Crystal Palace fret over rules breach and Shaw stars again as WSL returns – Women’s Football Weekly

0:00This is The Guardian. Hello, I'm Faker Others and welcome to The Guardian. Women's football weekly. The new season is underway and kicked off with some controversy, possibly as well some repercussions for Palace off for a substitution gaff. They've got the points for now, but Nillpaw for the other promoted teams. Manchester City and Arsenal both won while Chelsea drew with Aston Villa. We'll go through all the games from the opening weekend. Plus we'll take your questions and that's Today's Guardian Women's football weekly. What a panel we have today, Susie Rack, how's your week been? I've been making giant ruby cubes and things like that. It's been fun. Obviously, I think I might know why. Very exciting 80s theme.

1:00Tom Gary, how are you? I'm very well, thank you my friend. You're so nice. Have you ever said to a panel like, we've got an OK panel this week. Have you ever said that? Maybe next time you're on. I can't imagine those words ever coming out of your mouth. Let's see about your performance this week, Tom. I'm joking. Are you sugar Latte? It's lovely to see you back in the UK. It is indeed. It's true, Faye. You're a great hype woman on a Tuesday morning. I'll give you that. And yeah, it's great to be back here. And of course, it's great to have the WSL back too. Yeah, it is. And thank you for saying that. Oh, I've gone all blushing red. Listen, I'm not sure how many of us predicted Sutton was going to be where the drama lived on, on opening weekend when we did our preview last week. But we'll set the scene for you in case you've missed the drama. Crystal Palace stunned Everton on their return to the WSL. It was all thanks to a first half goal from Lexi Lloyd Smith, Jubilant scenes at the final whistle with Joe Potter and her players celebrating a huge three points for them.

2:02But that joy was short lived because WSL football then announced that an investigation had been launched following a confirmed breach of the rules. This is what happened in bringing Kirsty Howard on in the 97th minute. Palace had used four separate substitution windows rather than the regulated three. So it's not a problem with the number of subs that they made. It's the number of windows they used to bring them on. Actually, a really basic error from both the match officials and the Palace coaching staff, Susie. We understand that the team of officials haven't been appointed to the next round of games while the investigations ongoing. What punishment could Palace receive for this? Yeah, I mean, it's so, so Tim Poison it's the opening weekend of the league season. I bet the WSL were absolutely gutted, slash furious. There's three options that they've got in front of them. A point in seduction is one which would take a really important winoff of Palace.

3:05Replaying the matches another which again would obviously be a huge problem at a calendar wise. And also, it's interesting because the mistake happened so late in the game with Palace ahead that that would also maybe feel a little bit harsh by opinion. And then there's also kind of a bit of an open door in that if they have a tribunal, then they can basically dish out any punishment they want. So it's hard to say exactly what's going to happen. We've not really got an example of the same thing happening before. There's been various issues in the past, like Nuremorets played for Villa in the league cup after having already played for Arsenal three times, I think, in the same competition. And they did get a points deduction for that which actually they still went through in it match. Man United went out which was bizarre. And then there's been a couple of other little incidents, Rousha Littlejohn being fielded when she was in the edge ball to play for a Birmingham in a match, Exeter having to

4:05replay a free-new win over Bradford after they made six substitutions. So there's a few examples but not of exactly the same thing. So I think it's going to be interesting to see what on earth they come out with because it is going to set a precedent. Yeah, there is no precedent of anything happening beforehand, as you said. If it is a points reversal, Tom, it would be a shame for Palais after a positive performance from them. And surely a vital three points as well as Susie said given their new to the division. Yes, they played very well. Lacti Lloyd Smith took her debut goal really, really good finish. They hit the bar as well. But generally took to that as a football very positively. But I'm going to respectfully disagree with one thing that my dear friend Susie said there about how late it was in the game. I think that almost made it even more an important substitution. Everton had efforts cleared off the line twice in Stockbridge time and then you get a 97 minute sub. The whole idea of that sub is to kind of pause that momentum kind of disrupt that late

5:05pressure. And I think although Palais overall would have deserved to win the match, we have to think about the scenarios very hypothetical. But let's say you're Birmingham City or a Charlton side who go down at the end of a season, a point beneath Crystal Palace and they've been given a victory for this game. Then there's all sorts of complicated legal challenges that that could arise too if there's no punishment here. Similarly, Everton, if Everton either went down or missed out on Champions League football by like a point, anything like all those kind of scenarios because of this game, the League have to follow the laws now to the letter. Otherwise they'll be opening themselves up to a real kind of worms. So I suspect really sadly for Palais and their fans, they're going to either have to play this game again or lose those three points. Can I just say, though, playing the game again to me doesn't make sense. That's penalising Everton because we're talking about the load on players. So they've got a player injured in the replaying of this game.

