Ameé Ruszkai

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman is without all of Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp for England's October friendlies against Brazil and Australia, paving the way for her to hand out three debut senior call-ups in her latest squad, revealed on Tuesday. Among them is talented teenager Katie Reid, who has deputised impressively for the injured Williamson at Arsenal at the start of the new season.

Lionesses star Millie Bright has announced her retirement from international football. The Chelsea captain withdrew from selection for the European Championship earlier this year, citing mental and physical fatigue, and has now followed that up by calling time on her England career, having had the summer to "reflect" while Sarina Wiegman's side clinched another continental crown.

Arsenal's run of four games without a win came to an end on Sunday, albeit only thanks to an own goal from Brighton's Marisa Olislagers in a narrow 1-0 victory. The Gunners will be relieved to have avoided extending their barren streak to what would've been their worst in 11 years but the same sluggishness in attack persisted, with Daphne van Domselaar's terrific second half save to deny Carla Camacho proving to be particularly important come the final whistle.

Keira Walsh's stunning strike gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday as the defending Women's Super League champions maintained their position at the top of the table. The Blues huffed and puffed a lot in this game, producing a lot of nice build-up play without the incisive final ball. And so, up stepped Walsh just past the hour mark to rifle an effort from range into the bottom corner of Lize Kop's goal and secure all three points in some style.

When Manchester City and Manchester United completed a stunning deadline day deal that saw Jess Park and Grace Clinton swap clubs, there were big questions to be asked of things on the red side of the city. Given United were in need of much greater depth in their squad, it didn't make total sense for them to engage in a one-in, one-out deal, particularly as it saw them bid farewell to one of their biggest stars.

There was no shortage of big names on show when Manchester City hosted Arsenal in a bumper Women’s Super League clash in early October. A quick look through the teams and most would’ve been drawn to the likes of Chloe Kelly, Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo, Vivianne Miedema and Mariona Caldentey, especially if they were picking out a potential match-winner. In the end, though, it was a rising teenage star who took up that role, one by the name of Iman Beney.

It was by no means a classic but Manchester United will certainly never forget the events of Wednesday night, as the Red Devils beat Valerenga 1-0 to secure their first-ever win in the Women's Champions League proper. While their formal European journey might not have started with the sort of glamour fixture many would associate the competition with, it was one that felt important to emerge from with all three points given some of the challenges ahead and United did exactly that, thanks to a first-half penalty from captain Maya Le Tissier.

Chelsea made a surprisingly sloppy start to their Women's Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, dropping two points away to a Twente side that featured just one senior international in its starting line-up. The Blues are expected to be one of the main contenders for the trophy this season but they didn't look like it here, as Sonia Bompastor's much-changed team was made to work, and work hard, for a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands.

Just six months after Arsenal stunned Lyon on their own patch in the Champions League semi-finals on their way to a second European triumph, the French giants got some revenge on Tuesday night as they spoiled the start of the Gunners' title defence with a 2-1 victory that, in truth, flattered the holders. Alessia Russo gave the hosts the lead with seven minutes on the clock but once Melchie Dumornay had quickly cancelled that out, it was all Lyon as two goals from the Haitian star secured all three points for the eight-time winners.

Just over four months after Arsenal stunned Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final to win their second European crown, the most prestigious club competition in the women's game is back this week, with the Gunners partaking in perhaps the most eye-catching fixture of matchday one as they prepare for a clash with eight-time winners Lyon, in a rematch of last season's semi-final.

With Arsenal the only English side to have been crowned champions of Europe in the women's game, the country's list of UWCL winners is quite exclusive

It looked like the script was written. With seven minutes remaining, Chloe Kelly had come back to haunt her former side, levelling things up for Arsenal at Manchester City with a superb strike that seemed to swing the momentum in the Gunners' favour. But the player who has so often been the hero in 2025, for club and country, would see her efforts reduced to a footnote as Iman Beney's even later effort condemned the north London side to a 3-2 defeat, one which ended their unbeaten start to the new Women's Super League season and leaves their title charge in a precarious position already.

Chelsea's perfect start to the new Women's Super League season came to an end on Friday night, as the Blues were held to a stalemate by Manchester United in a 1-1 draw. Sonia Bompastor's side began their title defence in winning fashion through each of the first four weeks of the season but that run was stopped by the Red Devils, who avoided defeat for just the second time in 12 meetings with the London club.

Arsenal are only four games into their Women's Super League season and yet, their chances of seriously competing for the title are already under the microscope. That's because the Gunners, who won the Champions League back in May, have now dropped points in back-to-back weekends, with Saturday's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa ringing alarm bells.

Since reforming its women's team seven years ago, Manchester United have been working towards having weeks like this. On Friday night, they face champions Chelsea in a huge clash at the top of the Women's Super League. Then, five days later, they host Valerenga in their first-ever game in the Women's Champions League proper. So much work has been done to get the Red Devils to this point, where they are in Europe's premier competition and battling for the top domestic honours, and yet, it just doesn't feel like they are ready for the challenge ahead.

“Written in the stars, wasn’t it?” Mary Earps is referring to this season’s Champions League draw, which has pitted her Paris Saint-Germain side against former club Manchester United. Unsurprisingly, Earps’ phone pinged “straight away”, with Ella Toone the predictable name to pop up. “There’s a lot of familiar faces that I’m looking forward to seeing,” she says, with the two to meet at Old Trafford next month.

No Chelsea player had ever scored in the Blues' first four games of a Women's Super League campaign - until Aggie Beever-Jones did exactly that on Sunday to set the defending champions on their way to a dominant 4-0 win that was certainly eventful. With records broken, plenty of goals scored and a stunning red card for Ines Belloumou, for pulling the hair of United States star Alyssa Thompson, those in attendance certainly got their money's worth when it came to action - though it was the kind which only the away end could really enjoy.

Midfield is certainly not one of England's best-stocked positions but Laura Blindkilde Brown continues to show that she could be a fantastic option for Sarina Wiegman as a new international cycle nears, with her putting in another excellent performance for Manchester City in Sunday's 4-1 win over London City Lionesses. It was a tricky game at times for the hosts but goals from Blindkilde Brown, Vivianne Miedema and a Bunny Shaw double allowed them to secure a third successive Women's Super League win for the first time since last November.