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Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson didn't score, but the Blues put five past Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Manchester United, Emily Fox and Arsenal played to a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace, and Manchester City and Sam Coffey won 4-1 against Aston Villa.
The second weekend of the Women’s Super League season brought mixed fortunes for the USWNT’s stars abroad, with Americans landing on both sides of Chelsea’s emphatic 5-0 win over Manchester United.
Alyssa Thompson started for a Chelsea side that controlled the match from beginning to end, recording 25 shots and 63 percent possession. At the other end, Phallon Tullis-Joyce endured a difficult afternoon in the United goal. The scoreline hardly reflected her individual performance, though, as she produced several quality saves, including a late stop to deny Kadeisha Buchanan.
Elsewhere in England, Sam Coffey helped Manchester City secure a 4-1 win over Aston Villa, while Emily Fox and Arsenal were held to a scoreless draw by Crystal Palace. In France, Lily Yohannes and Lyon also settled for a 0-0 draw against Paris FC.
With some Americans celebrating commanding wins and others left frustrated, ****GOAL**** looks at how the USWNT’s stars fared across Europe...
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Chelsea pinned United back from the opening whistle, repeatedly forcing Tullis-Joyce into action as the hosts struggled to escape their own half. The USWNT goalkeeper dealt comfortably with an early effort from Wieke Kaptein before making a sharper stop to deny Lauren James just before halftime.
Her best save arrived in the 78th minute with Chelsea already leading 4-0. Kadeisha Buchanan appeared certain to add another from close range, but Tullis-Joyce reacted quickly to keep her out.
Conceding five goals will always make for an unforgiving scoreline, but Tullis-Joyce was one of the few United players to emerge with any credit. She was repeatedly left exposed by the defense in front of her and prevented an already emphatic defeat from becoming even worse.
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Starting on the left, Thompson remained lively as Chelsea repeatedly stretched United’s defense and forced turnovers in dangerous areas. She did not record a goal contribution, however, as the rewards went elsewhere across a balanced Blues attack.
Lauren James, Sjoeke Nüsken, Keira Walsh, Ellie Carpenter and Lucy Bronze supplied the goals, underscoring Chelsea’s wealth of attacking options. For Thompson, starting each of the club’s first two league matches is an encouraging sign of her place in the side, although the 21-year-old is still searching for her first goal of the season.
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Manchester City have quickly established themselves as the WSL’s early pace-setters, maintaining their perfect start with a commanding 4-1 win at Aston Villa.
Jade Rose and Mary Fowler put the visitors in control before halftime, while Khadija “Bunny” Shaw helped extinguish any hopes of a Villa comeback after the break.
Sam Coffey is still finding her place in City’s crowded midfield after playing 43 minutes across their opening two league matches. She did not have a major influence on Sunday’s result, but her defensive awareness and ability to dictate play should give the defending champions a valuable option as her role develops.
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Arsenal and Crystal Palace played to a 0-0 result over the weekend, and Emily Fox was in her usual outside back spot and held it down, per usual. Fox hardly let Palace move, and had sparks going forward which kept the Gunners knocking on Palace's door. She had four shots and one on goal.
Fox will be crucial to Arsenal's success this season, and as it stands they are in fifth place with one win and one draw. Up next Fox will play Tullis-Joyce and Manchester United on September 19th.