Arsenal put rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the sword at the Emirates Stadium as last season's WSL runners-up continue their fast start to the season.
A record WSL crowd of 47,367 packed into the stadium to watch the Gunners, who finished just a point behind champions Chelsea last term. First-half goals from Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema set the hosts on their way, with a towering header from Rafaelle extending their advantage after the break and Miedema adding her second.
That's now two wins from two for Jonas Eidevall's team, who opened the campaign with a 4-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in Boreham Wood last weekend. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the main talking points.
Mead picking up where she left off
Beth Mead was one of the clear stars of Euro 2022, winning the golden boot and being named player of the tournament. However, the 27-year-old has shown few signs of slowing down.
Mead netted twice against Brighton last time out, delivering Arsenal's third and fourth goal after the break. This time, she didn't have to wait nearly as long to get on the scoresheet, breaking the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes.
It was a finish of pure quality from the England star, who curled into the far corner to give goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer no chance. More goals like that will make Arsenal very tough to beat going forward, while strengthening Mead's case for this year's Ballon d'Or.
No stopping Miedema
Dutch international Vivianne Miedema has scored more than 100 times for Arsenal at a rate of not far off a goal a game. It was a surprise to see her fail to net in either of the Gunners first two league and Champions League games this term, but that drought was never likely to last too long.
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The former Bayern Munich star capitalised on a defensive slip midway through the first half, making no mistake after racing through on goal. She added a second after the break, glancing a header past Spencer, before making an early exit.
When Miedema made way moments after her second goal, leaving the field as part of a double change, she received warm applause from the crowd. She now has eight WSL goals against Tottenham alone, something which will no doubt go down well in the red half of north London.
Pressure tells on Spurs
Spurs were beaten 3-0 at Arsenal in last season's corresponding fixture, and it became clear early on that they would be up against it. Last season's fifth-place finishers were forced into some desperate defensive interventions early on as they looked to keep their rivals at bay, but the pressure soon told.
Rehanne Skinner's side did their best to play out from the back, but this would prove their undoing for the second Arsenal goal. Caitlin Foord caught Evelina Summanen in possession deep in her own half, freeing Miedema to do what she does best.
As the early exertions took their toll, Arsenal were further able to capitalise against a tired Spurs back-line after the break. It was a stark contrast from last week's win at Leicester
Arsenal defenders can do it at both ends
In contrast to their opponents, Arsenal's defenders weren't caused too many problems, extending their run without conceding to a WSL record eight games. Spurs were largely kept at arm's length, and this even allowed the home defence to wander forward.
Rafaelle has made an impression since moving to the WSL midway through last season, helping Arsenal push Chelsea for the title. She scored her first goal for the club last term, and added another this afternoon with a towering header.
The Brazilian left the field late on, receiving treatment before making way for Lotte Wubben-Moy. Fans will hope it was nothing too serious, given her impact on the team so far.
Women's football has a real audience
Back in July, a record crowd piled into Wembley to watch England's Lionesses beat Germany in the Euros final. That's a record for a men's or women's Euros game, and came hot on the heels of a record club attendance when Barcelona faced Real Madrid in the spring.
Any suggestion that the tournament was a one-off increase have quickly been put to bed. More than 53,000 tickets were sold for Arsenal v Tottenham, while the official attendance of 47,367 is a new record for the WSL.
The postponement of the first round of league fixtures had some worried that an opportunity to build on the excitement of England's Euros win might be squandered. However, we saw that the appetite to watch these teams and players in action remains, and we can expect more high attendances for WSL games as the season goes on.