6:06I don't know. I know obviously they lost it. But that's too simplistic, I feel, for the amount of what ifs that then follow it. And they've got to find a gap in the calendar for that as well. If that is the case, it should never have happened really. There were so many people within that stadium with the opportunity to stop that from happening. We're all human. We all make mistakes, aren't we? So I don't want to be too judgmental. I make lots of mistakes individually. But what surprised me just how many different people we think about the referee, the assistant referees, the fourth official, the match manager coaches, so many coaches at Palace, Everton, even fans, I don't know. I've sort of lively expecting a fan to jump up on screen, stop. We've already made too many stuff. Maybe that's unrealistic. But putting that aside for a second, Palace need to keep positive because they played very well. And there were positive signs there that they can stay in this division and establish themselves in this division if they keep playing like that.

7:06Maybe just stick to the three subwindows from now on. Yeah, well, I mean, if they make that mistake again, then that is a definite sign of madness as the saying goes. Lexi Lloyd Smith looked great in England under 23 star, of course, Aisha. They look good in and out of possession, actually. They're attacking lineup. But how impressed were you with the way that Jopalters side set up, putting the debacle at the end of the match to the side for a moment, Aisha? Yeah, absolutely. They really needed a good start because if you cast your mind back to when they got promoted a couple of seasons ago, they were quite poor. And that was a real shame because they had been really impressive in the WSL2 that year, four of the year before. And they just, yeah, it just, it never really got going for them. So actually, I was really delighted for them to be the only newly promoted team to actually get that win under their belt because, I mean, firstly, it shows that this newly expanded 14th team league can be competitive,

8:08which I think we were all hoping for. But yeah, just gave them the start that they never really got, I guess, that previous time over. And I think you mentioned it there. Like they really put their bodies on the line as well in those closing moments, you know, those goal-line clearances. There was so much passion there. You could see how much they wanted that win. And they rightly deserved it. Well, I mean, we'll see what happens, I know. But, yeah, Lexi Lloyd Smith was, she's one of those signings that they've made. I think last time they got promoted, they didn't necessarily bolster their team in the way that they should have or needed to. And it's not necessarily about signing massive names or anything like that. It's just having that scored depth, a bit more versatility, not relying on just one or two players. And hopefully, Lexi Lloyd Smith provides that. And a couple of other signings, they've made two. But yeah, let you say, on the 23 England team, Serena, she loves a wild card. Let's see what happens there as she keeps performing.

9:09Yeah, not a good day for Everton. There's a lot going on behind the scenes of Everton at the minute, even though the women's team are separate from the men's team, they are still under Friedkin Group ownership. And there's a lot of question marks over the direction of travel for those owners at the moment. Managers Scott Fielin said he didn't understand why they were lacking in energy because they did look pretty lackluster, didn't register a shot on target until midway through the second half, Susie, too early to be concerned. Or what did you make of them? Yes and no. I'm going to get a reputation for all this fencing, aren't I? I think if we're going to have a similar conversation to the one about Chelsea, probably, when we get round to it, because it felt very familiar. When you look at the statistics for those two games, you know, hugely dominant over 60% possession for Everton in this one, 14 shots, two on target though, 29 touches in the opposition box to eight.

10:10Like, it was a very dominant performance and, you know, a little bit unlucky with those two late clearances off the line that Tom mentioned as well. One of them from Ruby Mase, I think the other one from Ornela Vinnola. So I think there's, you know, when you're creating chances and you're getting people into those areas, there's less to be worried about. The problem is when that becomes a consistent problem, which is what we're seeing with Chelsea. So I think, yeah, alarm bells, yes, they need to be doing better in those games tickly against newly-provoked sides. They also sometimes just need a little bit of luck to go their way and also, as long as it doesn't become a persistent problem, as long as you're creating chances, then, you know, you kind of feel like it's kind of going in a slightly better direction than maybe the results, suggests. Let's move on to Chelsea. They would have wanted to start their campaign on the front foot, following frustrations of last season. Aston Villa had other ideas though and stunned.

11:12The Stanford Bridge crowd with an equalizer, seeing them earn their first point in 12 attempts against the Blues. So Sonja Bompastore's side. The only side in last year's top three to drop points over the weekend. Started really well for them, Chelsea. Lauren James firing them ahead in the 11th minute and dominating a lot of the game. But then, you know, same old story, punished for not taking their chances. What did you make of them at the weekend? Chelsea, I think, need to just stay calm here. I've heard a lot of negativity in the last sort of 48 hours. And just personally, watching that game and I'm not worried for them. If they create that number of high quality opportunities and they keep dominating in that way, then they will do fine. They will do very well again. I think there was a specific reason why they didn't win this game. And a name was a car-nate, a Kuma, a very, very impressive debut for a 21-year-old, young goalkeeper, Frost and Villa. And I think against most other goalkeepers in the league, Chelsea probably win on Saturday.

