The third matchweek of the 2026/27 Women’s Super League campaign delivered goals, late drama and plenty of talking points, with several teams finding the net after the 80th-minute mark.
All but two fixtures saw a goal scored after the 80th-minute mark, highlighting the determination of teams to keep pushing until the final whistle. Manchester City maintained their perfect start, while Tottenham Hotspur produced the weekend’s biggest victory.
Arsenal and Aston Villa also secured late points against Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, while Chelsea and London City Lionesses claimed important victories.
Here’s how all the action unfolded across a busy weekend of WSL football.
Manchester City 4-2 Liverpool: Late Goals Preserve Perfect WSL Start
Manchester City needed two late goals to overcome Liverpool at the Joie Stadium, preserving their 100% start to the season and extending their impressive home record under Andrée Jeglertz.
The victory also saw City equal Chelsea’s record of 14 consecutive home league wins, set between September 2019 and January 2021.
Lauren Hemp opened the scoring with her first WSL goal since November last year. The forward ran onto a pass from Carlotta Wamser before calmly slotting the ball beyond Khiara Keating.
Hemp once again proved influential for City, whose relentless attacking approach caused Liverpool problems throughout the opening stages. However, the visitors gradually grew into the contest, with Natalia Ramos and Fuka Nagano helping Liverpool’s press become more effective as the first half progressed.
The momentum shifted decisively when Alice Bergström equalised before Vivian Endemann capitalised on uncertainty in the City defence to put Liverpool ahead.
City responded through Khadija Shaw, who followed up after Keating had parried an initial effort, bundling the ball into the net to make it 2-2.
The goal continued Shaw’s impressive start to the campaign. She became the first Manchester City player to score in each of the club’s opening three WSL fixtures, while also taking her league tally of home goals to 52—the most in the competition’s history.
Liverpool continued to threaten, but City gradually regained control as the second half progressed. Their pressure eventually paid off when Grace Clinton’s cross was accidentally turned into the Liverpool net by captain Grace Fisk.
With Liverpool searching for another equaliser, Hemp broke through on goal and calmly finished to secure her second of the evening and seal a 4-2 victory.
City’s ability to find late goals has been a defining feature of their performances. Since the start of last season, they have scored more goals after the 80th minute than any other WSL team, with 14 in total.
Their latest comeback victory underlined that mentality once again.
Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United: Holmberg Equalises in Stoppage Time
Arsenal and Manchester United both entered the Emirates Stadium looking to respond to disappointing results earlier in the campaign. In the end, neither side secured the victory they wanted, as late drama resulted in a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal controlled much of the first half and applied pressure to the Manchester United defence, although they struggled to create a consistent supply of clear-cut chances.
Stina Blackstenius saw an effort saved by Phallon Tullis-Joyce, while United’s Elisabeth Terland also tested Misa Rodríguez earlier in the contest.
Following a difficult start to the season that saw United concede seven goals across their opening two matches, Eva Olid’s side showed significant defensive improvement.
Manchester United recorded 105 defensive actions across the 90 minutes, with captain Maya Le Tissier leading the way individually after making 20 defensive contributions.
United also began to grow in confidence as the match progressed, pushing higher up the pitch and eventually taking advantage of an Arsenal mistake.
An underhit pass from Georgia Stanway allowed Julia Zigiotti Olme to win possession ahead of Steph Catley before finishing to give the visitors a surprise lead.
Arsenal struggled to find a response for much of the second half, with frustration growing as another game appeared to be slipping away due to a lack of clinical finishing.
However, substitute Smilla Holmberg produced a decisive moment deep into stoppage time, scoring in the fifth minute of added time to rescue a point for Renee Slegers’ side.
The draw extended Arsenal’s unbeaten WSL run to 20 matches, although it was another game in which they were unable to claim all three points.
For Manchester United, the search for a first league victory under Olid continues.
London City Lionesses 4-1 Charlton Athletic: Goodwin Double Helps Secure Win
London City Lionesses secured their second victory of the season with a convincing 4-1 win over Charlton Athletic at The Valley.
Isobel Goodwin starred with two early goals, while Alexia Putellas registered her first league goal contribution since joining the club. Jana Fernández added a third before summer signing Nicole Anyomi came off the bench to score her first WSL goal for London City.
Charlton’s Jodie Hutton briefly reduced the deficit with an impressive strike, but London City dominated possession and controlled the second half to secure a 4-1 victory.
Chelsea 2-0 Birmingham City: Potter and Malard Extend Winning Run
Chelsea also continued their strong response to last week’s 5-0 victory over Manchester United, recording a 2-0 win against Birmingham City.
Lexi Potter opened the scoring in the eighth minute, while Melvine Malard came off the bench to score her first WSL goal for the club. Despite Birmingham creating opportunities after half-time, Chelsea held on to secure consecutive league victories and clean sheets.
Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa: Late Wilms Goal Rescues Point for Villa
Brighton & Hove Albion were left frustrated after Aston Villa scored late to claim a 1-1 draw at the American Express Stadium.
Gabby George gave Brighton the lead in the 30th minute on her first start for the club, with the hosts dominating and registering 25 shots and an xG of 3.17.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma made seven saves to keep her side in the contest before Lynn Wilms equalised directly from a corner. Both teams remain without a league victory after three matches.
Crystal Palace 0-7 Tottenham: Holdt Hat-Trick Leads Spurs Rout
Tottenham Hotspur produced the weekend’s biggest win, defeating Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park.
Palace were reduced to ten players when Fuka Tsunoda was sent off before the seventh minute, and Tottenham eventually took full advantage after Olivia Holdt opened the scoring in the second half.
Holdt completed her hat-trick, while Victoria Pelova scored twice alongside goals from Shekiera Martinez and Amanda Nildén. Spurs finished with 42 shots and moved into second place in the table.
West Ham 0-1 Everton: Late Own Goal Gives Everton Another Win
Everton, meanwhile, secured a narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham United.
The decisive goal came through an own goal from Laia Codina after Yuka Momiki’s cross caused problems in the West Ham penalty area.
The result gives Everton two wins from their opening three matches, while West Ham are still waiting for their first goal from one of their own players this season.
