Welcome to The Counter Press, a new Sky Sports column in which Laura Hunter analyses the big talking points from the latest Women’s Super League matches, bringing you closer to the key stories in the women’s game.

Tributes paid to Matt Beard

This weekend held extremely sad news for the women’s football community following the sudden passing of one of the pioneers of the game, Matt Beard, aged 47. The outpouring of love that followed spoke of a coach held in the highest regard, but more affectionately highlighted the warm, genuine, smiley personality he was.

Among the very many tributes paid by clubs he coached at in the UK and US – winning back-to-back WSL titles with Liverpool in 2013 and 2014 – were players who revealed his profound impact on them and their careers. He will forever be remembered as a transformative presence and a true friend and ally of women’s football in this country and beyond.

Man Utd dark horses?

Marc Skinner will tell you he enjoys it when Manchester United fly under the radar. He prefers they lurk in the shadows to avoid being the team everyone is talking about. It takes the pressure off.

Of course Man Utd are not a club that easily escape the glare of the spotlight on either side of the female-male divide. But noise does appear quieter when they are doing well.

With United emboldened by particularly positive beginnings to the WSL campaign, this could have been the moment to be adventurous against title rivals Arsenal. And prove proper intent. The game might have finished 0-0, but that’s exactly what they did.

They showed greater endeavour, a quality lacking in meetings with top-four rivals in recent times. Six points across seven matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City at a rate of 0.86 points per game since the start of last year is hardly an inspiring record.

But here, Skinner set up to win, while smartly safeguarding against losing. Arsenal have been averaging 3.4 goals per game under Renee Slegers – the best rate of any manager in the competition’s history – so that was the pragmatic play. Arsenal were restricted to just one shot on target.

United caused problems, too, posting a higher xG value (0.84), more shots on target (3) and more big chances (3) than their visitors. Arsenal defender Katie Reid was the best player on the pitch, a compliment to United’s threat.

Results against the Gunners have been hard to come by. The last time United beat them was April 2023 when Alessia Russo was still at the club – incidentally, she was the one to score in a 1-0 win. But Sunday offered more in the way of hope that United can compete at similar levels to those challenging for top honours.

Skinner will be happy with the tag of dark horses for now. It retains discretion. Talk will inevitably dial up if they can keep pace with the top three until Christmas and beyond. The real test will no doubt be an ability to harmonise their first inclusion in the Champions League proper with domestic duties, keeping players fit and fresh.

That balancing act is something entirely new to Skinner and his squad.

Aggie has already arrived

Aggie Beever-Jones is frequently billed as a star in the making. One might argue, on recent evidence, she is a ready-made champion.

The 22-year-old is only the fourth player in Chelsea’s history to score in each of her first three games of a new season – considering the club’s illustrious roster, it is impressive stuff. Not even 100-goal Sam Kerr can boast that.

Chelsea under Sonia Bompastor have rarely blown teams away. Since the start of last season, their most common scoreline in league games is 1-0, a result posted eight times. Beever-Jones has acquired a special knack for delivering in circumstances where fine margins dictate.

She is responsible for nine points since the beginning of last season, second only to Bethany England’s 12 for Tottenham. Her importance is often undersold.

Bompastor might have an overabundance of talent in the striking department – the club parted with the best part of £2m to bring in Mayra Ramirez and Alyssa Thompson in the last two windows – but she need look no further than Chelsea’s own academy grad for reliability when it matters.

Wingers shine in aggressive Brighton system

Brighton have been threatening to impose themselves for a couple of seasons now. Under Dario Vidosic they have found the stability they were craving. When appointed last July, Vidosic became Brighton’s fourth permanent head coach in less than two years.

I spoke to him four months into the job, after Brighton posted their best-ever start to a WSL campaign, and he emphasised the importance of staying “true to a certain way of playing”.

Such committal to a specific brand of football has not always served Brighton’s points tally – they started the new season with a goalless draw against Aston Villa and defeat at Man City – but the plan was much more coherent in week three as they thumped West Ham 4-1. Brighton’s pacey wingers were central to it.

Rosa Kafaji, on her first start, was second only in efficiency to Kiko Seike. They both scored, combining expertly for Seike’s strike. And with Fran Kirby willing to put the ball at risk, causing uncertainty with every attack, they ran all over the Hammers.

Sieke was standout, with more touches in the opposition box (18) than any other, and carried the ball equally well – all things that will please Vidosic no end. He wants his teams to be expansive and aggressive, telling me last year how he models his “intense” coaching style on Ange Postecoglou and Roberto De Zerbi.

Brighton have posted the third-most touches in the opposition box of any side (94), behind Man City and Arsenal. Their press has been equally co-ordinated, the third-best side at recovering the ball in the final third – again trailing City and Arsenal.

They have scored three first-half goals, a total only bettered by Man Utd’s four, and might count themselves unlucky not to have netted more, striking the woodwork more than any other side so far.

They round off September against Everton and then travel to Tottenham and Arsenal in consecutive weeks. Each of those fixtures offers an opportunity to really test how far along Brighton are in their evolution under Vidosic. Six points should be the minimum requirement.

Read the last Counter Press column

Last week’s column analysed Arsenal’s impressive evolution under Renee Slegers, Sam Kerr’s triumphant return for Chelsea as she scored her 100th club goal and London City Lionesses’ start.