Chelsea v Arsenal 1-0
I'd like to say this was a game of two halves. But it was more like a game of twenty minutes and seventy minutes. Arsenal came out with a rotated midfield. Again? Please see Tim Stillman's excellent match report where he describes it as a 'washing machine'. Though to Slegers credit it kinda worked, initially, and Arsenal looked threatening. They hit the post a couple of times. Though when Mariona was played through and doinked Lisa Baum's magnificent pass off the outside of the post, her body deflated like a bouncy castle that had had the air supply cut off. A player that won the World Cup, a player that was instrumental in Arsenal's Champions League winning campaign, was done and defeated. What have you done to her Renee, and why has she played three different positions in as many weeks?
Stanway, who looked so promising when she first came into the Arsenal side had to resort to rampaging around tackling everything that would move. Russo flailed helplessly. A bright spot for Arsenal was Cooney-Cross, who is rising like a Phoenix from the flames. Arsenal were actually okay defensively. Yes, they ballsed up defensively for the one goal, but Chelsea didn't really look like scoring after that.
And what of Chelsea? McCabe has settled in well. I had no doubts she would. I think Chelsea suits her. Though, she is not the 'rampaging up the flanks' player there that she was at Arsenal, and if you're a team with a young fast winger, you'd do well to target her. Lauren James will always remain a puzzle to me. A player so capable of dribbling into the box and causing mayhem, and yet she seems fixated on shooting from waaaay outside the box, only to risk damaging the roofs of the vehicles in the car park. Odd. Deserved win for Chelsea. I knew it was over for Arsenal when I saw the sixty minute subs.
London City v Brighton 2-0
I'm feeling for Brighton. They just haven't had the results their performances deserve. The midfield was good here and they were undone by their goal keeper palming away a save straight into the path of Alexia Putellas who reminded them that she has won the ballon d'or, twice. We won't talk about the second goal because it wouldn't have happened if Brighton hadn't been pressing for an equaliser. The Seagulls need a good natural striker, they may also need a right back and to change their shape, but they probably shouldn't be languishing on two points either.
I had a bad start to this game as I ran in with twelve minutes to kick off, using someone else's gifted season ticket. I'd had a crazy busy day and was parched but people were already being turned away from the bar in order to take their seats. Can i not get a soft drink? I begged. No. They wanted people in their seats, and fair play to them, they drew a crowd, but turning away paying customers before a ball had been kicked seemed odd and saying no in this instance might not make fans willing to come back. The stands, when I got there, were full of dads who'd seemingly agreed to take their daughters out to give mum a break. There was great applause for the goals, but from where I was in the East Stand, all i could hear otherwise was the Brighton Fans, interspersed with that damn brass band. LCL fans, you need some chants, babes. Fair pay to the travelling Brighton support, small but mighty.