The Guardian's Women's Football Weekly - Arsenal battle past Chelsea in Champions League – Women’s Football Weekly

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Freddie Cardy and Emma Sanders to discuss the Champions League and Sarina Wiegman’s latest England squad

This is The Guardian. Hello, I'm Faker others and welcome to the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Arsenal are into the Champions League semi-finals after knocking out Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United couldn't overcome Bayern Munich at their fortress with the German champions also into the last four. Now, it seems like a while ago, but we'll cast our eye back on the weekend's WSL action and congratulate Bournemouth for winning the FA Women's National League Cup for the first time. We'll discuss all of that, plus we'll take your questions, and that's today's Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Guess who's back? Back again. Susie Rack. Tell your friends.

And I've got a voice. That's a lovely haircut. You've got a voice. It's like, you know, tick tick. New week, new me. I don't know. Is that a thing? No, yeah. I've got my voice back so I can actually participate this time. Amazing. Excellent. Freddie Cardi, how are you? I'm good. I think it's quite appropriate you've started off with some talk about hair after the events of last night. But yeah, all good, being enjoying the football on holiday in the lake districts.

Oh, that's so lovely. And yes, we will talk about the hair pulling incident. I very nearly put it in the intro, but I thought, no, no, no, no. Be more professional than that. Emma Sanders, how are you? Good, thank you. Although I'm down in London, so we all know how I feel about being in here and not at home. Oh, wow.

She's gone hard in, Susie, immediately. Well, listen, at least your Wi-Fi is working. Arsenal's defence of the Champions League title continues. It was a tense enthralling encounter in front of almost 17,000 people at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. That is why we're recording on a Thursday morning, by the way, so that you get all of the live action from the Champions League. And René Slager's side came through 3-2 on aggregate to book their spot in the semi-finals. They went into the second leg, you'll remember, with a 3-1 lead to defend

after that impressive performance at the Emirates. Chelsea did win 1-0 at the bridge on the night, but obviously not enough to overcome the deficit. So that means back-to-back European semi-finals for Arsenal, Susie. Do you reckon these two performances showed how much Arsenal have learned about themselves and maybe about the competition itself, actually, over the last 18 months or so? Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think it showed a maturity, particularly in that first leg, to get a two-goal cushion despite having it pegged back by Chelsea's goal in that game. and then a patient performance, particularly early on in the first half of this game

when Chelsea were really kind of pushing when they came out and trying to get an early goal to kind of pull them back into the tie instantly. It was a real, yeah, patient performance in that sense. Could have done with being more clinical, but then the same could be said for Chelsea. Big maturity points for Arsenal in that across those two legs. and yeah, they know what to do now. They know what it takes to win this competition. We saw that kind of resilience last season

when they were coming from behind in the court finals, in the semi-finals, and then going on to win the final with such a phenomenal defensive display. I think having Steph Catley back, at centre-back was really, really important for this tie as well. And I think you noticed the difference when she came off too. So, yeah, solid game. They'll be frustrated to have conceded,

particularly an added time to kind of really put the pressure on themselves. But they also had an advantage in that, you know, They played a day earlier on the Saturday. The job was done against Spurs fairly early on. Chelsea had a difficult game against Aston Villa, which again, I'm sure going to later. Arsenal got injuries, but Chelsea have quite a lot of injuries and significant injuries at the moment. And so I think that a number of factors around the game that made Chelsea's performance really impressive. They just needed to be a little bit more clinical.

But these games are always so tight between these two sides. It's always the finest margins that divine them. Yeah, without a doubt. And look, we'll get to the hair pool and some of the contentious decisions a little bit later because I think we need to focus on Arsenal bearing in mind they were the side that won. And actually, you know, as Susie mentioned there, Freddie, they did have to absorb quite a lot of pressure to defend that lead. And the stats were quite even in terms of chances created.

So how much does that show that their defensive performance was what really got them over the line in this in the end, especially as Susie said with the loss of Steph Catley in the first half. Yeah, it is a different side to their game. And it's an Arsenal team that we're still without Leah Williamson in both legs. And we're without Catley for the second half. They spent 90 minutes overall with one recognised centreback on the pitch, you know, against that Chelsea front line. And even though they're missing players, I mean, we'll come on to McCabe for different reasons.

