Lucky 13 for Arsenal! Women's Super League winners and losers as the Gunners make history and Spurs score eight

It was a difficult weekend for Europe's top clubs as many struggled in their domestic fixtures after Women's Champions League action in midweek.

Lyon, eight-time champions on the continent, needed a stoppage-time winner to beat a Fleury side that were down to 10 from the 25th minute.

Bayern Munich didn't break the deadlock against newly-promoted Meppen until the 71st minute, while two former champions, Barcelona and Wolfsburg, were under pressure until the final whistle in narrow one-goal wins over Levante and Werder Bremen, respectively.

It was the same in England, where Chelsea were pegged back at 1-1 against Aston Villa, while a sloppy bit of defensive play saw Arsenal fall behind at home to West Ham. That goal also denied them an 11th clean sheet in succession that would have extended their WSL record.

However, both went on to record 3-1 wins that were eventually comfortable.

How these two handle their post-UWCL games may well decide the title race this season, but neither were caught out this time despite early scares. Their performances weren't perfect, but it was the results that were important here.

As the clock ticked into the 90th minute on Sunday, Leicester were 1-0 up away at Reading, the only other team in the WSL without a point yet this season. After scoring against the run of play in the first half, it looked like they were going to hang on for an absolutely massive three points.

But it all changed incredibly quickly. Rachel Rowe swung in a corner and it was defended in inexplicable fashion given the circumstances, flying into the back of the net to level things up.

Two minutes later, Rowe produced something even more spectacular, dancing past several Leicester challenges before unleashing a powerful strike from range that sailed into the bottom corner. It sent the Royals into raptures and secured all three points in sensational style.

It was a big defeat for the Foxes given the opposition – and an even bigger one given how it happened. Now, they need to pick themselves up and go again, which won't be easy, and not only in terms of morale. Leicester must host high-flying Arsenal next week...

Tottenham scored eight goals on Sunday. Eight goals – a number that accounts for a third of the league goals they scored all of last season.

It was a fantastic performance against Brighton, with a clean sheet adding to head coach Rehanne Skinner's delight.

Spurs have always been a defensively astute side, with the questions surrounding their attacking output in terms of who is going to score the goals but also in who is going to create the chances.

This season, it looks like things are clicking. Ashleigh Neville appears unstoppable going forward, scoring twice this past weekend and producing two assists – one of those a sublime backheel to send Drew Spence through on goal.

Spence, signed from Chelsea this summer, has been brilliant, too, playing in a more attacking role and currently sitting just one goal off her best-ever total in an WSL season – with just five games played.

With forwards Jessica Naz and new arrival Nikola Karczewska also recording their first strikes of the campaign on Sunday, Spurs look primed to become a really dangerous attacking force in the league.

The other side of that 8-0 story on Sunday was a biggest ever defeat in the WSL for a Brighton team that have won plenty of plaudits since promotion to the top flight back in 2019.

They've been Chelsea's bogey team and made great progress off the pitch, securing some super signings over the years as a result. Things don't look so rosy at the moment, though.

Brighton lost two huge players this past summer, with young defender Maya Le Tissier joining Manchester United, while Inessa Kaagman, their top goal-scorer last term, returned to the Netherlands. They brought in some interesting replacements but it hasn't come together yet.

Right now, they look like a relegation candidate. Only Leicester are keeping them off of the foot of the table and if they are dragged into a battle for survival, this huge hit to their goal difference won't help their chances in a race regularly decided by the finest of margins.

In Manchester United's first season in the WSL, Leah Galton was so good that head coach Casey Stoney called her the "best left winger in the country". She was electric.

After a solid couple of seasons since, it feels like she's hitting form again that makes you simply say 'Wow!'

Against Everton on Sunday, she was excellent, contributing a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win. Nobody on the pitch created more chances or took more shots than Galton, whose confidence is evident in her play right now.

It's great news for United, who already have the deadly duo of Ella Toone and Alessia Russo in their ranks, while new additions Nikita Parris and Lucia Garcia are starting to make their mark.

If they are to break into those Champions League places this season, they'll need that depth and those attackers to be in top form. It certainly feels like Galton is going to deliver.

It's been an up-and-down start to the season for Everton and their new coach, Brian Sorensen.

The Dane has done some great things since being appointed this summer, introducing a formation and a style of play that impresses and entertains – even winning praise from Chelsea star Pernille Harder after the two teams faced each other earlier this month.

However, the consistency is just still not there yet – neither in their form nor their performances. After losing 3-1 to Chelsea, Sorensen was unhappy with how his team played in spells of the match, which will have been even more frustrating given how well they did for large parts.

On Sunday, they were hardly in the game against Man United. Given the quality in this squad and that they appear at times to be really getting to grips with what the new coach wants, that was a real surprise – but also, perhaps, a show of where they are right now.

For the last few seasons, people have looked at United and Everton as the two teams that pose the biggest challenge to the 'big three'. Last season's chopping and changing of coaches has set them back in that long-term ambition to qualify for Europe, though, while the Red Devils look a genuine threat.

That the match ended with Katrine Veje, a stand-out performer in these first two months, going off injured could be another negative on a day that will have once again frustrated Sorensen.