12:13So I get there's this narrative that maybe they haven't properly replaced Sam Kerr. And I get that there's maybe a bit of concern about the lack of ruthlessness in the final third. But personally, I thought they were impressive in controlling the game so well, creating so many, so many chances. So yeah, maybe come back to me in five or six games time if they're still not converting. Faber, I think the Kuma was the difference here in this particular game. And I kind of want to give Chelsea a bit of a pass on this one. I thought you could have said come back to me in five or six minutes. And I was thinking, how would you have changed your mind in five or six minutes? Yes. And listen, this is the world we live in currently, isn't it? knee jerk, knee jerk narratives. It's Ronin just for fun. Are you concerned for them, Aisha? Sonja Bompastor's obviously said it's a bit of a transitional year, but even with the expanded league, we all know they can't afford many more of these kind of results. Like Tom said, a Kuma made, I think, nine saves over that game.

13:17It was an impressive performance, but I think where the area of concern is, is that it was a little bit reminiscent of last season. And even when I spoke to Kira Walsh at the start of this season, I said, how are you going to make sure you come back to the top? And it was, we've got to take those chances. We, when we have the opportunity to kill off games, we've got to do that because we didn't last season. And I think that is just exactly what happened on Saturday, that first half, they did have the chances. And yes, we can praise the goalkeeper. But you know, when that was happening, last season for Man City, they just found a way in those closing minutes. Or however it was, they just found a way. And yeah, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. It is only the first game of the season. And there are definitely promising signs for Chelsea. But I think it was Katie McKay, actually, he said it full time on the coverage that it's a team like Chelsea. You can't afford a transitional year. It's you just have to get straight back to the top.

14:19And I thought that was pretty valid. You know, we use these terms of transitional year. But actually, when you are those teams competing for the WSL, you've just got to be there straight away. And there isn't much give. There isn't much room for error. And even though it is just the first game of the season, you kind of need to be beating those teams when they're not offering the wealth. They weren't really, Villa weren't really challenging Chelsea in that perspective. But yeah, I mean, look at the positives. It was just a bit of an unfortunate mix up at the back. But it caused that goal. A great LJ goal. She was looking good. And they've still got Aaron Kuffbert to come back to. Then New Captain, New D-named Captain, who has been such a key part of dominant Chelsea teams over the years. So yeah, I think it's not panic stations yet. But they do need to convert those chances. Yeah, they do. And Villa were second best for much of the match, Susie. But stayed in the game and found a lay equalizer. And that's character.

15:21What does it say about their resilience? Or is there still some concerns about how little they offered going forward for the majority of the match? I am very concerned for Villa. And I think they were extraordinarily lucky to come away with something from this game. They offered almost nothing to the point in which when Chelsea was struggling to extend their lead and kill off the game, there were still no signs that Villa were threatening and could snatch one back. And it's an own goal that gets them back into it. So as Tom said, a coomer and goal, young goalkeeper, who's only just come into things, doesn't yet speak English. These were things they were working on afterwards of Rojo was saying that they'd been giving tests in training in the week to see where she was at and whether she was nervous and said that she's trying to learn the language to be able to communicate with the players. And they were all surprised that she was so assured

16:22in some of the actions of the game. So stunning performance from her kind of, I think, really made the scoreline flat of Villa in a way that it wouldn't have on a different day. I would disagree with Tom Slyley on not being worried about Chelsea. Personally, I am in the particularly that forwards position. I don't think they've got enough depth at all. Aggy, Biva Jones hasn't scored in the league for them since if I'm not mistaken, September last year, and then only twice in the cup since. And she had a few injury worries that kept her out here and there. But when Mallard is injured and we hopefully back fairly soon, but we don't know exactly when and my Ramirez out, they just feel very, very light in that area of an informed centre forwards to be able to compete long. So I'm obviously can bring Lauren James into the mid-Aun things, but not necessarily her best position. So I'm worried for them that they've not got the depth in that area to go long to Villa.

17:24I am worried about because I can't see where the change comes from in the squad. I don't know if the signings are good enough given the work that the other teams have done in the league. If I was going to go down the kind of social media modern day, media tactics, I'd be going rift opens between two Guardian journalists, both disagreeing with each other on two points already in the pod. I love it. I love it. But when you just point out that whole sort of saga in May, you know, Bunny Shaw, which she wouldn't, she wouldn't. And very much, I think Chelsea, were under the impression she was going to join them. They win that game on Saturday if they sign Bunny Shaw. Absolutely. And so that's the difference that kind of blockbuster goal score of finisher, you know, at a very elite level makes. And that was why that story was so monstrous on so many levels that she eventually ended up staying. Although one of those blockbuster signings did not make the kind of impact