But she's played 90 minutes centreback out of position and put an absolute shift in. Lotta Wib and Moy often goes under the radar, often something of an understudy. in this team outstanding. And then I thought, Alessia Russo playing in that deeper role, I think she just helped to absorb so much pressure. Every time Arsenal get the ball up the field, she's just able to kill the game a little bit. She's able to take time out the game,

able to bring others into play. She was so impressive for me. And like Susie said, the maturity, it's, you know, Arsenal was so measured at full time. And I know they've lost on the night, and I don't know how footballers find it. I don't know if they wouldn't have liked losing on the night, and that's why they're not celebrating.

but compare it to when they came back to beat Real Madrid, there were players running onto the pitch in the quarterfinals last season celebrating. It was almost a bit of a feel of we've been here before. And that was quite interesting to me of Arsenal really starting to think, actually, we belong on this big stage. And it was just quite a mature display. And even looking ahead to the semi-finals, you know, it's Wolfsburg or Leon.

They ran Wolfsburg close a few years ago. It's maybe not a stronger Wolfsberg side. And they beat Leon away really impressively last year. So there's so much belief. and so much reason for them to believe, they can go all the way to the final again. Yeah. Disappointing for Chelsea,

you know, this just seems to be the trophy that they just cannot get their hands on. But, you know, they did make a fast start, Emma, but wasteful in front of goal, as we've said. Do you think Sonia Bonpastor takes some blame for getting her tactics wrong? Or is it the players that need to bear some of the responsibility?

Yeah, I think it's a difficult one for Chelsea because I think they were hampered by injuries in the squad. I think that you have to mention that. I think there's context behind it. I think that obviously limits what Sonia Bon Pasto can do in terms of the tactics. Sanko was the only fit number nine, for example, a lot of the team sort of picked itself purely on who was available. You looked at the bench in both legs,

and really there was not really much you could do in terms of changing the game because of the personnel available. But I think she could have done more in terms of maybe, offensively. I think I'd mentioned quite a few times of people around me. I wonder if she goes to a back three or a back, back five, so that she can bring on more players out wide and more attacking players in those positions. And I think there was a hesitancy maybe to do that. She kind of stuck with the back four with Lucy Bronson in that centreback position. And I think it works in some ways and didn't in others because I think, you know, you're limiting what you can give going forward.

and I think when your two goals down and in the second leg, I would have liked to have seen that change maybe happen or could she have maybe just taken a risk, taken off a midfielder a lot earlier and pushed some other players higher up. But overall, I personally don't think there was loads she could have done. I think, you know, they did switch formations in other areas. They did try different things.

As you said, I think the difference between the two teams wasn't massive. I was very impressed with Arsenal and I think sometimes the team who wins were just better across both legs in those fine margins. I think in the biggest moments Arsenal were better. They were more roofless.

They were calmer and more composed in those kind of moments that could have turned the tide. Obviously there was a lack of fortune on Chelsea's side as well. They were on the receiving end of some poor officiating decisions. I don't think they handled that very well

either, both the manager and the squad. And I think it was just an accumulation of all those little things which added up. And I think in the end, Arsenal deserved to go through. I think they were the better team across both games. Listen, we've been teasing it, the whole pod so far. I think we really need to get into the officiating. Both matches had contentious decisions that left Chelsea and Sonia Bumpur-Pestor, feeling particularly aggrieved.

So at the Emirates, they had a goal disallowed just before half-time for a soft foul. We should also mention, though, that Chelsea defender, Kadeesha Buchanan was perhaps lucky to escape a red late in that game. And then the final minute of injury time at Stamford Bridge, when the tie was at 1-0, Katie McCabe was shown to have pulled Alyssa Thompson's hair as she broke past her. The referee didn't give a foul. Bon Pastor's remonstration saw her sent off.

And she was then quite heated post-match as well, brought receipts to her broadcast interview, showing the video of the incident as well. This is what she had to say. If the VAR is not able to check that situation, I don't know why we have the VAR. I'm the one getting a red card, but I think the Arsenal players

should be the one getting a red card. Katie McKay did apologise on Instagram, straight after the game, by the way. I just want to clarify, I was genuinely reaching for the shirt. I wouldn't ever want to pull someone's hair for respect to Thompson. This kind of things happen in gameplay.

But there are some questions to ask about refereeing. Emma at the moment. Yeah, of course. And I think the way that Sonia Bonpastor reacted, I think he's only human. She's protecting a player. It was right in front of her.

