Lionesses striker Alessia Russo beats fellow England & Arsenal star to Women's Super League Player of the Month award as Gunners boss Renee Slegers also recognised

March was an excellent month for Russo in several competitions, with the striker on target for England and also in the Champions League as the Gunners' knocked out London rivals Chelsea. In the WSL, she started it with an assist as Arsenal beat London City Lionesses 2-0, then followed it up with a strike in victory over West Ham and a hat-trick in the north London derby win over Tottenham.

It was going to take something special to beat the forward to the Player of the Month accolade, then. Shaw was nominated after also netting a hat-trick against Spurs, for table-topping Manchester City, with Aston Villa winger Kirsty Hanson scoring three goals in her three games to put her hat in the ring. Villa's Lynn Wilms, assister of three goals in three games; Man City's Kerstin Casparij, whose performance in the 3-0 win over Man Utd was the highlight of another very consistent month; Liverpool's Ceri Holland, scorer of two goals in Liverpool's Merseyside derby win over Everton; and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who has been excellent in an Arsenal defence that kept two clean sheets in three March games, were also in the mix.

However, it was Russo who came out on top for her first Player of the Month award of this season.

Russo wasn't the only Gunner to be recognised when the awards were revealed on Thursday, either, as Arsenal boss Renee Slegers was also given the Manager of the Month accolade. Similarly, it is also the first time she has got her hands on that prize this season, after guiding the north London side to three wins out of three in March.

While Man City appear to have the WSL title wrapped up, and have done for some time, those wins have kept Arsenal in contention to upset the league leaders, with them now 11 points off the pacesetters but with two games in hand. In a more realistic sense, it at least gives the Gunners a great chance of finishing second in the table, which would ensure automatic qualification for the Champions League's league phase. Finishing third, on the other hand, would require them to navigate one round of UWCL qualification.

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor, Man City's Andree Jeglertz and Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor, all of whom have been named Manager of the Month this season, were also up for the March award, but it was Slegers who prevailed.

West Ham's Oona Siren, meanwhile, was given the Goal of the Month award after her excellent volley against London City Lionesses. Strikes from Arsenal and England pair Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead, another Gunner in Caitlin Foord, Villa's Anna Patten, the Chelsea duo of Lauren James and Sjoeke Nusken, plus the aforementioned Holland, were also nominated, but Siren came out on top to round off the WSL's monthly accolades.

That effort helped secure an important point for the Hammers, keeping them four points above the relegation zone with three games to play.

Russo and Arsenal, meanwhile, will hope to continue their fine form at the top of the WSL table when league action resumes. With the ongoing international break, plus the Gunners' involvement in the Champions League semi-finals, they won't be playing in the WSL again until April 29, when they host bottom side Leicester City. Any slip-up could hand the title to Man City earlier than anticipated, while also hampering Arsenal's chances of securing that important second-placed finish.

Few would expect that to happen, though, given the form both Russo and the Gunners, in general, are in, even with their taxing exploits in Europe, where they are defending the Champions League crown secured last year, continuing.