18:25that we were perhaps expecting, the league opener on Friday night, a melting pot of narratives London City Lionesses took on Manchester United. We were asking all the questions last week, weren't we how would the leagues big spend as fair? What does an ever-olid Manchester United look like? And of course, how can Alexia Puteus, one of the best players in the world, fair on a chilly September night in Bromley? And it was London City. She came out on top with a two-one victory, an early own goal from Julia Zigiyotti setting the tone, and then a super back-hield finish from Danielle Van Der Donk making sure of the win. United did get a late consolation through Simea Wu-Jo, though. And it was actually a strong opening from Eden Maistre's side, Tom. What stood out to you about their performance? I think what I was impressed by the most was not so much of this summer's signings and all the blockbuster names brought in this summer, but last year's signings, and the investment they made 12 months ago, now coming to bearing fruit, think about players like Corralis,

19:27who just looks like one of the best left-backs in the world right now. Certainly one of the best young left-backs in the world. Cascarino, I thought, was just wonderful to watch. And if she can keep that form up, then they're going to be a huge threat. And obviously, Danielle Van Der Donk, that kind of unexpected 35-year-old false-nine, who had a great game, that the pressing was excellent from the whole team, the way they worked together off the ball. And yeah, I think they can be very, very encouraged by the way that they've played. The caveat being how bad Manchester United were, and it was probably the perfect time to play them, because it will take time for them to get used to their managers new methods and new ideas. But no, a really, really encouraging start, following the city line, S is goodness. In for a fun year, if they're going to keep playing like that. Yeah, did you enjoy the match, Sisi? Very much so. It was thrilling to watch. I thought Lansi were excellent, the key siveness of them as a unit,

20:29despite the fact that they hadn't, you know, kind of been together that long. Obviously, I think benefiting from a proper preseason, a summer of no major international tournament, bringing in a lot of their new signers fairly early, really, really aided that. But you could see, it wasn't always pretty, but you could see how much potential there was. It felt like a really, really good base and to build on. And I grew up on, rarely, in this episode, at least. Yeah, Manchester, Manchester United were really bad. And so it's almost kind of hard to judge London City on that performance against a really bad team. But at the same time, in the last game, the two played in February, Man United's home, it was 2-1, Jess Park ran the show and scored for United in that game. And she barely saw the ball in this game. And I think they were really, really effective at eliminating some of the biggest threats that Man United having their limited ass, not at the moment.

21:30So, yeah, I thought they did that really well. We're a really, really good defensive unit. Alana Kennedy, to force the opener was excellent. Rosa Caffaji was brilliant. Corrales, as Tom said, really, really good. I don't think Patelius was like, had a bad game. I thought she was influential in the game, instructing quite a lot. You could feel her presence elevated players. She was really kind of connecting things. And you can see the start of something quite exciting there. In contrast, work to do for Man United, Aisha, Ollid was quite honest about where they are. We need to remember as well that, you know, she's only been in the role of a few weeks, but should fans start to feel a little bit concerned? Yeah, I think so. I mean, the way Mark's getting it apart and the discussion around lack of investment, which has kind of been going on at the club for, you know, last few seasons, which by the way,

22:32the total polar opposite to the team that they were playing on Friday night in the way that they tackled the transfer window and the way they kind of view the investment side of things. And it's a tricky time for Man United. You know, they would have seen their team making history last season. It, you know, Champions League proper for the first time, getting, having a decent run, but then dropping out. And it feels like it's regression from that point, rather than really trying to build on it and grow as a team. Their performance, it was pretty lackluster, like no shots in the first half, just a late consolation goal, conceding two goals from set pieces. And I think the only, well, the positive I took from it, that their new signing, Andrea Medina, was showed some promise at times, Simia Wijo needs to get more minutes, something that Ava Olid said that she would be getting more minutes

23:34as she's kind of getting, you know, coming back from a bit of a knock. But there's no way they can compete for the Champions League spots if they kind of perform like they did on Friday night, totally uninspiring. And yeah, let you say, Ava Olid's only been around a few weeks, so I don't want to give her too much for a hard time. She's not had enough time to stamp her identity on this team. I think she mentioned the terms brave and attacking football. And yeah, there was none of that. But that needs to definitely be embedded into this United side if they want to compete. But I think they're going to struggle, honestly. There's, I've not seen enough from the transfer window and I've not, I didn't see enough excitement or passion or like will to win on Friday from those players that have remained. Yeah, there was no real identity on Friday night, which is something that is going to have to change. Let's finish off this first part with Tottenham West Ham. High expectations around Spurs

24:36after they're showing last season under Martin Ho and they set out there still with an impressive 3-1 victory over West Ham. You and I, Susie, both thought that Kirsty Hanson was the signing of the season and she got two goals in this one, following Signagapset's opener. West Ham got a consolation in injury time. Near perfect start. Impressive for you. Oh, yeah, totally. I mean, but we kind of expected it from Tottenham this season a really settled squad. Some really like astute signings that we feel like really strengthened that team, including Kirsty Hanson, obviously, her WSL experience, but also the form she's in, such an incredible signing actually, while you're talking pulled up. I did an interview with Kirsty and her dog Hugo. It was in February 2025 when she was at Asdenville. It was, we went for a walk. She was doing one K a day in May, I think,