She could see it. And I think that was the most frustrating thing for her was that if she can see it in real time on the pitch, how is they are not picking up on it? And that's been her message across both games is that she understands human error. She understands sometimes officials will miss things. But this is the Champions League quarterfinals.

it's two of the best teams in Europe and VAR I think has let them down and I think that's hard to take as both from manager and footballers when you're putting in all that work during the week and you're performing to high levels and as we've discussed they were close to Arsenal

in terms of the competition and it is all about these fine margins and there are other factors that we've discussed but when these decisions don't go your way I think it does have an impact for me in terms of the first leg I think had that disallowed goal for Villa Berman stood in the first leg, I think the landscape for the rest of that game is very, very different.

In the second leg, I don't think Katie McCabe's hair pull, which I think we've seen the replays. For me, it's definitely a red card, it's a foul, she pulls her hair. I don't think you can sugarcoat that. And the referees should have picked up on it. And if they didn't, VR absolutely should have picked up on it. However, was it too late in the game? Yes, I think so.

You know, Chelsea by that point, I don't think we're in control. They were pushing for an equalizer. They obviously got one late through Nuskin, but I think Chelsea was still the better team across the tie. So in that sense, I don't think it's had an impact. But I do think the officiating in the women's game has been a problem for a long time. We've discussed it over and over and over again.

Referees haven't been full-time across Europe globally as well for a while. There's still inconsistencies, I think, levels between leagues is massive in the officiating. I think levels between competitions is massive. And yeah, I do have sympathy for Bonpastor and her players because when you're going into these big games, I think all you want to know is that it's down to the football. And a lot of the times we haven't seen that is the case in the women's game.

And it is really disappointing. I do think there needs to be a little bit of patience with that because as you say, they are catching up. you know, women's football has had investment. It takes a little bit longer for that to then filter down for the officiating to reach the standards. But I do know that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in order to get them more up to speed.

It just does take a little bit of time. Freddie, where does this leave Chelsea's season? Do you think I mentioned earlier, this is the one trophy they've always wanted to get their hands on and failed again? Yeah, it's interesting because they have failed, but how much of the discussion, you know, it is now going to be so VAR dominated, refereeing dominated.

Maybe the fans will take quite a forgiving standpoint. Actually, they might look at this as actually, you know what, on quite Fred Bear resources. We gave it a really good go on another day. If the refereeing decisions go away, we're in the Champions League semifinals. But I still think maybe Arsenal over the two legs were the better side. I think they played really well in the first leg, particularly.

So, yeah, it's an interesting one for Chelsea, and they were devastated at full time. I think both of these sides are going to have big summers. I think there's been news out this morning about where Sam Kerr's off to in the NWSL that's come out, the Australian media. So I think that's going to be the key for them and for Arsenal is actually they're both going to have these really big summers. But Arsenal might get there in quite a good position where perhaps they lift some more silverware. So really frustrating for Chelsea, I think the fact is come against their, you know, their big rivals and the rivals who have won the competition that Chelsea wanted to win. and Arsenal are failing to win the competitions that Chelsea have been winning.

There's some real irony there. But I do think maybe the manner of the defeat, I don't know, maybe Bon Pasto's comments, the fans sort of rally behind her a bit more and it galvanises them for the rest of the season. But I think the focus is so much on the refereeing. There hasn't been much criticism actually of Chelsea from their fans, which is quite interesting to see how that develops for the rest of the season. Yeah. In terms of Arsenal, Susie, Wolfsberg or Leon to come in the next round of the Champions League.

Rennie Slegger said it's special to be a part of this team. The performances and the results that we're getting a good but it's the everyday stuff for me. It's special. I think everyone feels this way about what we're doing at the moment.

How are they going to be assessing their chances at this point? I mean, you've got to be full of confidence, haven't you? You're the holders, you're going into a semi-final, you've just beaten a huge domestic rival to reach that stage of the competition.

I think the focus now has to be for want of a better cliche, one game at a time, right? like they've got those two important games in hand in the league, which they really kind of, you know, need to build some momentum up with to, you know, make sure they get Champions League next season comfortably and can avoid qualifying and things like that where possible, extra rounds of qualifying, I should say.

And after the win over Leon last season, they can be full of confidence going into that semi-final. Yeah, a huge step in the right direction to defending that title. The teams that lie ahead, are high-risk games, but their top-level teams and there'd be no shame in going out to any of them, including, I would say no shame on either Chelsea or Arsenal in losing this fixture, especially so narrowly.

