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The Lionesses star scored twice in Sunday's win over Brighton, while across Manchester, City's attack looks to be clicking into gear

Around a month into the Women's Super League season, Manchester United and Arsenal are the only two teams who have maintained perfect starts to the campaign, with Aston Villa's run ending in a chaotic and controversial affair on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Manchester City racked up their first win of the season on their third attempt, while Liverpool's attacking woes continued in a defeat to Tottenham.

So, who were the biggest winners and losers from the league's latest round of action? GOAL takes a look…

GettyWINNER: Chelsea

Sunday could have been a difficult one for Chelsea. Manager Emma Hayes wasn't there, as she is recovering from surgery, so it was up to members of her coaching staff to step up and lead the team against an Everton side that have caught the eye under new boss Brian Sorensen.

Given these "trying circumstances" – as general manager Paul Green described them in his post-match press conference – this was a really good win.

The result wasn't the only positive, either, as Pernille Harder made her first appearance of the season in blue and scored twice in the 3-1 victory.

With the Women's Champions League group stages starting this week, and Chelsea facing Paris Saint-Germain first up, Harder's return, as she herself put it, is "really good timing".

That the team appears to be working as well without Hayes as it does with her is extremely good news, too.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Liverpool

Liverpool have only scored one goal in the three games since they beat champions Chelsea on the opening day of the season – and that was against second-tier Sunderland in the cup.

They lacked creativity for large parts of their game on Sunday too, as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by a Tottenham team who also hit the woodwork twice.

Leanne Kiernan, the Reds' top-scorer last season, picked up a nasty looking ankle injury in that win over Chelsea, and it's clear her team are missing her in attack.

However, with her seemingly out for a significant period of time, head coach Matt Beard needs other players to step up and provide the spark that Kiernan so often does.

He's certainly got quality in this squad to do that. It's just about them showing it, now.

GettyWINNER: Ella Toone

Ella Toone was on fire on Sunday, scoring twice and bagging an assist in the first half of Manchester United's 4-0 win over Brighton.

A lovely controlled header got her day off to a great start before she rounded off a fantastic team move to make it two, having been given the chance to finish it off by Leah Galton.

With her partner-in-crime Alessia Russo not back from injury yet, it was Galton that Toone linked up with well, the third goal seeing the England international play a perfectly-weighted pass for her team-mate to finish.

Toone still hasn't nailed down a starting spot in the Lionesses' team but, in form like this, you wonder how long until that changes.

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GettyLOSER: Manager of the Month

The curse of the monthly awards was out in full effect on Saturday lunchtime as Aston Villa dropped points for the first time this season, at home to West Ham.

It was only on Thursday that head coach Carla Ward was named the WSL's Manager of the Month and striker Rachel Daly picked up the player's award. But just two days later, Villa's winning run came to a surprise end in a chaotic game that saw the visitors finish with 10 players.

With the score 2-0 to the Hammers, Daly – the allocated penalty taker – won a spot-kick, but Alisha Lehmann took it instead and missed it. "Why aren't you f*cking taking that? It's your penalty," Ward could be heard asking from the sidelines.

Her side would get a goal back, but it wouldn't be enough in a 2-1 defeat. After beating Manchester City on the opening day and Manchester United in the cup, on penalties, Villa have been impressive so far this term. Hopefully, for their sake, this is just a bump in the road.

Wrexham could hardly have made a worse start to their EFL Trophy clash against Burton Albion as they went down 3-2 on home soil on Tuesday.

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Wrexham conceded two goals in first three minutesDalby fired in to pull a goal back for Welsh sideBurton Albion too good for League Two outfitTELL ME MORE

Less than 30 seconds were needed for Burton Albion to break the deadlock as the ball was sent high over the home team's defence and Adedeji Oshilaja was able to fire into the net. Wrexham's nightmare start continued two minutes later when Mark Helm added a second after the referee got in the way of James Jones controlling the ball and allowing the visitors to get the shot away.

Sam Dalby managed to pull a goal back for his team in the fifth minute though, as he collected a loose ball and sent it curling into the net, but Burton managed to squeeze the ball in once again in the second half to essentially kill off the game, rendering Jordan Davies' stoppage time goal irrelevant.

AdvertisementGettyTHE MVP

Burton Albion star Oshilaja was a bright spark for his side throughout. He did well to get through on goal and finish the move to open the scoring early on but was heavily involved, teeing up another chance midway through the second half that was saved by Wrexham's goalkeeper.

GettyTHE BIG LOSER

While Oshilaja did well to beat him, goalkeeper Luke McNichols should have done better to prevent the visitors from taking the lead. His attempt to come out and stop the scorer was a tame one and it left him with a fairly simple finish, sending the away team on their way to victory.