25:36to do, to raise money for dementia UK. And one of the things that she said to me was, and I'll read the quote, so I might not get an assist and maybe I don't score many goals, but I think I do help the team get forward, get those turnovers and win the ball higher up on the pitch. I'm just a team player. I probably don't shoot enough, but I'm trying to add that to my game. And she was so like understated and humble in that interview and about her own ability. And then 18 months on, and she's like finishing with the confidence that she took that second strike with. It's just incredible. Like she's put her money where her mouth is and then some. Like she said that she wanted to add goals to a game as she's done it. And it's like to finish the third highest top score in the league last season from midfield behind Bunny Shaw and Alessio Rousseau. Just can't be understating. It's not fluke, right? Like she's already got two in the opening game. Yeah, it's against West Ham.

26:37You know, you'd expect Spurs given the way they've been going at the moment to do well against West Ham. But I love her transformation as a player. And I really love that she's come into a team that is, you know, kind of quite exciting, doing exciting things. And she's a really valuable part of that. That really excites me. Yeah. What did the game tell us about West Ham, Tom and where they currently are at under Rita Gworeno? Did you see any signs of promise? Yes, and no. I don't want to judge them too much on the way. That's Susie Rack Fence sitting. You accused her right at the beginning. It's contagious. No, um, I, I, so it's on a day when there was so many magnificent debuts, whether you think about Hanson or about Lexi Lloyd Smith, or you know, we could just go about my arsenal, just so many others. I felt that West Ham's new signings just maybe just clearly just need a little bit more time. The Cadena and Cascarino kind of defensive partnership needs a little bit

27:41more time to kind of get used to each other. Um, I, I, I think West Ham, they've, they have got a lot of new faces. It has been a bit of a refresh over the summer and I think I'm going to judge them maybe more in the games against the Merge side sides and the three promoted sides that I am against. To talk them team, I think a lot of us expect to be at least top five this year. So, uh, don't panic West Ham fans. I think the, the, you know, the second Hanson goal is exquisite. Not many other teams will score that against you. So I, and there was, they improved later on. I think, I think after, I think they brought on Kuma Guy with about sort of 15 minutes to go another debitant and, and they maybe got a little bit more of a, a kind of a foot holding to try and get a goal back. They'll do all right. They'll do fine. I'm just not expecting any fireworks from them this season. I'm not, I'm not expecting them to go and do what like Tottenham did last year. For example, I'm not expecting that, but I'm also not too worried about them either. Okay. So, so a fair fence sit, I think.

28:43We'll, we'll, we'll give you that one. Unjust. Where's my fair fence sitting? I don't know how to, I do deserve that, but I also think like sometimes they're just a team who look like they're like they're going to be okay. Yes. And that's like, does that make sense? That's all, and that is also my, as is your justification. And I'm glad that I've made friends of Tom Gary and Sisi Rack by the end of part one. That's it for part one of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly in part two. We'll continue to look back on the action from the weekend. Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. So, Champions Manchester City saw off a determined performance from league newcomers Birmingham to come away with a three-one win. It took them to the second half to find the opener. Mary Fowler on the score sheet, Sisi. Was it just a question of Andre Jerglert's side rediscovering their groove, if you like,

29:47that it took them a bit of time? I think a big part of it was Sophie Bagelay. I thought she was phenomenal and really kind of kept Birmingham in it for that first half or the first sort of almost like 50 minutes or so until the first goal went in. She was really, really good and it's kind of fitting that women's football goalkeepers come in for a bit of stick that in this podcast we're highlighting two phenomenal performances, Acuma, Fee Chelsea and then Bagelay again, Sisi in the one podcast, in the one weekend. Really, really solid performances despite the score line. It's not very flattering for Birmingham but Bagelay was brilliant. Manchester City just has so much more firepower in them to be able to wear teams down and wait for that moment that is going to see them make the breakthrough. Lauren Hemp was just phenomenal, Beth Mead, obviously recruit from Arsenal,

30:50getting the assists laid on for Beth 3rd but also shown a little bit of defensive vulnerability as well. Strong performers from City, Lauren Hemp in particular was a fun one or not but for me, Bagelay was the hero. Yeah, well, Bunny Shaw is Manchester City's hero and is she going to prove to be the best signing of the summer for them, picking up right where she left off with two goals, Aisha? Yeah, I mean, player of the year, Golden Boot winner, PFA player of the year, she's like totally unstoppable. I mean, she wasn't, in my opinion, she wasn't even at her best at the weekend and she won another player of the match award, two goals. Yeah, she must be running out of shelf space to be honest or maybe she got some new shelves fitted over the summer. Maybe that's how she used her summer break, getting a carpenter round because she needs some more shelf space, honestly. Or doing it herself. I mean, she can do everything else. Yeah, that's true, actually. That wouldn't surprise me seeing Bunny with the hammer and the hand in it yet. Well, she'll need them whichever way around she's done it. But yeah, she's just,

