Khadija Shaw opened her account for the Women's Super League season as Manchester City beat Brighton 1-0 to get their first win on the board.
Shaw was the runaway top scorer in the WSL last season, and she got up and running for the 2024-25 campaign with a neat close-range finish from Kerstin Casparij's low cross late in the first half of Sunday's clash at Joie Stadium.
Her goal was one of seven shots the Jamaican had throughout the contest, with Shaw having gone close on three occasions prior to breaking the deadlock.
Mary Fowler and Jessica Park both went close to extending City's lead after the break, while Lauren Hemp stung the palms of Sophie Baggaley.
The only disappointment for Gareth Taylor will have been that his side failed to make their dominance count for a second goal, with City mustering 3.03 expected goals (xG) to Brighton's 0.76.
"We got the job done," defender Alex Greenwood told BBC Sport.
"Sometimes in this league, you have to win ugly. I thought off the ball today we were better. Against Arsenal, we struggled with that at times, but we have worked really hard on that, and I thought we saw an improvement in that.
"This league is getting tougher and tougher every year, and we saw that with Brighton, it was a tough game. We take the win and the clean sheet all day."
Arsenal, who drew 2-2 with City last week, also got their first win on the board, with Frida Maanum's second-half strike proving decisive in a 1-0 defeat of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Alessia Russo capitalised on an error from Catherine Bott, with the former Manchester United forward keeping her cool to set up Maanum for a simple finish, as Arsenal claimed a seventh straight WSL win over Leicester.
There was a thrilling finale in Aston Villa's clash with Tottenham, as three goals in 20 minutes saw the points shared in a 2-2 draw.
Spurs led through Eveliina Summanen's 23rd-minute penalty at Villa Park, but Adriana Leon and Rachel Daly flipped the match on its head.
However, Villa's hopes of claiming a memorable victory were dashed when Bethany England netted deep in second-half stoppage time.
Manchester United made it two wins from two as Grace Clinton's fourth-minute goal downed her former club Everton 1-0.
United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made good stops to deny Karoline Olesen and Inma Gabarro before the latter had to be taken off following a lengthy treatment for an injury.
West Ham, meanwhile, hit back late on to frustrate Liverpool in a 1-1 draw.
Liverpool's club-record signing Olivia Smith had put the Reds ahead early on, but a fine header from Riko Ueki ensured the spoils were shared.
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw's 44th-minute strike gave Manchester City Women their first win of the 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season, as they edged Brighton 1-0 at Joie Stadium in an early kick-off on Sunday. Shaw's goal, her first of the new campaign, was the decisive factor in a match dominated by City from start to finish.
The Jamaican forward pounced just before half-time, expertly converting Kirstin Casparij’s cross from the left wing. Shaw made a well-timed run across her defender to poke the ball home, breaking the deadlock and giving City a well-deserved lead going into the break.
Despite their dominance, City failed to capitalize on several chances to extend their lead throughout the second half. Brighton, while showing brief moments of attacking intent, struggled to maintain possession, often creating their own problems by playing out from the back under intense pressure from City.
It was far from a perfect performance by Gareth Taylor’s side, but the win secured their first three points of the season.
In the closing stages of the match, there was concern for City as Shaw went down injured and was eventually forced off the pitch. She was replaced by Mary Fowler, but the extent of Shaw's injury remains unclear.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was in a reflective mood after their 7-0 victory at Crystal Palace ensured they continued their perfect start to the Women's Super League.
The former Champions League winner joined the club in May after leading Lyon to a third successive French title, and has won her first two matches in the English top-flight.
Understandably, having never played or managed in England before taking the job at Chelsea, Bompastor spent a lot of time learning about the league before the move.
"I feel wiser," she told Sky Sports after the match.
"Coming to this league, I've spent a lot of time studying the teams, the managers and the way they play.
"I want a lot of information, the most possible. This league is so competitive and if you don't perform you drop points, so you have to prepare properly."
On the performance itself, the Chelsea manager was delighted to keep their 100% record going in such a dominant fashion, but insists there is still more to come from her side.
"It was a great win, three more points and a good performance, even if the first half was a difficult game," she told BBC Sport.
