New signings Vicky Losada and Khadija Shaw were among those on target for Manchester City as it ran riot in the first half to secure a handsome 4-0 victory over Everton in their FA Women's Super League opener on Saturday.
City saw Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper return to the NWSL during the offseason. They were replaced by treble winner Losada from Barcelona, Jamaica's Shaw, who was last at Bordeaux, and Alanna Kennedy, the Australian defender who left Orlando for Tottenham last season. Olympic gold medalist Janine Beckie also scored in the first half for the Manchester side.
Three down at the break, a stunned Everton tried to muster a response at Goodison Park but City successfully kept them out, with Steph Houghton adding a fourth in the 67th minute.
A fourth delivered in style @ManCityUS pic.twitter.com/Zr6p2DPdMH
— ata football (@atafball) September 4, 2021
Forward Kit Graham scored the only goal of the game as Tottenham Hotspur kicked off their Women's Super League campaign with a nervy 1-0 win over Birmingham City at home on Saturday.
Spurs started brightly but were repeatedly denied by a Birmingham side that offered little going forward but were stubborn in defence. The hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute with Graham scoring a glancing header from a move that was smartly worked around the edge of the box.
Spurs continued to attack in the second half, with substitute Angela Addison going close to adding a second, while Birmingham managed just two shots on target in the entire game.
Aston Villa scored twice in two minutes in the second half to claim a 2-1 win over Leicester City. Promoted Leicester took a deserved lead through Natasha Flint in the 39th minute following a goalkeeping error by Hannah Hampton.
Villa, however, came back strongly after the interval, with Sarah Mayling curling in a splendid free kick to equalise in the 63rd minute before captain Remi Allen completed the turnaround a minute later.
Champion Chelsea travels to Arsenal on Sunday. The Gunners feature the lone remaining American in the league, Tobin Heath, who was signed on deadline day this week.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru. Editing by Toby Davis)