31:55wait, when she's, you know, when she's fit, she's just the best player in the league, like no doubt about it and she is the reason that City won the league last year and if they do it again this year, it will be she'll need to play a pivotal role in that if you kind of look back up the seasons. It's like having a fit, Bunny Shaw is when City have been competitive, have pushed it and that that is so crucial. And that's not undermining anyone else at City, by the way. It's a great team, but they know that they've got Bunny Shaw, so they can just unlock the power of all those other players in a way. And yet Tom mentioned it earlier in the way that Chelsea is screaming out for someone like that. And I think that literally is the difference. She is that, yeah, she's just the person who's going to score those goals and even when she's not at her best, she finds a way and yeah, long way it continue because seeing Bunny Shaw score goals is a beautiful sight. So, I mean, even for non-Mant City fans, I will say because it's great to see her at her best and

33:01loving her football as well, you know, she made no... Yeah, she was pretty clear. She really wanted to stay managed to sit here at her home and it's nice to see her with that smile on her face, playing with her teammates and picking up where she left off, basically. Yeah, Tom, Susie mentioned Sophie Bagel-Ebel. What other positives can Amy Merrick's take from Birmingham's performance? They obviously have Brighton next week. Yeah, there was some encouraging signs of Birmingham and Amy Merrick spoke very positively after the game. They won the ball quite high at the pitch several times in the first half, particularly in the first 20 minutes, started off the ball very well. I think they showed signs of quality that they can create chances more productively than we saw less to do so last season, for example, and far more productively than we saw Chauvin do against Liverpool. So, and I mean, I was watching the game thinking back to when they got a hit for six at the joy stadium on the night. They got relegated in 2022 and how much stronger they looked

34:04as a unit compared to them when they went down. So, they've come back stronger than they went down. I think they'll just need to tighten up a little bit at the set pieces. Both the bunny sure goals were from corners. Admittedly, they won't always be facing a striker of that quality or of that height. I mean, I think if there's not many strikers there within six, seven inches of shores height in this league. So, and Birmingham didn't have loads of height in their own in their own backline. But I'm being quite picky. In general, they played, they played pretty well. They did, particularly in the first half. So, I think they'll take plenty of positive signs from it and Amy Merrick's words were, you know, if we can play like that against Manchester City, then she's really excited about what they can do in the next few weeks. So, let's see, big next few games, and I'm to try and get some points on the ball, but I think they'll be quite encouraged with how they played. Brighton the face next week, Brighton lost by a goal to Neil to Arsenal, usually a potential banana skin for Arsenal. So, Rene Sleggers, no doubt would have been pleased to have come through Sunday's match unscathed. And you come a Lisa Bounds called the only goal. It was a really competitive fixture in Crawley as

35:08well. And, you know, we praised Arsenal for their recruitment for debutants starting Suzy, how influential were they all, obviously the goal scorer and the winner. So, one of them very, but it was a crucial victory for them, wasn't it? I thought you called her Sir Rene Sleggers there instead of saying so Rene Sleggers. I was just saying, yes, Knight, yes, give her it for the Champions League window, the statue now. It was very good from the newcomers. Obviously, Lisa Bomm will still the headlines for her goal on her debut at 19, and it was just such a nice strike, like so confidently taken, tight angle into the roof of the net. Arguably, and those of you should have done better, but at the same time, because it's so close to her, but at the same time, there was so much power in it that, you know, it's quite hard to deal with those sometimes. So, really good performance from her, Georgia Stanway, just so much, I think, so said it last week, so much balance

36:10to that midfield that allows Caldente to kind of spread her creative wings for one of a better way of putting it here, and kind of do less of the kind of tough, gritty work and more of the flourishing work that she's known for. Stanway was brilliant, significantly more touches than anyone else in the match, and then Lisa Rodriguez as well, you know, really solid performance, a fantastic save as well to keep out, Kiko Sekai, when Brighton were pushing for a leveler. So, a really, really solid performance from those three new recruits in particular, obviously, on the batay, joined the club as well, like, but yeah, those three in particular stood out in this match, she really, really strong and could have done a bit better, let's see, a roost, so Mr. Cappella Cittas, but they caused, asked a lot of problems last season, earning a draw in Crawley,