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

Wrexham will hope to get back to winning ways when they take on Forest Green Rovers in League Two this week. The Welsh team are second in the table and looking to keep pressure on leaders Stockport County, who are five points clear.

Ottis Gibson has officially ended his tenure as West Indies coach with immediate effect

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2014Ottis Gibson has officially ended his tenure as West Indies coach with immediate effect. The WICB released a statement on Tuesday night that confirmed the board and Gibson had “mutually agreed to terminate their association”, ending the speculation that began after Gibson was absent from team training in Grenada on Monday ahead of the first ODI against Bangladesh.Richie Richardson, the team manager, will take charge of the side on an interim basis for the series against Bangladesh. The rest of the coaching staff, including assistant coaches Stuart Williams and Andre Coley, and bowling consultant Curtly Ambrose, will remain in their positions.”On behalf of the board and West Indies cricket as a whole we express our gratitude to Ottis for his work, particularly in coaching the team to winning the ICC World Twenty20 in 2012, and offer our best wishes to him in all his future endeavours,” Michael Muirhead, the WICB chief executive officer, said.The board’s statement also noted Gibson’s “unwavering commitment and professionalism” during his tenure, which began in early 2010 when he left his job as England’s bowling coach to take charge of West Indies. During his time as head coach, West Indies won nine of 36 Tests and won four Test series – two against Bangladesh and one against Zimabwe.However, they lost back-to-back series to New Zealand both away and at home over the past nine months. They currently sit eighth on the ICC Test rankings, ahead of only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh; eighth on the ODI rankings; and seventh on the T20 rankings. Their most notable achievement during Gibson’s tenure was winning the 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka.

Cricket Association of Nepal has instituted a central contract system for the first time, with 22 players split into four grades

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2015Cricket Association of Nepal has instituted a central contract system for the first time, with 22 players split into four grades.Paras Khadka, the captain, Gyanendra Malla, Basant Regmi, Shakti Gauchan, Sharad Vesawkar and Subash Khakurel occupy the top tier and will earn Rs 35,000 each per month, while Grade B includes Sompal Kami, Sagar Pun, Naresh Budayair, Amrit Bhattarai, Binod Bhandari and Bhuvan Karki, who will receive Rs 25,000 apiece.Jitendra Mukhiya, Anil Mandal, Aarif Sheikh, Rahul Vishwakarma, Pradeep Airee and Mahaboob Alam are part of Grade C and will get Rs 10,000 each, whereas four players KC Karan, Rajesh Pulami, Ramnaresh Giri and Raju Rijal are in Group D earning Rs 5,000.”The contract system, which was talked much in the past, has finally been executed. The deal will be of one year with a review clause in six months,” Bhawana Ghimire, the board’s CEO, told Nepal has had a history with players disputing with CAN over their payments and this decision might bring a certain level of security.”Now the players will not have to worry about their family and they can concentrate in the game,” coach Pubudu Dassanayake said.”It is a good start and I hope it will continue in the years to come,” Khadka said. “Other players have also contributed in Nepali cricket and they should also be a part of this system. It is time to get together and move towards bigger stage. We can achieve much more if we get support from all the sectors”The Nepal team is to leave for South Africa tomorrow to prepare for Division Two of the World Cricket League from January 17.

Christian Pulisic has fully recovered from the knock which kept him out of AC Milan’s last game, with the USMNT star set to feature against PSG.

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American sat out defeat to UdineseHas been nursing a muscle complaintReady for action in European competitionWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international missed Milan’s 1-0 defeat to Udinese in Serie A with a slight muscle tweak picked up in an outing against Napoli. No risks were taken on his fitness, with the decision taken to grant the 25-year-old forward a much-needed rest.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The big games keep on coming for Milan, though, and Stefano Pioli – who finds himself under pressure amid a four-match winless streak – is ready to throw Pulisic straight back in to a Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. He has said when delivering a fitness update on Pulisic, Theo Hernandez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Samuel Chukwueze: “They are fine. Chukwueze has a little less playing time but has been training for two days. Pulisic will start and Chukwu will be ready to replace him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Pioli added after seeing Milan suffer three defeats and pick up just one draw from their last four matches in all competitions: “We paid too much for some results where we deserved more. We paid because in the last match we performed insufficiently compared to what we could and wanted. In these situations, it’s not words that make the difference but the behaviour. I keep repeating that the club is putting me in the best conditions, it has made a competitive team available to me. If the last performances have been negative, I am clearly responsible. With the passion I have, I focus on work and preparing for the match.”

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Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Milan, who acquired Pulisic and his USMNT colleague Yunus Musah during the summer transfer window, have slipped to third in the Serie A standings and sit bottom of their Champions League group behind PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle.