"It is a work in progress. We still have room for improvements for sure, in possession and out of possession.
"We are only at the beginning of the season, it's only the second game. At the high level, it is about getting results, [but] it still takes time to get the right chemistry.
"I think we are getting there, but there is still a lot of work to be done."
New signing Lucy Bronze scored Chelsea's second of the match shortly after half-time and, alongside Johanna Rytting Kaneryd - who scored in the opening match of the season - has impressed down the right-hand side.
The level of understanding they have developed in a short space of time is something that the manager hopes will start to flourish throughout the squad.
"For sure, coming from pre-season and in the last two games, they have a lot of chemistry," she said.
"It's always good for them to know each other and to get used to each other. They understand the way they want to play together and that is good for us.
"We have different options, but this one is a good one."
Sonia Bompastor maintained her perfect start to life as Chelsea head coach as her side turned on the style in the second half to beat Crystal Palace 7-0 on Friday.
After Lauren James saw a goal ruled out, the Blues found their breakthrough in the 38th minute as Agnes Beever-Jones turned home Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's delivery.
Lucy Bronze handed the visitors the perfect start to the second half, guiding a strike into the far corner for her first Chelsea goal since her move from Barcelona.
The result was put beyond doubt just before the hour-mark as James finally got her name on the scoresheet, opening her account for the season from close range.
But the Blues were not done there. Guro Reiten struck beyond Shae Yanez for Chelsea's fourth, with Catarina Macario's corner then finished by Nathalie Bjorn.
Reiten notched her second in the 90th minute, with Macario adding gloss to an impressive showing from the defending champions as she capitalised on Yanez's parry to compound the newly-promoted Eagles to a second defeat of the season.
Data Debrief: Ruthless Blues clip Eagles' wings
After a battling display against Aston Villa on the opening day, Bompastor's side showcased the attacking ruthlessness that was missing a week ago.
James was a particular standout for the Blues, registering a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.95 to Chelsea's 2.47 total from her four shots during the encounter.
Chelsea ended the contest with 24 shots, 11 of which were on target, completing 56 touches inside the opposition's box compared to Palace's 12.
But for all of their attacking brilliance, Chelsea have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last five games in the Women's Super League. Their last longer run of games without conceding a goal in the competition was a run of six matches between February and April in 2021.
Sonia Bompastor says she welcomes the comparisons to Emma Hayes as she looks to build her own legacy at Chelsea.
Hayes departed the club at the end of last season having clinched a fifth consecutive Women's Super League trophy, and seventh overall, as she bowed out following a trophy-laden 12-year spell.
Bompastor was appointed as her successor in May this year and began life in the WSL with a narrow 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend.
It was the Blues' first home match without Hayes in the dugout since July 2012, and Bompastor says she is looking forward to building on her predecessor's success.
"It's normal for people to compare because she had such great success here," Bompastor told Sky Sports.
"I'm really thankful to Emma for the legacy she left me. She had an amazing period, and she had great results and the transition takes some time.
"I'm fine [with the comparisons] because Emma is a person and a coach who has a lot of good qualities, so I don't feel like people are comparing me to a bad person.
"If I can have the same success as she had at Chelsea, I will be the first person to be happy about that, even if I'm someone different. I'm not Emma Hayes, I have my own personality, I'm trying to bring my own ideas. Yes, some things maybe will be the same and some of those will be different.
"I try to find the good balance between building from the legacy Emma left and also trying to bring my own philosophy, own vision to the club."
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored the opening goal of Bompastor's tenure, but it was far from a convincing performance from the Blues, who managed the same number of shots as their opponents (13), but less on target (four to Villa's five).
The Frenchwoman also has a possession-based style, but her side finished the contest with narrowly less than Villa in that match (47.4%).
Bompastor acknowledged the challenges of the team trying to adapt to her style but is confident last season's top scorers will soon settle into their new rhythm.
"I'm very happy with the way the players are adapting to all these new things," she added.
"It takes a lot of time, but when you are a coach at a high level, you don't have time. It's about getting the results since the beginning until the end.
