Arsenal boss Pedro Martinez Losa heaped praise on Jordan Nobbs after the England midfielder scored one and set up a second as Arsenal comfortably defeated a spirited Notts County side at Meadow Park.
Danielle van de Donk struck early in the first half when she outpaced Fern Whelan after a sublime ball from Nobbs played her through one-on-one with Lady Pies goalkeeper Megan Walsh, before Nobbs capped off an exceptional team move early in the second half when she curled the ball home.
The win takes Arsenal’s tally to 14 points, and Losa insisted he couldn’t have asked for more from his players.
The FA WSL with BT Sport
WSL 1 and WSL 2
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2016
By Katie Falkingham
"I’m very happy with that display," he said. "The team was consistent and solid all over the park and that is great credit to us because against Notts County we know how difficult it can be.
"There’s no question about the importance of Jordan Nobbs and what level she can get to. We know her quality and because of how young she is she brings a lot of energy to the team."
Elsewhere, Chelsea were denied top spot in FA WSL 1 after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham City.
Birmingham’s Freda Ayisi had put the visitors in front just after half time before substitute Eni Aluko made an immediate impact to equalise against her former club, and the England international admitted her side were relieved to come away with a point.
Eniola Aluko slots home against Birmingham
"We knew that Birmingham were going to be tough to break down and it was going to be about fine margins," said Aluko.
"Overall I’d say it was a good performance from us and we’re still right up at the top end of the league – but we won’t get carried away, it’s one game at a time."
In Saturday's fixtures, Liverpool’s Laura Coombs believes her side have found the perfect balance of attack and defence after their 2-0 home victory over Reading.
Natasha Harding cut in off the right-wing to latch onto Coombs’ flick and open the scoring on 18 minutes, before Coombs herself doubled their advantage as she struck home on the half volley.
"We’re delighted with the win, we really needed these three points," she said. "We earmarked six from the next two games and we’re halfway there now, so we’re over the moon with that and the performance too."
Meanwhile, a Beth Mead brace helped Sunderland stroll past Doncaster Rovers Belles, with other goals coming from Hayley Sharp and Brooke Chaplen to seal a 4-0 victory.
In FA WSL 2, Yeovil Town’s hard work paid dividends after they produced a five-star display to extend their lead at the top of the table with a 5-0 win over Watford in a top-versus-bottom clash.
Sarah Wiltshire netted twice while Nicola Cousins, Helen Bleazard and Atlanta Primus also scored to ensure Yeovil recorded a sixth victory in their last eight games.
Goals from Millie Farrow and Claire Emslie sealed a 2-1 win for Bristol City over Millwall Lionesses, while Sheffield captain Carla Ward claims her side will use their latest victory as a springboard after they moved further away from the bottom of the table with a 1-0 victory over Everton.
Rebecca Salicki was ecstatic that her first Durham goal helped the Wildcats move up to third with an emphatic 3-0 win against Aston Villa, and London Bees captain Ashleigh Goddard believes last week’s victory over Chelsea gave them the confidence needed as they scored two late goals to snatch a dramatic 3-1 victory over Oxford United.
