WSL Opening Weekend: Goals & Drama
The 2026/27 WSL season is officially underway, and the opening weekend delivered goals, debut stars, early upsets and plenty of drama.
From London City Lionesses stunning Manchester United to Chelsea dropping points, Arsenal finding a new teenage hero and Bunny Shaw picking up exactly where she left off, here are the biggest moments from the first round of Women’s Super League action.
London City make an instant statement
The new WSL season began on Friday night with one of the weekend's biggest results.
London City Lionesses beat Manchester United 2-1, with an early Julia Zigiotti Olme own goal putting the hosts ahead before Daniëlle van de Donk produced a brilliant finish to make it 2-0 late on. Simi Awujo pulled one back for United in stoppage time, but it wasn't enough.
And with Alexia Putellas captaining London City on her WSL debut following their huge summer recruitment drive, this felt like more than three points.
London City have arrived.
Chelsea already drop points
Chelsea started their WSL campaign at Stamford Bridge, but Aston Villa clearly hadn't read the script.
Lauren James gave Chelsea the lead after just 11 minutes with a superb finish, and the champions went on to dominate the game, registering a remarkable 34 shots.
Somehow, they didn't win.
A scramble inside the Chelsea penalty area ended with the ball deflecting off Veerle Buurman for an own goal in the 79th minute, while debutant Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma produced nine saves to help secure a 1-1 draw and Aston Villa's first-ever WSL point against Chelsea.
One match into the season and the champions have already dropped points.
Interesting...
Lisa Baum announces herself in style
If you're going to score your first WSL goal, you might as well make it memorable.
Nineteen-year-old Lisa Baum needed just 10 minutes of her Arsenal league debut to score the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Brighton.
And this wasn't exactly a tap-in.
Baum drove past defenders before sending a beautiful left-footed strike into the top corner, giving Arsenal the perfect start to their WSL campaign and immediately introducing herself to English football.
Not a bad first impression.
New club, two goals for Kirsty Hanson
Lisa Baum wasn't the only summer signing making herself at home.
Kirsty Hanson scored twice on her Tottenham debut as Spurs beat West Ham 3-1, after Signe Gaupset opened the scoring.
Hanson's second was particularly special, curling the ball into the far corner from outside the area to put the game beyond West Ham. Viviane Asseyi eventually pulled one back in stoppage time, but the afternoon belonged to Spurs and their new No. 11.
Two goals on your competitive debut?
That'll do.
Liverpool hit four
If anyone wanted to make an opening-weekend statement, Liverpool understood the assignment.
The Reds beat newly promoted Charlton Athletic 4-0, with captain Grace Fisk somehow finding herself among the contenders for opening weekend's top goalscorer after scoring twice.
Vivien Endemann added a goal on her competitive Liverpool debut before Cornelia Kapocs converted a stoppage-time penalty to complete the biggest victory of the WSL's opening round.
Four goals, a clean sheet and three points.
Liverpool couldn't have asked for much more.
Bunny Shaw wastes absolutely no time
New season. Same Bunny Shaw.
Manchester City opened their WSL title defence with a 3-1 win over newly promoted Birmingham City, although Birmingham kept the champions goalless throughout the first half.
Then City got going.
Mary Fowler opened the scoring shortly after the break, registering Manchester City's 1,000th goal as a professional women's team, before last season's Golden Boot winner Khadija "Bunny" Shaw scored twice.
Océane Hurtré grabbed a late consolation for Birmingham, but Shaw already has two goals to her name after just one match.
The Golden Boot race has officially begun.
Crystal Palace win... but there's a twist
Crystal Palace marked their return to the WSL with a 1-0 victory over Everton, thanks to a first-half goal from debutant Lexi Lloyd-Smith.
Three points. Clean sheet. Perfect start.
Except there might be a problem.
Palace are now facing an investigation after making substitutions during four separate second-half stoppages, despite WSL rules limiting teams to three substitution windows during play. Possible consequences reportedly include a points deduction or even a replay, although no outcome has yet been decided.
Because apparently opening weekend wasn't dramatic enough already.
What did WSL opening weekend tell us?
Probably that we shouldn't make too many predictions after 90 minutes.
But London City already look capable of disrupting the established order. Chelsea have discovered that defending their title won't necessarily be straightforward. Arsenal have another exciting young talent. Liverpool and Spurs have started flying, and Bunny Shaw is... well, still Bunny Shaw.
Seven matches down.
The 2026/27 Women's Super League is officially up and running.
And if opening weekend is anything to go by, we're in for a season. ⚽💛