarted from the Zadorsky decision with a rapid free kick, the Robins burst up the pitch and Ffion Morgan evaded challenges to feed the ball through to Amalie Thestrup to score an easy tap-in equaliser.
The celebrations for the hosts didn't last long, however, as Asseyi fired in the winner just before the hour.
Source: espn.co.uk