37:16which handed City the title towards the end of the season, and knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup as well. So, I think they'll be really, really happy with the three points, regardless of having not scored more. Yeah, you mentioned Kiko Sekai, she was a threat in particular, they had some big chances, and given Arturo Ruiz, there's only been in the role for a week, are you sure, were you impressed with what you saw? Yeah, it's a tough gig coming in so soon to the season, starting always, but they were promising signs from Brighton, yeah, Kiko Sekai, Madison Haley, I thought they could combine quite well in Attack at times, Frank Kirby had a decent shot, they did create chances, but it was kind of similar, they weren't able to find the net, similar in that FA Cup final as well, you know, they started that game really on top and going for it, but then they just couldn't find the net, and ultimately they then, yeah, that's what you need to do, to win games, to get points, etc. But, yeah, I think Brighton

38:19fans should be not too disheartened at losing Vitticech, obviously a really great coach and did so much for Brighton, but it's the Brighton philosophy to kind of bring in another new exciting, young coach, and I'm excited to see what he can do with this team and whether he can kind of build on the progress that Vitticech made, which was impressive, and they've got some, you know, some really well-balanced team, some serious WSL experience in Frank Kirby, now like Leavolti coming back to the league as well for Brighton, decent attack, and a great goalkeeper as well in Nozozi, so I think Brighton fans should take promise from a narrow defeat to Arsenal and plenty to build on for Rerees and the team. Yeah, last but not least, Chaltonville Liverpool 4, miserable start to life in the WSL for Chalton, Grace Fisk scored a brace, Vivian

39:20Enderman and Cornelia Capox also amongst the goals, Carol Taylor's side have enjoyed a strong preseason as well. Look, we talked about it last week, it's really hard to know their true level until the competition starts and they had to wait until January to get their first win last year, so this is positive steps and surely give them a bit of confidence going forward, Tom. Yeah, I mean, they didn't get to the three point tally until the, I think, the full team for December last year, and as you said there didn't win the first league game until, I think, it was the 25th of January, so to have three points on the board already and in such infatic style will be really pleasing for Garretaila and the Liverpool fans. I think they're, you know, the clinical nature of the strike from Enderman, for example, on her league debut will be really encouraging as well and they were very dominant and I think particularly it was the improvements they've made since the FA Cup meeting with Chalton, I went to the Valley in, I think it was around April for the quarterfinal of the Bouns FA Cup last season and it was a slog,

40:25like Liverpool ended up winning it one in an extra time. I think it was a really late winner for the one-nil win. They could have easily lost that game or ended up sort of as a stalemate, so the contrast in just a few months to that will give them massive, massive encouragement and I think, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do this year. But they're, they're, you know, and it was a decent second half of last season, I suppose, so that they have got a bit of momentum now with the way they finished last year and now coming into the new season, so yeah, Liverpool could be a team to keep an eye on. Yeah, let's see if they can follow it up next week. As for Chalton, Susie, a tough star and they travel to Goodison Park next weekend to face Everton, any positives to build on in this one? Positives, that it's a new week. I mean, there's very little positives you can take from that game, you know, no shots on target, really struggling performance that the thing that concerns me most for Chalton is, you know, obviously alongside Crystal Palace and Bounm City, they come up and they finish behind both of those teams in WSL2 last season after

41:30having led the league for so long. But when you look at the bottom of the WSL from last season, obviously Leicester went down, but then it's Liverpool and West Ham. Liverpool looked great of Strenford really well, the gap between Chalton and Liverpool in the cup last season to this, this season was, was quite dramatically, like larger, West Ham of Strenford really well whilst, you know, obviously, you know, not the best opening game, but not too worried for them based on the summer they've had. So where do the points come from for Chalton? And that's, I think, a big concern for me looking ahead. When you compare their window, as we said last week to everyone else's, it's not as strong, you know, they didn't make some some signings, but there's not kind of real top level experience in there. They've got actually level one Emily Vanneckman from Leicester City, but you know, kind of two players arguably coming towards the end of their career,

42:31rather than, you know, in their prime or even sort of just past their prime. And, you know, Kira Flannery from West Ham didn't necessarily play a huge amount there. So like, where's that kind of real WSL experience and grit coming from? I can't see it and I am very worried for them. Buckley's WSL 2 got up and running this weekend. Newcastle United and Sondland both made impressive starts with winds over wolves and Bristol City respectively. Leicester opened their return to the second year with a narrow win over Sheffield United, despite going down to 10 players late on. Southampton, meanwhile, they've had a troubled summer after the cutting of their funding following the men's relegation from the Premier League, had a perfect start beating Durham 3-1 away from home. Megan Hornbeer rescued a point for Ipswich with a 93rd-minute leveler against Nottingham Forest and there was a goal of straw between newcomers Watford. And Burnley at the Kira Droad on Friday night. We didn't get a chance to preview the games last week, but how's the league shaping up this season, Aisha? Yeah, I mean, it's going to be exciting.