"But the players are adjusting very well, they are really open-minded and happy to learn. We are still in the beginning of the season, and it's normal that we are not quite in the place we want to be yet, but not far. We still have work to be done."
Chelsea will play WSL newcomers Crystal Palace in their first away match of the campaign on Friday.
Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall has confirmed Leah Williamson will miss Thursday's Women's Champions League second-round tie against Hacken due to concussion protocol.
Williamson did not feature in the Gunners' 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, and is one of three absentees unavailable for the must-win game with Hacken at Meadow Park.
Eidevall also revealed that both Steph Catley and Lina Hurtig will also miss the game against the Swedish side.
The visitors hold a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg, with Tabitha Tindell's goal enough for the victory at the Bravida Arena last week.
"I don't have a timeframe on Leah's injury at the moment. It's guided by our medical team," Eidevall said.
"When I have something more concrete to communicate, I will do that. She sustained the concussion during an incident in training.
"If we don't qualify, I would definitely consider that a failure. We need to get into the groups."
The latest instalment of the Women's Super League returns this weekend, with the opening round of fixtures offering plenty of insight as to what this season may hold.
Sonia Bompastor started her quest for Chelsea's sixth straight title with a triumph against Aston Villa, with the Blues again kickstarting the action on matchday two.
The defending champions make the short journey to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, while Sunday's action features both Manchester City and Arsenal after their enthralling encounter at the Emirates.
Elsewhere, Manchester United will be hoping to build on their emphatic first week showing against Everton, with Liverpool and West Ham squaring off in their attempts to get their respective campaigns up and running.
But who does the Opta supercomputer predict will emerge victorious this time around?
CRYSTAL PALACE V CHELSEA
Bompastor started her tenure as Chelsea head coach with a win, but the Blues were made to work for their triumph at Kingsmeadow in last week's curtain-raiser.
However, Chelsea remain overwhelming favourites to stay perfect against newly-promoted Crystal Palace, winning 88.4% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, compared to 7.3% for their opponents.
Chelsea have also won each of their last eight games without conceding when facing an opponent for the first time in the WSL, last losing 4-0 away to Sunderland in July 2015.
But despite their dominance under Emma Hayes, the Blues have failed to win their opening away game in each of the last six WSL seasons (D4 L2), since beating the Black Cats 6-0 in the 2017-18 campaign.
MANCHESTER CITY V BRIGHTON
On Sunday, Brighton are the opponents as Gareth Taylor's City aim to get their first win on the board following last week's 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
Despite the visitors starting their own campaign with a 4-0 triumph against Everton, the Seagulls are handed just a 4.5% chance of a victory in our pre-match simulations, with the Citizens given a huge 87.3% win probability.
However, City hold a favourable record over their opponents, winning nine of their 11 WSL meetings with Brighton, but they did lose this exact fixture last season 1-0 (D1).
Vivianne Miedema found the net on her Citizens debut last week, and she has had a hand in 15 goals in 10 games against Brighton (seven goals and eight assists) with only Miedema herself against Bristol City (14 goals and five assists) having more goals and assists combined against a single club in WSL history.
EVERTON V MANCHESTER UNITED
After putting West Ham to the sword in their opening game of the new season, United arrive at Walton Hall Park with confidence ahead of facing Everton.
The Red Devils have been given a 58.7% chance of emerging victorious, while the Toffees are predicted at 20.2% to win, with the likelihood of a draw coming in at 21.1%.
United have won their opening away game in each of their last four WSL seasons, including all three under Marc Skinner, while also prevailing in four of their five away league games against Everton, including a 5-0 win in this fixture last season, their biggest ever success on the road in the competition.
Everton have never beaten United in 10 previous WSL meetings (D2 L8), with Man City the only other team the Toffees have failed to beat in the competition (P16 L16).
LEICESTER V ARSENAL
After a thrilling encounter with Man City last time out, Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester, looking to get their title charge up and running.
The visitors are assigned a 74.7% chance of a win, with the Foxes victorious in 11% of our pre-match simulations and 14.3% finishing all square.