And no shame in Manchester United, losing their tie either to Bayern Munich because their first Champions League campaign ended at the quarter final stage. The German champions took three-two lead back to the alliance after an eventful first leg and then came from behind to book their sales. semi-final spot in the end. Before we get into the discussion, Tom Gary was on the ground in Munich to give us some post-match analysis. I'm outside the Allianz Arena, which is now lit up in bright red under the night sky, celebrating by Munich's victory here, 2-1 on the night, 5-3 on aggregate, Manchester United exiting the Champions League after a decent campaign and a really spirited effort

tonight specifically. They played very well for large part. of this game, especially in the first half, but eventually the buying pressure just got too strong and the goals were coming in the end. The two late goals from set pieces for the home side. It felt like they were inevitable. They just kept building up pressure in the second half. I've just had a conversation with Mark Skinner in the postman's press conference asked some questions about set pieces, which he admitted, I think was a little bit of a concern, but he said it was down to sort of mental fatigue for his players. And he said fatigue in general was the main problem. He put their exit down to fatigue. He says that they couldn't do the things they wanted

to do in the second half because of tiredness. He also spoken quite a lot tonight about investment. He said that he's proud of his players and what they've achieved in the resources that they have, but he feels they could go further with a bit more investment, which is an interesting timing, because only earlier today, the FA released their latest list of the agent's fees that were spent by DSL clubs and the Manchester United were seventh in the WSEL for spending on agents fees. So six clubs spent more than them on agents in the year to February 2026, which was really striking. And the Guardian reported earlier today that Manchester United's wage bill last year was only half that of arsenals. And I think that was clearly on Mark Skinner's mind when he was calling for more investment in a press conference.

In the short term, it's disappointment for their fans. Again, they're out. Obviously, having lost the League Cup final recently now and being out of the FA Cup and now they're out in Europe. So it's all eggs into the basket of trying to get into the top three in the league now. they've got difficult away games to come against Tottenham and against Chelsea on the final day of the season. So it will not be easy. And Mark Skinner said they're going to need to win all three of those remaining league fixtures to get into the top three. Let's see if they could do it.

But for now, tonight it's disappointment in Munich, as they say goodbye to their European campaign. Brilliant stuff. Thank you very much. Tom. Been a tough week for United. But they did manage to drag themselves back into the tie in Munich before conceding two in the space of four minutes. But, you know, we have seen these. defensive frailties, haven't we in recent weeks, Emma? Where was this tie won and lost?

Yeah, I think it was really difficult for Manchester United because similarly to Chelsea, I think the squad depth has maybe caught up with them a little bit in the last few weeks. I was at Manchester Derby on the weekend where it really was a poor performance from Man United, but they just had nothing in them in terms of the fatigue. And I think a lot of people were worried about them going into this second leg in Munich. and actually I think they performed well over the two games. I did expect a little bit more from Bayern, I have to admit, but I think it was always going to be tough for this United team.

Obviously, they're playing in the first season in the Champions League, and I think to get to the quarterfinals has been, you know, a strong achievement for them. There's some really, really tough teams in the Champions League now. I think you look back to sort of five years ago, and it did feel like it was kind of all about maybe four or five teams. You look at the quarter final set up now, and I think every single one of those clubs in the Champions League are really, really big, tough opponents.

So I think United will be happy to have reached that stage and be among those. They would have gained quite a lot of experience from that. But I do think it was just that depth, that know-how and obviously the lack of, I suppose, stability in that back line, which was the difference for me. I think United have obviously shown some attacking threat. Melvin Mallard has been fantastic in the last couple of months in particular. and obviously she gave it a good go in Munich as well.

But I still don't think they maybe got the best out of those players because they probably weren't set up in the right way for the second leg maybe. I think obviously the injuries up front with the likes of Elizabeth Turland has also had an impact. I don't think Leah Shuler's been able to settle in as quickly as maybe she would have liked to have done as well. It's always difficult coming in January.

