Macario scores on Chelsea debut; City, Arsenal keep up pressure

Between 2024 Olympic qualifying, a longer-than-usual international window for UEFA teams (including Nations League finals) and Concacaf's W Gold Cup, domestic football returned this weekend -end with a low-key schedule and the Women's Super League took center stage. as there was no Liga F or Frauen Bundesliga.

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Macario scores on return from injury

Sidelined with an ACL injury since June 2022, Catarina Macario's return to the field couldn't have come at a better time for Chelsea as the USA international finally made her debut and scored in 'a 4-0 victory against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.

Having signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 from Lyon while injured and without a goal in 644 days, Macario needed just six minutes after coming off the bench in the 72nd minute at the King Power to net his first goal for the club – – the last effort of the match after Nathalie Björn, Mayra Ramírez and Rytting Kaneryd had already secured the result.

It was a much-needed boost for Chelsea as they aim for the title without USWNT star Mia Fishel or Australian Sam Kerr, who have also been sidelined with ACL injuries.

Although Macario will be able to add an extra dimension to the team, the scenes of joy after his goal highlighted the mental boost his return represents for the team. This could well be a galvanizing moment ahead of a busy few months.

Man City continues to accumulate points

There was plenty to be happy about with Manchester City after their 2-1 win over Everton, but also areas to work on. The goals came thanks to a gift from the Everton defense, as Bunny Shaw intercepted a poor back pass from Justine Vanhaevermaet and a fine solo strike from Lauren Hemp. But there were also some nervous moments at the back, especially after Hanna Bennison's rocket recovered one.

Against a hurting Everton side, City let their gaze divert the ball more than once to allow the visiting side to round their box. But ultimately, City had the quality to come away with all three points at home and keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top.

No team needs to be perfect as long as they cross the finish line but, with tougher tests ahead this season, City must reinstall a midfielder who led the game so well against Chelsea last last time in the championship.

Arsenal win north London derby, but Spurs stay true to their style

Sometimes it's hard not to encourage a defender to dig his boot into a ball and clear it. But under manager Robert Vilahamn, Tottenham have a clear philosophy of playing out from the back and are not about to settle for playing long with the ball. With training sessions at Hotspur Way designed to get the back line used to staying calm under pressure and being smart with the ball, things have been improving at the back. However, the team has still not won in four games.

In front of the second largest crowd in WSL history (60,050), Arsenal came away with all three points from the north London derby against Tottenham thanks to a 1-0 victory following a second-half goal from Alessio Russo .

Much like others around them (Leicester, Liverpool, West Ham) in the WSL, this has been a developmental season for Tottenham. A little more attack at the Emirates could have resulted in a different scoreline, but the Gunners did enough in a tight match.

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Lawson: Spurs show growth despite Arsenal defeat

Sophie Lawson looks back on Arsenal's 1-0 north London derby win over Tottenham in the Women's Super League.

West Ham show courage to hold off Man United

After conceding a sloppy goal to Manchester United in the fourth minute, the game could have been over from the start for West Ham, but they managed to get back into the tie and battled back with their opponents to win a 1-1 null.

Viviane Asseyi's fine strike for the equalizer in the 85th minute may have looked like a smash and grab, but it was a just reward as the hosts managed to find their rhythm late in the game.

The Hammers' growth since the winter transfer window is evident. Still 11th in a 12-team league, there is a sense of progress under Rehanne Skinner, but questions are mounting around United boss Marc Skinner as the fourth-placed side are now nine points behind a European place.

Bristol defense crumbles under pressure

With a huge game looming in hopes of avoiding relegation, WSL bottom team Bristol City were looking to close the ever-widening gap against struggling Brighton. Indeed, Sunday afternoon would have been the perfect opportunity for Bristol to put into practice everything they had learned so far this season against the Seagulls.

However, the Robins back line buckled under pressure and they made baseline error after baseline error to allow the visitors to build momentum for an eventual 7-3 victory that was only 2-0 against Brighton at half-time.

Having found a way to advance in the games, Bristol clawed their way back into the tie and, at 4-3, could have snatched a vital point (or maybe even three). But rather than continue to roar, they collapsed in defense and conceded three more goals in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Now six points from safety, and with matches against the top six remaining in their final seven games, time seems almost up for the Robins.

Lyon unstoppable

With 15 wins in 16 matches in France this season, the Lyonnais are used to finding their way to victory by relying on the quality and depth of their squad. Sunday night's 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Dijon was no exception.

Even after conceding a rare equalizing goal before half-time, it was another routine victory at the Stade Gaston-Gérard (with 76% possession and 25 shots to five) even if the champions had to wait until the last minute to that Sabrina Dabritz gets her second of the match and completely completes the result.

Florence takes a slight advantage over Juve

Juventus struggled to speak fluently in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final against Fiorentina as they lost 1-0.

Having played out a 2-2 draw just five weeks ago in Serie A, familiarity seemed to favor the hosts, who took the better of the game and scored a deserved winner through Michael Catena just after the hour mark.

With Roma comfortably top of the Serie A table, the lure of the Coppa Italia final and a chance of winning silverware should be strong for both teams, but The ViolThe six-year trophy drought is a strong motivation in itself.

Still, Fiorentina will know that Juventus will be dangerous in next week's second leg. After such a poor performance in Florence, the Bianconere will want to prove that they are much better than that.