Mumbai took giant steps towards making it a grand double this season, as they bowled out Rest of India in a little over three sessions to take a monumental lead

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Abhishek Nayar picked up three wickets to derail Rest of India on a good batting surface at the Brabourne Stadium•PTI Mumbai took giant steps towards making it a grand double this season, as they bowled out Rest of India in a little over three sessions to take a 297-run lead. With more than two full days to play, Aditya Tare, the captain, decided to have a bat for a second time, with Akhil Herwadkar, who made 90 in the first innings, falling for a duck in the second dig; Mumbai going into stumps on 2 for 1.The story of the day was as much about Karun Nair’s gritty 94 as much as it was about Mumbai’s disciplined bowling. Nair, who made a triple century in the Ranji Trophy final in March 2015, held the lower middle order together after poor shot selection resulted in an accomplished top order returning with little returns to show.Rest of India, who resumed on 27 for 1, lost Faiz Fazal early as he was drawn into a drive to a Shardul Thakur outswinger. Jayant Yadav looked solid, and did all the hard work by grinding himself in before his dismissal for 46 triggered an implosion as they slipped from 110 for 2 to 128 for 5.Sheldon Jackson, Saurashtra’s highest scorer in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season, stitched together a 59-run stand with Nair as the Mumbai bowlers were kept at bay in the second session, before a rush of blood triggered another slide. Jackson, who hit two fours and a six in his 37, lost his concentration and was eventually bowled after missing a slog sweep off Jay Bista, the part-time offspinner. Bista then added to his impressive match tally of a century and a wicket by adding another one into his kitty as he had Stuart Binny stumped shortly after.All along, Nair continued to soldier on a calm manner, picking the odd boundaries and continuing to rotate strike at every available opportunity. Jaydev Unadkat complemented him ably as the eight-wicket pair put together a 91-run stand, the highest for the innings. Unadkat fell two short of his third first-class fifty to leave Nair precariously placed.With Ankit Rajpoot, who wasn’t coming out to bat because of a knee injury, the onus was on him to get the 18 runs left for his century on his own. He managed 12, before a misguided slap over the infield resulted in a catch at deep cover to bring an end to the innings. Abhishek Nayar had three wickets to show for 19 overs of toil, while Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, and Bista scalped two apiece.

Leandro Paredes begged Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni to "change his mind" and reconsider his potential resignation.

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Scaloni hinted at potential resignation after Brazil winSuggested he is not at 100 per centParedes wants the coach to brush aside resignation thoughtsWHAT HAPPENED?

In a bombshell interview, after masterminding Argentina's 1-0 win over Brazil in World Cup qualifying, the Albiceleste manager revealed that he "has to think a lot about what to do", suggesting that he might relinquish his post of head coach for the national team. His comments sent shockwaves among the players and fans as they hold Scaloni in the highest regard after the tactician guided them to their third global crown in Qatar 2022. Paredes urged Scaloni to think long and hard about leaving the national team and hoped that he would continue at the helm.

AdvertisementWHAT PAREDES SAID ABOUT SCALONI

Speaking to the media after the match, Paredes said: "We didn’t talk to Scaloni. We are aware he’s the head of the group, let’s hope he stays there, that he makes the decision to stay because he is very important. He will have his reasons but we are more than grateful. Let’s hope he changes his mind and stays with us.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Argentina have been flourishing since Scaloni took over the reins. After a disappointing result against Uruguay last time out, the manager showed that he can boost his troops to script a comeback even in the most hostile of conditions. They are currently at the top of the World Cup qualifying group and hold a massive eight-point lead over sixth-placed Brazil, who have lost three consecutive matches under Fernando Diniz.

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JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SCALONI & ARGENTINA?

Scaloni's remarks came in the aftermath of a match marred by off-the-pitch violence at Brazil's Maracana stadium. His words could be a repercussion of the complete breakdown of law and order at the stands as he did not share anything definitive about his potential resignation. Although it does raise questions about his future the Argentina faithful will be hopeful that their successful World Cup-winning coach isn't leaving the team anytime soon.

The Spain international struggled on Sunday before straying offside just as the Blaugrana thought they'd scored a late winner

Ferran Torres proved to be an unfit replacement for the injured Robert Lewandowski as the Spaniard turned in a forgettable showing on what should have been a memorable night for Barcelona against Granada. Lamine Yamal became La Liga's youngest-ever goalscorer, but a series of scuffed half-chances and poor moments from Ferran — complete with a silly offside to have a goal ruled out in stoppage-time — saw Barca settle for a 2-2 draw.

Nineteenth-placed Granada showed few signs of fear early and struck after just 18 seconds, dispossessing Gavi before crafting an opening for Bryan Zaragoza, who found the net with a driven effort across Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The home side doubled their advantage 29 minutes later, Zaragoza bagging his second with a poked finish.