So I think United probably missed that aspect too. But I just think it was kind of in all areas of the pitch. They were maybe just a couple of percent off it really and Bayon just had that. They had that in their squad. So no shame for Manchester United either, but I am a little bit worried about them now

in terms of maybe missing out in the top three in the W.S. and qualifying for next season's Champions League. And I think to reach the quarterfinals this year and then to not get in the competition next year would be a real blow. So it's a crucial, crucial couple of weeks for Manchester United and they

really need to just try and stick in there until the end of the season. Yeah, there are circumstances in terms of injuries. And it almost was the kind of classic game of two halves at the Allianz. United better in the first half, but fans weren't very happy with how they sat back in the second. But actually, when you look at the injuries, that may have something to do with it. And Mark Skinner alluded to that as well. We've got 45 minutes of really high-level football.

And then the second half is just down to fatigue and tiredness. They've just not stopped running. They were doing everything they can. By and rested seven players at the weekend and then came into this game fresh. could see energy was the difference. And, you know, that is elite level sport. You have to be able to have the squad depth and fitness in order to overcome these things, to get into amazing positions like the semi-finals of the Champions League. And it felt like this was perhaps just one step too far for them, Freddie. Yeah, buying are a strange team. Me and Susie were there when

Arsenal were two-nil up at half-time. And this really reminded me of that last night, you know, how they were so poor in one half. I thought they were just slow around the box. They were wasteful on the ball. And then suddenly the second half, it was just corner after corner. And I think that's where they got Manchester United in the end, because similarly to the Manchester Derby on the weekend, it's the crosses in, it's the headers, it's the set pieces. And Byron seemed to learn at half time like they did when they played Arsenal there. I think it was back in November, just had a bit more quality. The only thing I'd query of United is if they didn't have the legs, the tactics was trying to force an extra time. And in extra time, it was just not going to go their way in that case

either because Byron had a little bit more to bring off the bench. United best hope was to really nick another goal in that second half and then be able to get in a position to part the bus. And I think once Byron got back into the game, it was sort of one-way traffic. I thought first half, you know, Mallard was excellent running with the ball. Mamutovitch makes a really good save when United a 1-0-0. Park obviously hits the crossbar. But as soon as Byans got the goal, I just wondered, you know, United are playing for extra time, it's just not really going to go their way. So we have a fully fit squad, quite a different game. I think there's a lot for them to be proud of. But then the wider questions about investment and the squad depth, I think we always knew

that might be costly, you know, with them fighting across all the competitions and it's proven to be ultimately in the last few days. Mark Skinner said they'll learn from what investments really needed to perform at this level consistently. And Susie, we alluded to this earlier on, But overall, how would you assess their European campaign? Because, you know, as we said, it will be a big blow if they can't back it up with qualification for next season. Where does it leave them? Yeah, in trouble, in that sense,

I think this campaign has been a very, very good one. And I don't think, as we said, they leave it with, you know, Heads bow at all. I think it was a very, very good campaign and a very good fight to finish at the end. They really took it to Munich in Munich, which is a really difficult task as we've seen so many other teams fail to do to any real extent

and conceding goals to Penelahada as well particularly in that first leg is something that every team in Europe wakes up having nightmares about so it's not an unusual scene it will be extremely difficult for them if they don't get Champions League next season in terms of the momentum that they're building up as a club

their ability to sign the kind of level of talent they're looking for that kind of thing or really disrupt the momentum. But I think the thing is, is these are all things that we were saying at the start of the season. Was their squad deep enough and strong enough to cope across four competitions, you know, which was a new experience for them? And we've seen most predictions that that is going to be a stretch too far for this squad come to fruition, which is disappointing when everyone can see that that is the problem. And I don't think that is necessarily Mark Skinner's fault. It's necessarily the players' fault. I think it's the board level. It's the ownership.

It's not kind of really, really investing extensively in the playing squad ahead of this season. But also in the last few seasons to the extent to build a squad ready for this, I think they've always been slightly underfunded that, I mean, producers so forth saying last night, the signings in the in January of, you know, the two forwards, great players to bring in, but they also need a depth in midfield and at the back and they didn't get that. And it's like, you know, it's all well good bringing in more attackers, but unless you strengthen those other areas as well, you know, they're going to be a bit lost. And I mean, who would have thought that presuming United and Chelsea win their remaining fixtures up to the final day of the season,

that the Chelsea Man United game is probably going to decide who gets that third place Champions League qualifying spot when two, three seasons ago, we're talking about that game deciding the destination of the title, which shows how much the, the, the, league has changed and how quickly things can change. But that's going to be a thrilling game. That's going to be the one to watch at the end of the season for me. Yeah. I can't wait for that.

