Barca dominate Madrid; Bayern beat Wolfsburg; City win derby

While the men's game was on an international break, it was another busy weekend for women's football across Europe as Barcelona traveled to Real Madrid in Spain, Bayern Munich visited VfL Wolfsburg in Germany and that Manchester City beat Manchester United in the Women's Super League.

– Stream on ESPN+: NWSL, LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

The not so classic

They call the light The classic (The Classic) and everything between Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid carries the weight of a bitter history between the two. Yet when it comes to the women's version of one of football's favorite grudge matches, the games are rarely classic.

Indeed, the rivalry, due to its early history and Barcelona's overwhelming dominance in Europe, has rarely produced close matches. Although Real Madrid boss Alberto Toril spoke earlier this season about the two men coming together, on the pitch they still remain far apart; as evidenced by a 3-0 score which allowed Barça to take a 12-point lead in Liga F this weekend.

As Caroline Graham Hansen – who helped create Fridolina Rolfö's first goal, scored the second for Aitana Bonmatí, then scored the third herself – pointed out after the match, the statistics told their own story.

Madrid strived to play positive football throughout, despite having a home advantage, and it was just another tick for Barcelona in their one-sided history against Las Blancas. It may be a favorite fixture on the Barcelona fans' calendar, but it's still far from a classic. -Sophie Lawson

Harder helps Bayern dominate Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg had few options ahead of Saturday's clash against Bayern Munich at the VW Arena. With a four-point difference between the two teams, it was a question of win or goodbye to the Frauen-Bundesliga title.

The hosts started better, saw most of the ball and managed to consistently create chances throughout the match. But the 4-0 score tells a different story.

Bayern remains a bit of a headache. Even though all the pieces are there, there's still something wrong with them, and they relied on their ability to counter-attack, with a few lucky deflections along the way as they scored all four goals in the second half.

The real spark for the Bavarians was undoubtedly Pernille Harder. Once the most expensive player in the world, the Danish midfielder was at the heart of everything Bayern did right. Although at 31, perhaps with her best years behind her, she remains a force and, whatever Bayern's future holds with the summer arrival of Lena Oberdorf from Wolfsburg for €450,000, the team must still be formed around Harder for the moment. –SL

play

Will Man United renew Marc Skinner's contract after derby defeat to Man City?

Emily Keogh is unsure whether or not Manchester United will renew Marc Skinner's contract at the end of the WSL season following her side's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Park dazzles as City keep the pressure on in title race

You are waiting for a bus and two arrive at the same time. This is the story of Jess Park, who waited seven years to score for Manchester City in the WSL since arriving in 2017. But in Manchester's 3-1 derby win over rivals United, she scored her first and his second goal to keep the pressure on. Chelsea in the title race.

Although Park's first goal should have been disallowed due to Khadija “Bunny” Shaw's significant offside in the build-up, her second was a display of pure genius. Her quick runs into the box were City's main attacking threat and exploited the vulnerabilities in United's sunken defense before Shaw scored another goal of her own to make things safe.

Afterwards, United boss Marc Skinner lamented the lack of VAR in the WSL during the opening debate on the goal, saying: “I think today it would have made a big difference in the match if we hadn't conceded that goal – it shouldn't have.” “

It's debatable whether United would have gained anything from the match against a comfortable City side, but regardless, Park's invaluable contribution kept the pressure on Chelsea before the Blues beat West Ham 2-0 over late Sunday to ensure they are still top of the WSL. on goal difference (+2). –Emily Keogh

Arsenal bounce back from Chelsea drubbing

Once again concerns were raised about the start of an Arsenal match as, just a week after the Sock Gate, traffic disruptions resulted in the visitors arriving late at Villa Park and kicking off. The shipment was delayed by 45 minutes.

In the end, Arsenal produced a WSL record 37 shots against Aston Villa, including 13 on target. With stats like that, you could be forgiven for assuming they had a comfortable victory. But, in fact, the Gunners were slow to come back for their 3-1 victory – only taking the lead in the 81st minute thanks to Lotte Wubben-Moy's header before Stina Blackstenius saved. Although the final goal was also mired in VAR controversy, Blackstenius appeared to be offside, also with a possible handball (both of which were missed by the officials), before scoring.

Still, Arsenal needed a reset after Chelsea handed them a 3-1 drubbing last week, regardless of the manner. And while there will be concerns over some missed chances, the three points and ruthless attack will provide a much-needed boost ahead of Sunday's Conti Cup final against Chelsea. — EL

Tottenham strive again to seal victory

It might not have been the prettiest, but Tottenham learned to get the job done. For the second week in a row, Spurs scored inside the first two minutes, then fiercely defended their 1-0 lead to seal the victory that keeps them in the race for fourth place.

Like last weekend's win over Leicester City, both in style and scoreline against Bristol City, Bethany England scored her first goal of the campaign and Spurs perhaps could have added more goals as they were guilty of missing many opportunities.

Yet earlier in the season, Tottenham made a habit of letting leads turn into draws or defeats. Now, with consistent defending, Robert Vilahamn's men have learned to maintain a slim lead and get results. — EL

Chawinga makes his point

When Paris Saint-Germain beat Montpellier 3-1 on Sunday night, it was another opportunity for fans to witness one of the most underrated strikers in world football doing what she does best.

Tabitha Chawinga is not a new sensation at all; The 27-year-old striker cut her teeth in Sweden almost a decade ago to help lowly Kvarnsveden stay in the top flight, before making a lucrative move to the Chinese Women's Super League in 2018. Since then, the The Zambian international is back in Europe. on loan at Inter and PSG, and still looks like a phenomenal player.

Already trailing 2-0 on Sunday, PSG's third goal was a Chawinga classic: the striker rushing deep towards a hopeful ball, reaching it unfathomably in front of the defender before using his strength to move away face-to-face before scoring. . There is, as there always has been, something very determined in the pursuit of Chawinga's objectives.

At a time when women's football is gaining notoriety and debates surrounding who the best players in the world are, it remains surprising – perhaps due to much of her career spent between Jiangsu and Wuhan – that Chawinga has rarely played. comes into the conversation despite his ability to thrive on any team. Sunday's exhibition was just another page in its history. –SL

Inter's attacking trio shines

For whatever reason, Inter Milan's talented trio of Annamaria Serturini, Agnes Bonfantini and Lina Magull didn't fit what their respective coaches at Roma, Juventus and Bayern Munich wanted. But it was a gain for Inter, who managed to bring their best football to the championship. Nerazzure with ease.

Inter are perhaps the ideal home for players who have struggled elsewhere, as they have done it the hard way themselves: acquiring a Serie B license and working their way up to the elite.

The trio's signing proved to be a masterstroke and all three were on the scoresheet as Inter came through a tough clash in Florence on Sunday – balancing their attack and grabbing their chances – to beat Fiorentina 3- 0 and claim his title. Champions League place in Serie A's convoluted playoff system. –SL