London City gelling, Man City flying - takeaways from WSL start

After 5 frantic weeks, the Women's Super League takes a two-week break, offering the cleanable accidental to instrumentality banal of a thrilling commencement to the season.

Here are 5 cardinal takeaways from the opening weeks.

For the archetypal clip this decade, the established bid of the WSL looks nether threat.

London City Lionesses and Tottenham person been bullish astir climbing the table, portion Liverpool besides sought to footwear connected this season.

After 5 games, London City look the astir convincing, with Sunday's connection 6-1 win astatine Spurs a dazzling illustration of the endowment and extent manager Eder Maestre has astatine his disposal.

Two-time Ballon d'Or victor Alexia Putellas headlined immoderate eye-catching summertime signings and she scored doubly against Tottenham.

But it was the mode successful which the full squad dismantled their antecedently awesome opponents that was truthful spectacular, with chap forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Danielle van de Donk besides looking a people above.

"This benignant of triumph tin beryllium a game-changer," Maestre said.

No doubt. It is the benignant of show that tin pb to speech of a rubric charge.

For Spurs, a humiliating location nonaccomplishment is simply a world cheque aft promising aboriginal results.

Liverpool acquitted themselves good successful constrictive losses distant to some Manchester clubs but, with cardinal attacking players specified arsenic Vivien Endemann missing against United, they lacked creativity.

That points to possibly the biggest happening some Liverpool and Spurs deficiency successful examination with London City: squad depth.

Five wins from 5 with 16 goals scored, defending champions Manchester City person picked up wherever they near off.

Sunday's comeback triumph implicit Arsenal made it City's champion commencement to a play since opening the 2017-18 run with 7 consecutive victories, cementing their presumption arsenic the squad to beat.

In truthful doing, City besides apt ended the Gunners' rubric aspirations adjacent this aboriginal on.

It helps erstwhile their champion players are performing. Khadija Shaw's declaration renewal successful the summertime was cardinal and the striker has 5 league goals already. England winger Lauren Hemp is besides successful good form, contributing 4 goals and 2 assists.

After immoderate softly shrewd additions successful Beth Mead, Carlotta Wamser and Niamh Charles, City look good acceptable erstwhile again.

Their closest rivals are Chelsea, who person responded to an opening-day gully against Aston Villa by winning 4 consecutive games without conceding a goal.

While brag Sonia Bompastor wants them to beryllium much clinical, their antiaircraft spot is thing they person implicit City.

As for Arsenal, the spread is 10 points to leaders City, and beardown pre-season hopes of a archetypal league rubric since 2018-19 are vanishing, with manager Renee Slegers conceding connected Sunday: "At the moment, we are not successful the conversation."

Manchester United's summertime of upheaval bled into the commencement of the season, with Eva Olid's accomplishment from Hearts opening with convincing defeats by London City and Chelsea.

The connection from the nine was that this would beryllium a play of modulation but caller performances suggest they are getting to grips with her benignant of play.

Saturday's 1-0 triumph implicit Liverpool was United's 4th consecutive triumph successful each competitions, with 18 goals scored successful the process.

"I americium truthful blessed for the players - they merit it," Olid said. "We person started to click successful a batch of things and they combat for each other.

"But determination is inactive a batch to improve. We created chances, but our past walk and our finishing needs to beryllium better."

Summer signing Andrea Medina has been a immense affirmative connected the near wing, with her publication to the squad much pronounced than a azygous extremity suggests.

A travel to bottommost broadside Charlton aft the interruption is simply a presentable accidental for much points earlier a stern trial against Manchester City the pursuing weekend.

This play is the WSL's biggest ever, literally, with the league expanding from 12 to 14 teams and 3 coming up from WSL 2.

But does bigger mean stronger?

Crystal Palace look the astir comfy of the promoted sides, boasting six points from 5 games and they moved to eighth successful the WSL array by drafting astatine Aston Villa connected Sunday.

But things are much hard for the different promoted sides, Birmingham and Charlton, who prop up the table.

Despite immoderate promising patches, WSL 2 champions Birmingham person conscionable 2 points and 1 of those came against Crystal Palace.

At slightest France guardant Oceane Hurtre looks suited to this level, sitting arsenic associated apical scorer successful the WSL with 5 goals from 5 games.

Hurtre scored against Everton successful decision connected Sunday but defender Neve Herron summed things up by saying Blues were "second to everything" aft the game.

Meanwhile, it looks bleak for Charlton, bottommost of the array with zero points, 15 goals against and lone 2 goals scored.

After their 5-1 nonaccomplishment to Brighton connected Sunday, goalkeeper and skipper Sophie Whitehouse said: "It conscionable wasn't bully enough.

"It's a pugnacious league. The leap up is truthful big. You can't marque immoderate mistakes."

Finally, it is excessively soon to gully conclusions but attendances astatine immoderate of the league's biggest matches person been down connected erstwhile seasons.

For instance, Chelsea hosted Arsenal connected 27 September successful a fervent atmosphere, but the crippled had 36% less successful Stamford Bridge than successful January this year.

Similarly, Liverpool against Everton astatine Anfield was 19% down connected past season, albeit the Merseyside derby was the archetypal crippled of the 2025-26 season.

Three Saturdays ago, Arsenal kicked disconnected against Manchester United astatine 17:30 successful beforehand of 29,853 fans. Last season, it was a lunchtime fixture that welcomed 37,627.

For balance, it ought to beryllium highlighted that the Manchester City v Arsenal crippled connected Sunday was promoted from the Joie Stadium to Etihad Stadium, and decidedly had much than the 4,300 who attended the crippled past season.

Official figures person yet to beryllium released for it.

Nevertheless, portion this is simply a tiny illustration size, paying customers is simply a imaginable inclination to show arsenic the WSL wrestles with the continued situation of the schedule.