And actually, I'm excited that it's not same old, same old. It shows there's progression. Right, Freddie's back on his holly bobs and is leaving us. Brilliant to see you as always, Freddie. We'll catch up soon. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me. No worries at all.

I haven't used the word holly bobs for quite a long time. I don't really know where that came from. I think that's aged you, Faye. Yeah, I think it's massively aged me. I don't think I've ever used it in like general speak ever. Anyway, we're all going on a jolly holiday. That's it for part one of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly in part two. We'll look at the weekends WSL action and the latest England squad announcement.

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Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Right, let's take you back to the weekend. We were treated to a bumper one, derbies and goals in the final round of the league for a month. Manchester City took one step closer to the title with a dominant 3-0. win over Manchester United. Viv Medemar scored a brace before Kirsten Kaspirite rounded off the victory. Not for the first time this season that City completely dominated the Derby, Emma. You were there at Old Trafford. Was it just a case of Andre Yerglet's side being too good? Yeah, they were unbelievable. It was such a good performance from Manchester City. Really, really, really impressive.

And it showed for me exactly why there's no question they're the champions in the W-CEL the season. It's a matter of time. We're waiting for them to be crowned. But they've been the best team by a mile for me. And it was just a masterpiece at Old Trafford by them. As we discussed earlier in the show, Manchester United, obviously struggling for, you know, various reasons. But you can't take anything away from Manchester City.

They just blew them away. Thurston Casparais, fantastic. In that right fallback position, as she has been all season. Lauren Hemp, brilliant on the left wing. Viviana Medemar. I mean, you know, she's, we know what a player she is. but in this kind of deeper role, providing for sort of Bunny Shore and linking up with her.

I mean, that's just an absolutely terrifying partnership. And I think any team coming up against Manchester City will struggle. The fact Carolyn was on the bench and then came on, I think just showed, you know, what Andrea Glutz has got to work with. They're only playing one game a week. Obviously, they're not in the Champions League. That has helped them. But these players are still playing some of the most beautiful football I've seen in the WSL.

So, yeah, it was fully deserved Old Trafford. And I think any fan going there in Manchester City colours or any neutral fan watching on TV could only sit back and enjoy it because it really was, yeah, a fantastic game. If you're a neutral as well, you'd have enjoyed the seven-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow. There's a proper spectacle as Chelsea beat Aston Villa

to keep their Champions League qualification alive. Chastity Grant gave Villa the lead early on. but then five goals in the space of 15 minutes meant it was honours even, but the winner came through an 82nd minute Shuskan-Nuskin finish. It was a mad one, Susie, overall. Ville did put up a fight, but were Chelsea ultimately deserving of the victory? I think any team that scores more goals is deserving of the victory ultimately. But it's, you know, particularly, obviously you don't want to,

if you're Chelsea, you don't want to be conceding three, but you know, you're playing Lucy Bronze at centreback. You're playing Will Berman left back. like they're stripped bare at the moment defensively and, you know, in other areas too. So like in that context, conceding isn't that surprising. And then the shift that they put in against Arsenal defensively was hugely impressive as well. Lauren James was phenomenal. I kind of feel for Aston Villa because, you know, they worked so hard to try and get something from that game.

Kirsty Hansen has been in phenomenal form this season, like added goals to it. game, which was a goal of her. So deserve winners. It's in Chelsea and United's hands still until that final game. Yeah. Over to Goodison Park, Liverpool finally lifted their Merseyside Derby Hicks with a three-two win over Everton, despite going down to 10 players. It was their first win in nine over their neighbours, one that gave them an eight-point cushion over Lester at the bottom as well. Kerry Holland winning another player of the match with another two goals. She's been so key to their turn in form, Emma, hasn't she? Would you say that this was Liverpool's best display to date?

I think probably, given the circumstances, I think since January, there's been some really good performances from Liverpool. As expected, they were going to strengthen the squad. They absolutely did. I think those new signings have made a significant difference. Kerry Holland, obviously, has been at Liverpool for a while now and is really getting the best out of playing alongside quality players. The likes of Denise O'Sullivan, I think, has made it.

a huge difference in particular in that midfield for Liverpool. But yes, I think given the circumstances, given the fact they have really struggled against Everton, the fact Everton have obviously been playing with confidence because they've turned their results around a little bit since Scott Feeleans come in and sort of gone back to basics. I think local did what they needed to do in the game, played their own football, didn't really worry too much about Everton. And yes, even when they went down to 10 players and lost their captain in Grace Fisk, I just think that experience and that confidence showed through from Liverpool.

