Women's Football: Arsenal's perfect week, Netflix's Under Pressure review and Emma Hayes' slams 'disgusting' James treatment

The return of the Conti Cup gave us plenty of drama, the Champions League threw up a number of surprises and England number one Mary Earps has been in the headline after receiving yet more accolades and award nominations. Some things are just to be expected.

However, while some things never change, seeing Chelsea thrashed 4-1 by Arsenal last week in front of a record attendance was certainly something few of us expected.

That huge Arsenal performance, what Alessia Russo's brace can do for her confidence and the worrying form of West Ham were all discussed in our special WSL Podcast this week which can be listened to here.

For Arsenal, the result signalled the start memorable week for them after beating North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on penalties during the week after a breath-taking 3-3 draw.

However, they will once again face Spurs this weekend in the second clash between the sides in a week. The Gunners are big favourite again, however, vice-captain Molly Bartrip is aiming to upset the apple cart with a "amazing" victory and admits a genuine rivalry with their near neighbours has now developed in the Women’s Super League.

It wasn't the most comfortable of weeks for the Blues after losing to the Gunners and following it up with a stalemate in Europe but I must admit Emma Hayes comment that the positive from last week's defeat at the Emirates was her 20 minute drive home raised a smile. You can't really replicate that cutting, pinpoint comic genius Emma often provides.

However, most importantly, it was Hayes' comments that came later in the week that were far more concerning after she slammed ‘disgusting’ online abuse of Lauren James following her booking in the 4-1 defeat.

The Chelsea boss admitted that the Lionesses stars' mental health had been effected and compared the treatment of James to that received by David Beckham after his red card during the 1998 World Cup. As always, Hayes' comments were throughout, intelligent, emotional and important.

Another week, another accolade for Manchester United and Lionesses hero Mary Earps. It has been some week for the England number one, who was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award next week while in recent days the long awaited release of her Nike England jersey sold out within just five minutes on the official England store. Ridiculous and amazing.

Mary is the current favourite to life the BBC award and is clear favourite, just ahead of England cricketer Stuart Broad. Oh yeah, and she was given a honorary degree for services to sport this week too. No biggie. Just another quiet week for Mearps.

Away from the pitch and onto our screens, you can't fail to have noticed that 'Under Pressure', the Netflix documentary that focuses on United States' disastrous World Cup campaign, was released earlier this week.

I'll admit, I am only two episodes in and I'm already gripped - and we've not even got to that dramatic penalty shoot out against Sweden. It's a fascinating watch, featuring Megan Rapinoe's retirement announcement, the team's ability to deal with some intense media pressure and - perhaps most interestingly - their relationships away from the field.

That will be all for this week's women's football column but if you want to keep up with the latest news, views and transfer exclusives over the coming week, don't forget to drop me a follow on X/Twitter and say hello!

Have a great weekend! See you in the stadium.