Alessia Russo starts pre-season in red hot form! Winners and losers as Lionesses striker fires Arsenal women to Washington Spirit victory - but Leah Williamson still needs to shake off the summer rust

Last summer, Russo didn't get a pre-season. After playing for England in the Women's World Cup final on August 20 - in Sydney, Australia, no less - she had a brief break and then made her debut for Arsenal on September 9, some 20 days later, in a Women's Champions League qualifier. For her to even be on the pitch on Sunday was a positive, then, as she begins preparations that she missed out on 12 months ago. To score two goals was a huge bonus.

The first was brilliantly taken, Russo showing real goal-poaching instincts to sneak under the noses of the defenders and connect with a high ball as it came down, her improvised flick catching out Aubrey Kingsbury.

Her second was encouraging in another way as her and Kafaji, Arsenal's latest summer signing, showed fans a glimpse of what could develop into a fruitful partnership, Russo making a clever run to anticipate the young Swede playing a superb pass through that the England striker didn't hesitate to turn into her second goal of the day.

Russo scored 12 goals in 22 league games last season, but head coach Eidevall thinks she has the potential to surpass 20 each campaign. With a good pre-season under her belt, she will have a stronger chance, and this was a sign that she can certainly go into this year with that box ticked.

It's only five days since Kafaji signed for Arsenal and she's already done things in the colours of her new club that have got fans very excited. The assist for Russo was the highlight on Sunday's outing for her, some quick-thinking and creative instincts on show as she turned a loose ball into a brilliant pass. But there was a lot more, too. Kafaji showcased her dribbling abilities, her knack for wriggling away from markers and her sense of taking up spaces where she can hurt the opponent.

The 21-year-old only played 45 minutes this time out, on as a substitute at half-time, but will already be a player that the Arsenal faithful are itching to see more of when they face Chelsea next weekend.

Sunday wasn't Williamson's day. She struggled consistently to deal with Sarr - whether the Frenchwoman was running at her with the ball or with the aim of getting it off her - she made a hatful of sloppy passes playing out from the back and just showed lapses in concentration at times, be it not tracking a run or not properly putting her foot through a clearance. Just before the half-hour mark, in fact, the England captain bent over with her hands on her knees, a sign of it the humidity, the heat and the fact it was the first game of pre-season.

However, while Williamson, subbed off at half-time, might've been easy to single out for some mistakes on Sunday, this is exactly what she needed - this test against a flying Sarr, this high intensity day out in the Washington sun and, like Russo, this pre-season. The centre-back returned from her ACL injury in January and so was thrust back into the thick of the action mid-season, rather than getting the run-up that pre-season offers. Throw in the fact that many players say it takes several months to feel like yourself again after an ACL rupture, and it was little surprise that Williamson was inconsistent on her return.

These next few weeks, then, will help to iron out all of that and almost help her hit the reset button. Tests like Sunday's will be tough, but they will help the Lionesses' skipper have the best chance of going into the new campaign as close to her best as possible again.

Alongside Williamson in the centre of defence was young Katie Reid, a 17-year-old academy product who spent last season on loan at Watford, in the Championship. Yet, despite the contrasting pedigree of the two players, it was Reid who shone and held things down at the back for Arsenal. In fact, many would argue that she was the Gunners' top performer in this outing.

There were so many highlights for the teenager - two great blocks to deny Sarr in the latter stages of the first half, a timely intervention in the second as a dangerous cross threatened the Arsenal box, and another huge block when the Gunners were really under the cosh towards the end of the game. Reid's quality in possession was impressive too, a particularly important trait for a centre-back in this team.

"That doesn't come from overnight and her being up one week training with the first team," Eidevall said after the game. "She's been involved on and off for the last two years and I think the levels of her performance, it comes from that cooperation. It was really nice to see."

Every summer, every club has these exciting young players who come to the fore in the early weeks but who fall out of the picture in the final preparations for the new season, as the established stars come back in and show their quality. Reid, though, could well be in for more minutes this year. Amanda Ilestedt's pregnancy means Arsenal are a little light in her position, with Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina the only natural, senior options. Based on this performance, she may well deserve to be in the mix, too.

Reid wasn't the only Arsenal academy graduate who got to show her talent on Sunday, either. There was a start for Vivienne Lia at right-back, the 17-year-old who made her Arsenal debut last season; Freya Godfrey got 45 minutes on the left wing and another 33 on the right; while Michelle Agyemang, Naomi Williams, Maddie Earl and Laila Harbert all came off the bench.

Some of these players will go out on loan this season, while others will get tastes of the first-team experience as substitutes - and some may well get the chance to play some decent minutes. That could be Agyemang, who looks a potential star for the future in attack, or Godfrey, who played a right wing position in the second half that Arsenal don't have a lot of depth for, or others. This pre-season is their chance to show what they can do and Eidevall certainly gave them the opportunities on Sunday.

There is a real chance that Manuela Zinsberger will not be Arsenal's No.1 this season. After being linked with Mary Earps for a long time before her move to Paris Saint-Germain, the club splashed the cash on Netherlands star Daphne van Domselaar to give Zinsberger a challenge when it comes to retaining her status as the Gunners' first-choice goalkeeper.

With the Dutchwoman not in the squad on Sunday, this was an opportunity for her Austrian team-mate to stake her claim and show that she can compete for starts, even if it's going to become tougher. However, it ended up being a difficult day out for her, first owing to an error that allowed the Washington Spirit to equalise and then to what seemed to be a problem with her hand, that ended in Zinsberger being subbed off for the young Williams.

She'll certainly hope it's not a significant issue and that there is an opportunity to play again next weekend in the friendly with Chelsea, whether it's a full game or not, as the 28-year-old did have some nice moments in this win over the Spirit, too, and will want to produce more of them going into the new season.