One player for Leicester to watch out for will be Alessia Russo. She has scored in each of her last four WSL appearances against the Foxes, including a hat-trick for Man United last year – the striker has scored more top-flight goals against the Foxes (six) than any other opponent.
The Foxes have lost all six of their WSL games against Arsenal by an aggregate scoreline of 23-2, conceding four or more goals in four of those games.
WEST HAM V LIVERPOOL
Following on from the men's EFL Cup clash in midweek, West Ham's women welcome Liverpool to the Chigwell Construction Stadium, with both in search of three points.
But it is the Reds who are favoured in the pre-match simulations, winning 46.2% of those, while the Hammers are given a 29.2% chance of a win, with a draw given a 24.6% chance of happening.
West Ham have won just one of their last 17 home matches in the WSL (D7 L9), having won six of their previous 17 such games in the competition (D4 L7).
But Liverpool have not enjoyed recent trips to the capital, winning just one of their last 12 away WSL games in London (D3 L8), beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates last year.
ASTON VILLA V TOTTENHAM
The weekend's action concludes at Villa Park, with Aston Villa's gutsy showing against defending champions Chelsea making them favourites against Tottenham.
Robert de Pauw's side were victorious in 43.8% of our pre-match simulations. Spurs are given a 29.4% chance of victory, and 26.8% chance of earning a point.
Spurs, however, are unbeaten in their last three away games in the WSL (W2 D1) with their final two matches on the road last season ending 2-2 (vs. Man United and Everton) - no team has ever avoided defeat in three consecutive away games in the competition when also conceding multiple goals.
Villa have lost just one of their last five WSL meetings against this weekend's opponents (W3 D1), but that sole loss did come in this fixture last season, losing 4-2 at the Bescot Stadium.
Arsenal and Manchester City played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their opening Women's Super League clash on Sunday.
The WSL's all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema marked her City debut with a goal against her former club at the Emirates Stadium, where Beth Mead snatched a share of the spoils late on.
Miedema's deflected effort in the 42nd minute cancelled out Frida Maanum's early opener.
Maanum's close-range strike came just 45 seconds after Miedema had arrowed a shot wide after capitalising on slack play from her former team.
Caitlin Foord had a goal narrowly disallowed for offside early in the second half, and Arsenal's frustrations were compounded when Jessica Park put City ahead with a stunning effort from the edge of the box, with the ball clipping in off the underside of the crossbar.
Yet Arsenal fought back in the 81st minute as Mead nudged in on the rebound after Rosa Kafaji struck the woodwork.
Data Debrief: Sweet sixteen for Miedema
It just had to be her. Former Arsenal heroine Miedema has now scored against all 16 of the opponents she has faced in the WSL, with Bethany England (18/18) the only player to hold a better 100% such record in the competition.
But Mead had the final say. She is the leading goalscorer in the history of the WSL when it comes to the opening weekend, having now netted eight such goals.
Grace Clinton netted a debut goal as Manchester United got off to a winning start in the Women's Super League, cruising to a 3-0 victory over West Ham.
The new-look United side were in control throughout, and almost took an early lead as Leah Galton's cross was tipped onto the bar before Elisabeth Terland saw a header blocked on the line.
Geyse starred in the first half and soon got her reward after brushing aside Camile Saez at the byline to whip a shot in from a tight angle on the right of the box.
She almost got a second shortly after, meeting Maya Le Tissier's knockdown from a corner with an overhead kick that rattled the crossbar.
Galton doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time, cutting inside from the left before rifling a powerful effort past Kinga Szemik from the edge of the box.
West Ham continued to struggle after the break, and Clinton wrapped up the points in the 53rd minute, glancing Lisa Naalsund's chipped cross in.
The visitors showed a late threat, but Phallon Tullis-Joyce defended her clean sheet, scrambling across her line to stop Anouk Denton's cross from sneaking in.
Data Debrief: Making her mark
United ended last season with a 6-0 thumping by Chelsea at Old Trafford, but began the new campaign on a much brighter note.
Clinton became just the third player to score on her WSL debut for United, after Le Tissier in 2022 (v Reading) and Melvine Malard in 2023 (v Arsenal).