43:32WSL 2 is a very underrated league. And the more you can watch a bit, the better, because I think as we've seen over the last few seasons, it always comes down to the wire. So these early games are very exciting. So yeah, definitely. It's going to be a good season. Anyone stand out for you, Tom? I think Sondland hitting four goals per spruce of city was a big statement, because brisha city are really fancy to be promotion contenders this year. So that's the big standout result for me of the weekend. I think that can set Sondland on a good trajectory. Newcastle solid start for them and then Newcastle and my title favourites are nice. I said that a year ago as well and they managed to finish mid table, but this year I really think it should be their year with the quality they've got up front with the government and Thomas. But yeah, Sondland with a big win is an opening weekend. Sisi? Yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm worried about Dauram in not necessarily this season, but just long term. And the sort of erosion of independence

44:38and teams from the top tiers of English women's football, I mean, you would expect them to struggle against Southampton, while Southampton had those cuts. There's still been a strong team, and you know, probably be right up there this season. But yeah, just Dauram have gone from being such a consistent force at the top, nearly went under in the summer and then got a late investor in before they had to go into administration and kind of pull out of the league and stuff. So you know, saved, but I just really worry that something that has been such a core part of the top levels of the pyramid for such a long time is slowly being eroded and we're not kind of properly thinking of a way to ensure that independent teams are are helped to kind of be in that top level and competing with the best. And I don't know what that looks like, but it hurts me, you know, when we see another one starting to slip away. Yeah,

45:41um, for sure, it's definitely one to keep an eye on. Dauram fans get in touch with us. Women's football weekly at the Guardian.com, if you have any concerns, I know that we've had Dauram fans regularly messaging in previously. Love to hear from you. Right, let's talk about the UEFA Women's Champions League. We spoke last week about Chelsea seeing off Rao Sossida in qualification. So they joined Arsenal and Manchester City in the main draw. This is how it's looking. Arsenal face a tricky league phase. They've got Leon, Barcelona, Benfica, Paris FC, HB Kerger and Inter. They'll be a first reunion with Leon as well for Sonja Bonpas Storke as Chelsea are going to take on the French champions as well as PSG, AS Roma, BK Haccon, Austria-Vine and OH Loïvon. And on Manchester City's return to the competition, they will play PSG Bayern, Real Madrid, BK Haccon, Austria-Vine and Inter. So we'll keep an eye on

46:41that when everything kicks off. The under 20s women's world cup got underway on Saturday with a threat of a UEFA boycott passed. Italy caused the surprise, the opening round, beating Vicki Jeppesons USA21. England rescued a point against Canada in their opener with Asden Villa's Rachel Maltby leveling from the spot in the last minute. Strong starts as well for hosts Poland, Brazil and holders North Korea, while debutants Benin and a two-wheel draw with Mexico and Ecuador beat Ghana. And finally, I really wanted to highlight a very cool project coming out of Tottenham because the club have introduced legacy numbers for the women's team as part of their work to recognise and celebrate the players in their history. It's very similar to what the FA do with the Lionesses and the men's team. So recognition for every player that's played for Spurs since the 2011-2012 season when they entered the National League Pyramid, current players will have their number on their shirt as well. There's also going to be non-numerical recognition for key

47:47figures in their history prior to 2011, dating back to its formation as Brock Spawn ladies in 1985. Love that, what a fantastic idea. Right, we're at the end already, that's flown by. Lovely to see you, Aisha. You too, Faye and Sussi and Tom too. Yeah, well, I'm not sure if Sussi and Tom are happy seeing each other. I'm going to have to work on my headline for next time that the two heavy weights come up against each other. Tom, lovely to see you. Good to see you, Faye, great to see you, Aisha. It was okay seeing you, Sussi. I can't even give a straight face with just, we're two good mates. Yeah, it's so funny. Good to see you all. Sussi, Rack, I want to know what else you are, you are building as well as your Rubik's cubes. I'm also making some giant, you know, the yellow bricks with the question mark in Mario. I'm making some of those with some coins coming out the top. This is all

48:48for my 80s themed 40s. That's like revealing my age to everyone. I know this baby face does not look that nearly that old and I'm not quite yet, but yeah, that's what I'm doing. But anyway, for 40s not old and you're going to keep telling yourself this from now on. I'm off to me, Tom outside the school gates anyway for either a fight with handing hairbands to a friend and getting really our Aggie or sharing some pick a mix with him. One or the other we'll see. Coats in the middle are always important. Keep having your say, send a new questions via X or email us at Women's Football Weekly at the Guardian.com. Until then, this is also your regular reminder to sign up for our bi-weekly Women's Football Newsletter. All you need to do is search moving the gold posts sign up. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Sophie Downey and Tio Papula. Music composition was by Laura Iadow. Our executive producer is Joe Grove.

49:56This is the Guardian.