Five things we learned from the WSL weekend as Thomas continues fine form
The WSL heads towards the first international break with a more familiar look to the top of the table.
Chelsea overcame Brighton in a six-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow, a day after Man City had moved to top of the standings with a vital win at Leicester. But there is still plenty that feels different about the new campaign, with Spurs continuing their fine start under Robert Vilahamn, while Aston Villa continue to hit a blip after finishing fifth last season.
And in a week dominated by talk of how many Champions League group stage places England should get, Man Utd and Arsenal both gave their European aspirations a boost with vital wins on the road.
But Bristol City, like Villa, still await their first points of the new season after winning promotion from the Championship last time out following a narrow loss to the Gunners. Mirror Football has big talking points from the weekend here.
1. Thomas' dream start to life at Spurs continues
When new Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn lost Beth England to injury not long before the new season, many feared a tough start to life in England for the Swede. Instead he can put his feet up over the international break with his team sitting third in the table, only a point off the top.
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Their latest triumph was a storming 4-2 win over Aston Villa with in-form striker Martha Thomas, signed after England's injury, continuing her superb start to life in North London with a hat-trick. Thomas continued her prolific form with her first the pick of the trio, a superb chip over Villa's Rebecca Spencer.
The Scot now leads the WSL golden boot race with six goals in only four games, and if she can maintain this form Tottenham will start to believe they can outscore most teams. "We score a lot of goals and that's what we want to do," said Vilahamn after the win. "It's a joy to watch them."
They face Everton at home after the international break.
2. After 310 days - Miedema is finally back for Arsenal
The WSL's all-time top goalscorer is officially back in the game. In the closing minutes of Arsenal's narrow 2-1 win at Bristol City, Vivianne Miedema was brought off the bench to make her return to action, following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Only a week after Beth Mead made her sensational return, this was another major attacking boost for Jonas Eidevall. Miedema has even returned in double quick time, making her comeback only 10 months after she first ruptured her ACL against Lyon.
She will now meet-up with the Dutch national team to continue her rehabilitation as, like Mead, she works her way towards playing a full 90 minutes. "I'm a proper footballer again," Miedema wrote on X after the win. "The last 310 days have been an emotional and physical rollercoaster.
Vivianne Miedema of Arsenal celebrates on the final whistle with team mate Beth Mead (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)"You never really understand what rehab/coming back means until you go through it." Thankfully for the league, the Dutch star has successfully fought off one of the worst injuries a professional footballer can suffer.
3. Man Utd bounce back from PSG nightmare
There's a cruel irony in Man Utd building a deeper squad to deal with European football, only for their continental journey to be over before it ever truly begun. Last week's qualifier defeat in Paris means United will have to wait at least one more year before making their debut in the Champions League proper.
But will the extra attacking firepower brought in over the summer now help Marc Skinner's side compete on all three domestic fronts instead. Neither Leah Galton or summer signing Geyse featured against Everton, yet United were still able to demolish their opponents 5-0.
Nikita Parris, having barely featured in United's two previous games, started and returned Skinner's faith by scoring twice, while Rachel Williams came off the bench to help herself to a brace. With other new recruits Hinata Miyazawa and Melvine Malard again shining, Malard having opened the scoring in the 14th minute, United now have an attack as good as anything in the WSL.
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Nikita Parris scored twice against Everton4. Liverpool have to make chances count
Liverpool's strong start to the season was hit by a shock derby loss against Everton last week. And the Reds failed to return to winning ways on Sunday after West Ham stole a point thanks to Riko Ueki's injury-time equaliser.
Overall seven points is a decent haul for Matt Beard to take into the international break. But having won at Arsenal on the opening day, it is perhaps now becoming evident why the Liverpool gaffer refused to get carried away after that victory at the Emirates.
At West Ham, Liverpool once again created plenty of chances. Ceri Holland and Gemma Bonnar both hit the woodwork, while Fuka Nagano and Sophie Roman Haug also failed to convert from decent positions. The Reds are clearly better at the back this season, having only conceded twice so far this season, one of those from a set-piece.
But if they are serious about building on their early momentum they need to become more clinical.
Liverpool celebrate Marie Hobinger's opener at West Ham5. Bristol City crowd might not grab headlines but hotbed status
They may be yet to gain a point in the WSL, but it is a joy to have Bristol City back in the top flight. On Sunday evening a club record 12,008 fans came through at Ashton Gate to watch the Vixens narrowly lose to title contenders Arsenal.
They didn't win, but Rachel Furness' equaliser felt like a lift off moment for the Championship holders and the energy inside the ground provided a reminder of what a boost they are to the league. The attendance may not trouble the top 10 crowds we see this season, but it is a huge step for the club.
City played the majority of their games last season at the Robins High Performance Centre training ground. This season they have committed to play all 12 home league games at Ashton Gate, a fantastic decision showing real faith in the women's team.
When England played here back in February against Belgium, the atmosphere was superb. It is easy to forget what hotbed of women's football the west country. But if fans continue to back the team in this way, they could prove a key weapon in Lauren Smith's armory for the fight to avoid relegation.
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