The Red Devils have also now won all five of their WSL home matches against West Ham without conceding, with each of the victories coming by 2+ goals.
Sonia Bompastor made a winning start to her reign as Chelsea head coach on Friday against Aston Villa, but highlighted areas of improvement her side need to make.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's 36th minute strike proved to be the difference at Kingsmeadow, though the Blues were made to work for their triumph.
The hosts ended the game with four shots on target from their 13 attempts compared to Aston Villa's five from their 13 shots, while the Villans also hit the woodwork twice.
Robert de Pauw's side also registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.97 to Chelsea's 0.87 and ended the game with more possession (52.5%).
Bompastor acknowledged her side's difficulty in front of goal, but was pleased overall with her players' efforts in their opening game of the WSL season.
"In a high level game, when you are not able to get the second goal, you just give more confidence to the opposition," Bompastor said.
"Today, maybe we should've scored more goals, been more efficient and that would've changed the game for sure.
"We had some great moments in the game. We still have to work on some others, but I'm just happy with the three points. It's always good to start with a win."
Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes as Chelsea's head coach in May and is aiming to keep the Blues' reign as WSL champions going for a sixth successive season.
While only in the infancy of her tenure, Bompastor believes there will be plenty more to come from her side, with the win highlighting the areas in which Chelsea had to adapt and where they can improve.
"We started well," Bompastor said. "I sometimes think about what we've been working on, we didn't recognise during the game where we should have played.
"But you have to take into account the scenario of the game, especially the second half because Aston Villa were trying to score and put a lot of pressure on us.
"When the opposition is putting you under pressure, you have to be able to find maybe a more direct style of play beyond their backline.
"That's the way it works sometimes, because if you keep playing short when the opposition is pressing you, it is sometimes difficult.
"Being smart and trying to find a different style is also important when you want to win the game."
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's first-half goal was enough to secure Chelsea a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, getting Sonia Bompastor off to a winning start in the Women's Super League.
In a tightly contested tie that could have gone either way, the reigning champions showed their quality to earn the first three points of the WSL season.
Missy Bo Kearns almost got the first goal of Robert de Pauw's reign at Villa 13 minutes in, but was narrowly wide of netting on her debut, while Guro Reiten narrowly missed two glorious chances for the hosts.
Kaneryd scored the winner in the 36th minute – it looked like she had overrun the ball, but she expertly cut back inside to whip a lovely shot past Sabrina D'Angelo into the back of the net.
Villa made a lightning-quick start to the second half, with Kenza Dali's early cross being met by Rachel Daly, but her looping header only rattled Hannah Hampton's crossbar.
The visitors then had two brilliant opportunities to level the score in stoppage time, but Hampton superbly defended her clean sheet, first denying Daly before tipping D'Angelo's header onto the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Off to a flyer
Chelsea's game against Aston Villa is the first time they have played a game in the WSL without Emma Hayes in the dugout since July 2012 (a 4-2 loss under Matt Beard).
Bompastor ensured the reigning champions got off to a winning start though, maintaining their 100% record against Villa by stretching their run to nine wins in a row.
In the opposite dugout, though De Pauw is still waiting for his first win and goal in charge of the Villans, he did get a small slice of history, becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a game in the WSL.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's first-half goal was enough to secure Chelsea a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, getting Sonia Bompastor off to a winning start in the Women's Super League.
In a tightly contested tie that could have gone either way, the reigning champions showed their quality to earn the first three points of the WSL season.
Missy Bo Kearns almost got the first goal of Robert de Pauw's reign at Villa 13 minutes in, but was narrowly wide of netting on her debut, while Guro Reiten narrowly missed two glorious chances for the hosts.
Rytting Kaneryd scored the winner in the 36th minute – it looked like she had overrun the ball, but she expertly cut back inside to whip a lovely shot past Sabrina D'Angelo into the back of the net.
Villa made a lightning-quick start to the second half, with Kenza Dali's early cross being met by Rachel Daly, but her looping header only rattled Hannah Hampton's crossbar.
