World champions Arsenal, inspired by their Matildas duo of Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley, have kept up the feelgood factor at the Emirates Stadium by earning a huge 1-0 win over runaway Women's Super League leaders Manchester City.
Yet while the form of Foord and Catley again spelt good news for Australia's Asian Cup challenge next month, the absence of Mary Fowler and just another bit part for Sam Kerr for Chelsea on Sunday raised further question marks about the two superstars' readiness for the fray back home in just over three weeks time.
Just as last weekend when they were key figures in Arsenal's FIFA Women's Champions Cup final triumph at the Emirates Stadium, Foord, the matchwinning goalscorer against Corinthians, and Catley had accomplished afternoons as the Gunners won with a superb 17th minute goal from Olivia Smith.
It was City's first defeat since the the opening day of the season but there was no place for comeback star Fowler in Andree Jeglertz's match-day squad as he watched the 13-match win streak of his pacesetters finally end.
The 22-year-old had featured last weekend in a late cameo during City's thumping of Chelsea, but Jeglertz had noted in the week that they were still having to be very careful about managing Fowler's game time even though she was progressing well in her recuperation from her ACL injury last spring.
Reporting on Friday that she was in a "good way", Jeglertz had told reporters: "She can't just go in and have the same as everyone else, she's been away for a long time, is now back but it takes time to get to the same level physically and as a player as she was when she got injured."
At Spurs, Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory, but while Ellie Carpenter had a fine 90-minute outing, her Matildas captain Kerr was only brought on in the 79th minute after goals from Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson had effectively already sealed the champions' derby win .
It had looked until very recently as if the 32-year-old Kerr may have won back her starting spot up front, but her stop-start season has again seen her reduced to a subs' role.
How sharp she will be for the Matildas' opening Asian Cup clash with Philippines on March 1 in Perth remains to be seen.
City's reverse and Chelsea's win has shaken up the league standings just a little, with City now still eight points clear of Manchester United and nine ahead of Chelsea, with Arsenal a further point behind but with a game in hand.
Spurs remain fifth while Liverpool moved off the bottom for the first time since November with a 4-1 win over Aston Villa.
West Ham were set to go bottom after they went two goals down at home to Brighton but their Australian captain Katrina Gorry was brought on midway through the second half and helped them deliver a remarkable comeback, with Viviane Asseyi scrambling home the winner in the first minute of stoppage-time.
Clare Wheeler's Everton responded to the midweek dismissal of Brian Sorensen with a 1-0 triumph at Alanna Kennedy's London City. After a goalless first 45 minutes, Inma Gabarro broke the deadlock just after the hour.