So very impressive performance. I think they'll be safe in the WSEL now. I just think there's too much quality in that squad now that they've added in January. And Garif Taylor's got them playing some really good stuff. Yeah, another derby as well. North London won Arsenal came on top of this. Alessia Russo scoring a 22-minute hat trick in the first half before Caitlin Ford and Steina Blackstelius completed the scoring.

5-2, it finished. Spurs goal was an own goal. But Bethany England made her mark with her seventh of the campaign. on her 200th WSL appearance. We were talking about it in the first half. We all know what Arsenal can do offensively. So let's look at it from a spurs point of view, Susie. Martin Ho said his side needed to stop giving their opponents a free 45 minutes.

Were there maybe a little naive to Arsenal's qualities? And is that a pattern, do you think? Or do we just expect hiccups along this journey they're on? Yeah, I mean, naive to Arsenal's qualities, maybe not. I'd say, you know, probably expecting of them, but Arsenal's qualities are so strong, particularly in the new year, that few teams are going to get the better of them at this stage. You know, we've seen the run of form they've been on.

It hasn't necessarily ruptured or tarnished the journey of Tottenham much this season. I actually think they've had a phenomenal campaign, you know, given where they were last season and kind of what they've done since Mindho came in and what you can see that it's being done with that group of players, the types of players that are coming in, to the squad and where they're strengthening is really smart. And this is a particularly hard run of fixtures. They've got another two tough games coming up after back to back conceding five to

City and Arsenal. But they're not the games that are going to define this season for them. And if they, you know, as long as they cement that fifth place finish, huge achievement. I mean, they're already well ahead of those below them. And, you know, there's a big gap between them and fourth. But, you know, that's kind of, I would say, punching above their weight, you know, given last season and still being in the FA Cup as well offers a real opportunity to

show some of their flair. So I think if the season ended today, it would be viewed as a success and bar kind of complete collapse that they hit in the last month of the campaign. I think they're in a really good spot and it's quite an exciting place at the moment to be. Elsewhere, Una Siren scored a screamer. West Ham came from behind to earn a vital point against London City lionesses. Awful news, though, coming out of this game. Kosovoire Aslani had to be stretched off in the 97th minute, and London City have confirmed their captain suffered a complex,

multi-ligament injury, including an ACL. We obviously wish her the very best in her recovery. And to wrap it up, Brighton added to Lester's woes with a 1-0 win at King Power Stadium, Kiko Seiki, scoring on her return from the Asian Cup. that result leaves the Foxes four points behind West Ham in 11th place. Such a shame that it was the Champions League week actually because there were so many talking points and things to say about the Barclays WSL this season.

To condense it into a second part is a real shame and also to condense the FA Women's National League Cup final as well to just a line. I was at Loftus Road at the weekend as Bournemouth beat Plymouth to win the cup for the first time. It was Kenny Thompson who got the winner. It was direct from a corner, actually, in the first half. Plymouth did nearly find an equaliser with 10 minutes left of the game. Ellie Noble hit the post, but it wasn't to be.

Really good game, actually. A proper battle between these two. And they've been battling all season. Bournemouth lost 2-1 to Plymouth a week before that game in the league. Not a lot to split the two. Really good atmosphere as well at Loftus Road. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And then we've got England to talk about as well.

It's like, you know, we could have done two pods in one, I think. a double two hours. But let's talk about the lionesses because Serena Vigman's named her squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, big, big, big games, Spain and Iceland. And a big surprise as well, Emma.

The inclusion of 17-year-old Erica Parkinson. That's her first senior call-up just a few months after being called up to the under 23s. What do we know about her? What can you tell us? She's such a fascinating person, isn't she? We spoke to her back in.

November and I think we were just blown away by how mature she was. You could see already why the FAA are excited about her the way that she goes about things clearly very professional. She could play for four countries, Singapore, Japan, Portugal and England and she speaks all four languages, which is just pretty disgusting really for a 17 year old. It makes you feel pretty inadequate, doesn't it? But yeah, massively interesting story. She plays a club football in Portugal, So pretty unknown really in England, unless obviously you've been watching that league. She was part of the Euro's last summer for England's youth teams. And I think it's four to four caps in total off the top of my head that she's wrapped up.