The visitors then had two brilliant opportunities to level the score in stoppage time, but Hampton superbly defended her clean sheet, first denying Daly before tipping D'Angelo's header onto the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Off to a flyer
Chelsea's game against Aston Villa is the first time they have played a game in the WSL without Emma Hayes in the dugout since July 2012 (a 4-2 loss under Matt Beard).
Bompastor ensured the reigning champions got off to a winning start though, maintaining their 100% record against Villa by stretching their run to nine wins in a row.
In the opposite dugout, though De Pauw is still waiting for his first win and goal in charge of the Villans, he did get a small slice of history, becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a game in the WSL.
Natasha Dowie believes Chelsea's appointment of Sonia Bompastor highlights the new-found global appeal of the Women's Super League.
Bompastor enjoyed three successful years at Lyon, including winning a Champions League, before deciding to move on and replace Emma Hayes this summer.
Hayes led the Blues to seven WSL titles overall, winning each of the last five in a row, and Bompastor now has the challenge of becoming the first manager in WSL history to win the league on their first attempt.
Dowie, who is now a Liverpool ambassador after winning the league twice with the Reds, thinks it shows just how much the WSL has grown in recent times.
She told Stats Perform: "I think it's not just the best players in the world that want to come and play in England now, it's the best managers in the world. And that wasn't the case back in the day, and I think that's just brilliant."
Furthermore, Dowie also notes that her appointment could also prove crucial in terms of Chelsea finally claiming their elusive Champions League title, following several near misses and a defeat in the 2021 final.
"She's won everything at Lyon," Dowie added. "So now to move to a club like Chelsea, who have pretty much won the league the last five years, I think now the challenge for her and what she probably is excited about is how can we help Chelsea win the Champions League? That's all they haven't won."
The former striker is also excited at the prospect of Sam Kerr returning from injury, believing that she can once again play a key role for the Blues.
The Australian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Chelsea's winter training camp in January, ruling her out for the second half of the season.
Before her injury, Kerr was averaging 0.61 goals per 90 minutes, from 3.66 shots per 90, with a 16.67% conversion rate.
"[Kerr] is the number one striker, and she does it in the big pressure games, she always produces, and I think they missed her last year even though they won the league," Dowie said.
"I think that to have a Sam Kerr in your team - it's a nightmare for any team and I think all fans, the way that she's entertaining as well, the backflip, the kind of charisma that she has, she brings a lot to the game.
"So yeah, I think we're all excited to see her back performing."
Dowie predicts Manchester United to have an improved WSL campaign this year, following their FA Cup final success last season.
The Red Devils finished just two points behind Chelsea in 2022-23 but struggled to replicate that last year, and have since lost key players, including Mary Earps.
"I do think United will push on again this year," said Dowie.
"I think that to be fighting for the title with Chelsea the year before and then to obviously finish fifth last year was really disappointing.
"I think there'll be a team this year that will be up there again competing for trophies, so you could say that United could be a surprise package."
The Women's Super League returns with a bang this weekend, with upheaval at the top of the table offering the promise of another thrilling campaign.
Chelsea gave Emma Hayes a triumphant send-off by edging out Manchester City on goal difference for their fifth straight title, but will former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor be able to replicate her success?
Aston Villa are the opponents for her first game at the helm on Friday, while Sunday's action features a huge clash between potential title challengers Arsenal and City.
Elsewhere, Manchester United start their bid to improve on last season's disappointing fifth-placed finish against West Ham, while newly promoted Crystal Palace face a tough trip to Tottenham.
But who does the Opta supercomputer expect to start 2024-25 with three points?
CHELSEA V ASTON VILLA
Unsurprisingly, given their recent dominance of the division, Chelsea are overwhelming favourites to beat Villa – who finished seventh in 2023-24 – in Friday's curtain-raiser.
They won 85.1% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, with Villa given just a 5.5% chance of victory and the draw deemed a 9.5% likelihood.
Kingsmeadow was a real fortress under Hayes, and Bompastor will be desperate to retain the fear factor in her debut season. Chelsea have won 35 of their last 37 home league games, drawing one and losing one.
