Overview
- Chelsea began their title defence with a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, with Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano scoring after Carpenter’s debut assist before a Niamh Charles own goal tightened the finish.
- City played their first league match under Andrée Jeglertz and suffered late injuries to Alex Greenwood and Lily Murphy after pressing for an equaliser.
- Arsenal beat promoted London City Lionesses 4-1 at the Emirates, overturning Kosovare Asllani’s penalty with Olivia Smith’s long-range debut strike and late goals from Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum after Chloe Kelly had put them ahead.
- London City debuted as the WSL’s first fully independent promoted club under owner Michele Kang after a heavy summer rebuild that included multiple high-profile signings, with Grace Geyoro’s transfer reported as a record fee, though several arrivals were unavailable.
- Renée Slegers extended her perfect home league start to nine WSL wins, underscoring Arsenal’s depth and momentum following last season’s Champions League triumph.