So she's well known to the FA. They've done their homework on her. She obviously comes in as an attacking midfielder. She's got that kind of creativity, but very technical as well. Really good on the ball. I saw a play in November at the Joy Stadium in Manchester. And already you could see she's a player that's got so much confidence and composure. on the ball. So I'm excited to see what she does. I think it was a perfect opportunity for

Serena to bring her in, knowing that there was injuries in midfield to the likes of Grace Clinton, and Ella too. And I think she just wanted to use this to see, okay, how big is the gap between Portuguese's football and the England under 23s and how far can this sort of 17 year old progress over the next couple of weeks. So yeah, exciting times for her. Looking forward to watching how she gets on and yeah, good luck to her. Leah Williamson's been out with a hamstring issue since the 16th of March. She has been back training with Arsenal this week, but Serena Vigman included her in the squad, Susie.

Did that surprise you? Yes and no. I think there's been some kind of teasing of her sort of return being fairly imminent for a few weeks now to match action. And I imagine that Serena and Renee and England and Arsenal staff are being quite collaborative in managing her return. because that's generally how Serena likes to work. So I imagine that this is seen as mutually beneficial, that it's good to get training minutes at the very least in the legs of Leah

going into the kind of latter stages of the season for Arsenal. And then it's also beneficial for England to have her in the fold, given the present she is. But then if they can also get her on the pitch a little bit, like obviously hugely influential there, particularly when you've got Spain. So it'll be interesting to see how much she kind of contributes in these two fixtures. I think just having her presence around the side is beneficial to any team.

And then also, like I say, it's good for Arsenal to have her if she's close to being back in competitive environments as they get ready for a Champions League run FA Cup and the league campaign coming to a conclusion. In other news, Beth Mead is back, but both Aggie Beaver Jones and Grace Clinton miss out through injury. Poppy Pattinson has had to drop out of the squad as well. Should we be concerned about these fitness issues, Emma? I think we're just in that stage of the season now where every England squad there's always going to be a couple of players that are going to be out injured.

I think it's more a way for Grace Clinton. She's struggled to consistently get in that Manchester City team since joining in this summer. I think it's been a real struggle of a season for her and I think she'll be slightly worried. The midfield positions are competitive and I think already can only take 23 players in a match day squad for the World Cup,

which will come around quickly. I know it's next year, it's next summer, but there's not that many international camps before then. It's only seven, including this one coming up. And that's assuming, obviously, England qualifies. So I think she'll be worried on a personal level, but I don't think Serena Vigman will be. I think this is normal.

And actually, I think it's a pretty healthy squad with the players that she has available, particularly when you look at sort of how thin England were in the friendlies at the end of last year, the majority of the kind of the big names are back. Just finally, Susie, because we are going to cover these games in more depth next week, so we don't need too much. But it is a massively important window in terms of World Cup qualification.

What are you expecting from both games? Yeah, it's hugely important. Obviously, England need a result against Spain to take into the away fixture. If they want to kind of be in with a chance of getting that automatic qualification spot by finishing top of the group for the World Cup and, you know, avoiding the playoffs. and that would be, you know, kind of the dream scenario. So there's a lot of pressure particularly on that first fixture. But obviously the momentum has to be maintained against Iceland and Ukraine as well

in the other fixtures coming up in this group. So difficult to ask, the injuries could prove costly if Leah's not fit to play. You know, as we said, not got Grace Clinton, not got Agribeva Jones, but we've got Rousseau in, I was going to say, shit hot form. But red hot form is probably more appropriate. You know, some other players in that team. playing really, really well at the moment. So, yeah, there's a lot to like.

Yeah, finally poised. I think it's fair to say. We'll go more in depth with it next week. It has been a pleasure as always. Emma, lovely to see you. Thank you very much, guys. Have a good week. Susie, I'm getting that coffee in the diary.

See you soon. Yeah, ping me the dates. We'll do. Keep having your say. Sending your questions via X or email us at women's football weekly at the Guardian.com. This is also your regular reminder to sign up for our biweekly women's football newsletter.

All you need to do is search moving the goalposts Sign up. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Sophie Downey and Holly Fisher. Music composition was by Laura Iodale. Our executive producer is Joel Grove. This is The Guardian.