The Blues have, however, only won two of their six opening matches of a WSL campaign as the reigning champions, drawing two and losing two. One of those victories did come last term, though, as they beat Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM
Old Trafford plays host to the first of two games on Saturday, as Marc Skinner's United take on West Ham, looking to kick on after ending a largely disappointing 2023-24 campaign with FA Cup glory.
They are assigned a 71.5% chance of a win, with West Ham victorious in 12.6% of our pre-match simulations and 15.9% finishing all square.
This will, of course, be United's first league game since Mary Earps departed for Paris Saint-Germain. The Red Devils suffered their heaviest-ever WSL defeat in her final game, going down 6-0 to Chelsea on home soil on the final day of last season.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce will hope for a quiet outing after stepping up to replace Earps as number one, and she may get her wish against a West Ham side that accumulated a miserable 15 points last term. Their seven away losses in 2023-24 was a joint-high among all WSL teams (also Bristol City).
BRIGHTON V EVERTON
Just one place and four points separated Everton from Brighton in the final standings, and the supercomputer struggles to separate them ahead of their clash at Broadfield.
The Toffees are slight favourites with a 40.6% win probability, compared to Brighton's 33.7%, while 25.7% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations finished level.
Everton will hope to continue their momentum from the end of 2023-24, having ended the season on a four-game unbeaten streak (two wins, two draws), their longest of the campaign. They could go five without losing for the first time since October 2020.
Brighton's major arrival ahead of the new season is Chelsea great Fran Kirby, who has five goal involvements in eight WSL appearances against Everton, scoring on both of her starts versus them.
ARSENAL V MANCHESTER CITY
The headline fixture of the opening matchday takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as two of the sides most likely to challenge Chelsea for their crown – Arsenal and City – go head-to-head.
The supercomputer makes the Gunners favourites on home soil, with Jonas Eidevall's team winning 42.6% of our pre-match simulations. City are assigned a 30.7% chance of victory, and a 26.7% chance of earning a point.
Vivianne Miedema's move from Arsenal to City has added further intrigue to this fixture. She netted 80 times in 106 league appearances for Arsenal to become the WSL's all-time leading scorer, netting against all 15 opponents she has faced in the competition. Arsenal will be the 16th different team she has faced – will she return to haunt them?
City have won each of their last eight away league games, with the only longer such run in WSL history also being by City – a 12-match sequence between July 2016 and January 2018.
Arsenal, though, have won each of their last three WSL meetings with City, and they boast the most prolific player in the history of the opening matchday in the competition, with Beth Mead previously hitting seven goals on the first weekend, including two braces.
TOTTENHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace edged out Charlton Athletic to win the Women's Championship title last season, reaching the WSL for the first time. They will be the 19th different team to compete in the division and the first debutants since Leicester City in 2021.
Excluding the inaugural 2011 campaign, only one of 10 teams has ever won their first WSL match, Sunderland beating Liverpool 2-1 in 2015 (one draw, eight defeats).
The Eagles are not given much hope of replicating that feat by the Supercomputer, which assigns them just an 11.5% chance of victory to Tottenham's 72.7%. The draw is given a 15.8% likelihood.
Tottenham have a decent record on the opening day, too, only starting one of their last four WSL campaigns with a defeat (two wins, one draw), which came against champions Chelsea last season.
LIVERPOOL V LEICESTER CITY
Matt Beard is the only coach among the 12 WSL teams to have previously won the title, and his Liverpool side ended a promising 2023-24 campaign in fourth. They will be confident of getting underway with a win this term, with the supercomputer giving them a 60.2% chance of beating Leicester.
The Foxes, who would have been in relegation trouble if not for Bristol City's struggles last term, are given an 18.9% chance of victory, and a 20.9% likelihood of earning a draw.
Liverpool and Leicester also met on the final day of last term, the Reds winning 4-0. Seven teams have previously met on the final matchday of one WSL campaign and the opening weekend of the next, but only three have won both such meetings (Man City v Notts County, Tottenham v Birmingham, and Tottenham v Leicester).
Only Arsenal (nine) and Chelsea (seven) have won their opening game of a WSL season more often than Liverpool (six), who have started four campaigns with a victory under Beard (one defeat).
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