From a change at the top of the tree to movement at the bottom, here are the talking points from the most recent weekend of Women's Super League action.
1. Chelsea respond with victory...
Enduring a below-par season on the pitch in terms of performances, Chelsea's dip in form finally caught up with them in the Conti Cup final two Sundays ago when the current WSL champions had no answers for the plethora of questions being asked of them by Arsenal. Yet with two games played since that 3-1 loss, Chelsea have responded well, picking up six points and climbing back to the summit of the table, two points clear of the chasing pair from Manchester -- and with a game in hand on both.
In their match against United this weekend, the Blues were forced to concede the lion's share of possession, having to sit back and strike on the counter. Indeed, the game could have been a microcosm of Chelsea's season so far, wasting several good opportunities to either take the lead or make themselves more comfortable in the match, yet they once again found a way across the finish line. In the end, Sam Kerr did what she's done so many times this season, scoring a brilliant goal to give the Blues all three points. Her clever finish over goalkeeper Mary Earps was just as nice as the play that led to it, with Lauren James' perfect ball over the top finding the Australia international in stride.
Short-handed due to several injuries and a bout of sickness ripping through the team -- Fran Kirby, Guro Reiten, Pernille Harder, Katerina Svitkova and Erin Cuthbert were all unavailable this weekend -- simply getting over the line with a 1-0 win is no easy feat. However, it remains to be seen how long Chelsea can keep getting results without showing the rip-roaring football fans have become used to.
2. ... but officiating remains the hot button issue
Denied two penalty claims away to reigning champions Chelsea in a 1-0 defeat, Manchester United boss Marc Skinner put the officials on blast for what is still a major point of contention in the league. What made his rant interesting was that he didn't just highlight the two decisions he thought were "stonewall" spot-kicks during Sunday afternoon's match, but multiple egregious decisions throughout the season involving other teams.
"When I look back over the balance of the last few games, Chelsea get a goal that's offside the other day [against Brighton]," said Skinner. "These are decisions that will make and break where you finish in the table. We say it balances out, I'm hopeful that we see it. They're stonewall when I watch them both.
"We have to invest in the officials, we have to invest in the surrounding technology that can help. We've come to the champions' home ground and put our stamp on it, you need those things to go for you."
It's the third time in as many outings that Chelsea have appeared to benefit for an arguable decision after they were awarded a penalty at the start of their midweek match against Brighton, even though replays showed Sam Kerr was markedly offside in the build-up to that decision. Last Sunday, the Blues managed to avoid conceding a second penalty in their Conti Cup final defeat after Kadeisha Buchanan caught Arsenal's Caitlin Foord late in the box.
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The issue was compounded later on Sunday when Arsenal were awarded a fourth-minute penalty against Reading for what appeared to be minimal contact in the box, raising the question of consistency across the league. The wider problem this season in the WSL is that the officiating, for all the increased review and investment going on off the pitch, seems to be getting worse rather than better, with managers repeatedly asking for a higher standard.
3. Unstoppable Shaw
Now up to 15 goals for the season in the WSL alone, Khadija "Bunny" Shaw has take a decisive lead in the race for the Golden Boot -- Aston Villa's Rachel Daly is second, with 11 goals, while Man United's Alessia Russo lags in third, with eight -- but more than her prowess in front of goal, the Jamaican international has become the key player for Man City in their pursuit of silverware this season.