England gives Chelsea cutting edge

Chelsea are the division’s only unbeaten team, and having come from behind to win against Manchester City on Sunday are two points behind Arsenal with a game in hand. That’s their sixth league win in a row, which demonstrates the consistency they are now achieving, and Beth England’s goal was her sixth in five games in all competitions. She’s an old-school centre-forward: a poacher and a grafter, and as she showed on Sunday she will be in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball in if necessary. With England in great form, Sophie Ingle stepping up to be that physical presence in midfield and Maren Mjelde, who got the winning goal against City, showing her quality, allied to the reliable excellence of their Rolls-Royce player, Ji So-yun, Chelsea are in a great place. Ellie Roebuck was City’s outstanding player, and it was her saves that kept the score respectable. For me she’s now England’s No1, no question, and Caroline Weir is getting better and better, but across the team there’s been a lack of investment, compared with what other WSL teams have been doing, and that’s now being punished.

Miedema gets the headlines but Zinsberger is vital for Arsenal

For half an hour Reading went toe to toe with Arsenal, and that was the Reading of old – battling, fighting, and with flashes of real quality. But they couldn’t keep it up, and inevitably it was Vivianne Miedema who punished them. Kim Little’s goal was the pick of the bunch, though, as after a corner was pulled back to the edge of the area a quick exchange of passes cut Reading open and her finish was exquisite. Arsenal are a joy to watch at the moment, and despite Chelsea’s form and ability I think Arsenal have the edge for one simple reason: they’ve got Miedema, the best goalscorer in the league. Having Manuela Zinsberger in goal has been a massive transformation for them this season, in what was a vulnerable position. She’s commanding, her distribution is excellent and she has a presence that the Gunners lacked before her arrival. Reading can take some positives from the game but they have been battling for a place in the top three in previous years and now they are meandering in mid-table. They have a core of players who have been there now for several seasons – Fara Williams, Jade Moore, Jo Potter and Remi Allen – but two of those players are 29 and two are 35, and perhaps it’s time to consider a rebuild.

A point for Liverpool but they need more

Liverpool got their second point of the season thanks to their first goal from open play, in their ninth game. It was certainly their best opportunity to get three points, but Mel Lawley – whose cross set up Niamh Charles for the equaliser – missed from the penalty spot. They conceded a sloppy early goal, which didn’t help, but this was the first time I have seen this Liverpool team create multiple chances in a game. There were probably more goalscoring opportunities for them in this one match than in their last three combined, so there are positive signs, and Vicky Jepson knows this team has to open up and become more attacking. They have focused so much on making themselves hard to beat – although they have lost seven games and not won any their goal difference is only -9, while Bristol City, a point above them, have lost six and have a goal difference of -24 – but if a more attacking focus means making themselves more vulnerable at the back, that’s what has to be done. Otherwise Liverpool’s men will win the league while the women get relegated, which would be embarrassing and really expose the lack of forward thinking with their women’s side.

United show self-belief to bounce back

After losing at West Ham last week Manchester United showed the form we have come to expect from them in beating Everton 3-1, despite Mary Earps’ early own-goal, and completed a good weekend for the red half of Manchester. They showed they’ve got bouncebackability, and you can tell this is a squad with really strong self-belief. Earps had a poor game last time out an was at fault for that first goal, but the way they came back to equalise within a couple of minutes demonstrated their character. Lauren James scored twice and won their penalty, and the 18-year-old is thriving off a run of games – that’s six in her last six appearances in all competitions. Everton also had an exciting prospect in 21-year-old Chloe Kelly, and it was exciting to watch these two young superstars, surely both of them future England regulars, up against each other. Kelly, as slight as she is, is a real battler, a quality ingrained from a young age playing with her brothers in the cages in London. With no England games until March, there’s an opportunity for young players to show their quality and their character and really battle their way into Phil Neville’s thinking.

Basement battle hotting up but Spurs won’t be involved

Birmingham pulled away from Bristol and from relegation danger with victory at the Stoke Gifford Stadium. Bristol drew two of their first four games but are still without a win and now just one point ahead of Liverpool, and given an opportunity to claw themselves out of danger instead saw Birmingham show their grit to take the points. Next month’s game against Liverpool is looking increasingly important in that battle against the drop. Brighton are now 10th, three points ahead of Bristol, after they lost at Tottenham. That game was decided by Victoria Williams’ scrappy own goal, but if you’re winning games when you’re not at your best you’re doing OK. Going into the winter break Tottenham know their league place is pretty much safe, they look confident and they can start to plan for the future. It will be interesting to see if they sign anyone in January, because there are certainly positions they could strengthen, but they are progressing quickly and must now be an appealing prospect for any player considering a move.

This season BT Sport will air more women’s football than ever before. Further match coverage will be announced soon.