Yamal bagged his record-breaking goal to get Barca back in it on the cusp of half-time, the teenager ghosting in at the far post to turn home into an open net. From there, Barca threw everything forward in the second half, and they were rewarded for their efforts as Sergi Roberto grabbed the equaliser off the bench, turning in Alejandro Balde's low cross with five minutes remaining in normal time.

Joao Felix had the ball in the net in stoppage-time, but saw his goal disallowed after Ferran interfered in the play while marginally offside — summing up a miserable evening for the striker.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Los Carmenes…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (4/10):

Really should have saved Granada's first, and was too easily sent the wrong way for the second. Saved by the post from conceding a third.

Joao Cancelo (5/10):

Didn't really get involved until late on. Some of his passing was excellent once he started to have an influence.

Jules Kounde (4/10):

Made to look silly by Zaragoza for Granada's second. Forced off with a knee injury on the stroke of half-time.

Andreas Christensen (6/10):

Shaky at the start, but much more effective when Araujo came on.

Alejandro Balde (6/10):

Not his best night, but the delivery for the Barca equaliser was a thing of beauty.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):

Missed a tackle entirely in the run up to the Zaragoza opener. Had a good effort denied late on. Functions more effectively with a recognised central presence.

Fermin Lopez (5/10):

Handed a well-deserved full debut, but didn't really deliver on the night. Will have to be on it when called upon again.

Gavi (5/10):

Gave the ball away before Zaragoza's first. Was otherwise lively and heavily involved — without being too effective.

Getty ImagesAttack

Lamine Yamal (7/10):

Had some difficult moments defensively, but was as dangerous as ever going forward. Finished into an open net to halve the deficit.

Ferran Torres (3/10):

His first touch was lacking, and he didn't offer much as a central presence, either. Entirely unconvincing.

Joao Felix (7/10):

Effective in the first half, and grabbed an assist for Yamal's goal. Should've had a winner, had it not been for Ferran's mistake.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Ronald Araujo (7/10):

Was presumably supposed to be rested, but forced on when Kounde picked up a knock. Almost blasted one in.

Sergi Roberto (7/10):

Scored the equaliser. Did a lot of running, and kept the ball moving.

Oriol Romeu (6/10):

Active when introduced, and passed well.

Xavi (4/10):

Made an interesting call to hand Lopez his full debut, but was otherwise full strength — given a litany of injury problems. His side only really turned it on late, and didn't deserve anything more than a draw.

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Mohammad Hafeez has said the new members in Pakistan’s limited-overs squad for the tour of Bangladesh are capable enough to dominate the home side

Umar Farooq07-Apr-2015Mohammad Hafeez has said the new members in Pakistan’s limited-overs squad for the tour of Bangladesh are capable enough to dominate the home side.Responding to Shakib Al Hasan’s statement that the series was Bangladesh’s best chance to beat Pakistan, Hafeez expressed confidence in the team and said they were looking to extend the 16-year winning streak over Bangladesh.”(What Shakib said) is confidence and it’s a good thing if they have a believe in them,” Hafeez said. “I have heard Mashrafe is not playing the first match and Shakib will lead the side. But if you recall the recent past, Pakistan have dominated Bangladesh lately and apart from the one game in 1999 we never lost to them.”The talent of Pakistan team can’t be under rated,” he said. “These players have proved themselves in domestic cricket and then selectors have picked them. It indeed is a new era as we are definitely going with lots of new players. But as a unit we will give good results and they (new boys) are ready for the series.”Since 1988, Bangladesh have played Pakistan 47 times across formats, but their only win came during the 199 World Cup in England. The Multan Test in 2003 was the only instance since that Bangladesh within a touching distance of a second win but an Inzamam-ul-Haq masterclass saved Pakistan the blushes. But Hafeez said that Pakistan was in no way under-estimating the home side, especially after Bangladesh’s performance in the World Cup.”I think its more than winning and losing in the World Cup, the good thing is how you showcase your cricket and Bangladesh won lots of heart through their performance,” Hafeez said. “Their qualification in quarter-final was never in doubt because they played good cricket. We are not under-estimating them as a team, as they are very good in their own conditions.”It might look easy to beat them but they never been as easy. For the last 2-3 years they have developed into a good team.”Hafeez, who has opened with 26 different batsmen since his debut in 2003, is set to open with a new partner again: the 19-year-old Sami Aslam, a left-hander. When asked, if instability in the opening slot causes any disturbance to him he said, “It’s difficult to get adjusted but whatever role I will be given I will play to my best ability. Pakistan team’s problem is not numbers, Pakistan’s main problem is ICC ranking and how to improve it. We are strong cricketing nation and should bring us within top 3 in the ranking. That should be our aim.”