Manchester City opened the defence of their Women's Super League title in style, defeating newly-promoted Birmingham 3-1 in a match that showcased the champions' attacking strength.
The breakthrough came four minutes into the second half when Australian forward Mary Fowler latched onto a loose ball inside the box and finished calmly into the bottom-right corner to put City ahead.
With the champions in control, last season's Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw took center stage, converting two headers from corner deliveries to extend the lead and effectively settle the contest. Shaw's brace underlined why she remains one of the league's most dangerous forwards heading into the new campaign.
Birmingham, playing their first WSL match since promotion, did find a way to get on the scoresheet late on, with Oceane Hurtre netting a stoppage-time consolation goal, though it did little to change the outcome.
Elsewhere in the opening round of fixtures, Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 win away at Brighton, with the standout moment coming from 19-year-old debutant Lisa Baum. Just ten minutes into her first appearance for the Gunners, Baum collected the ball in the middle of the pitch, danced past a couple of defenders with sharp footwork, and curled a strike off the underside of the crossbar and into the net for a memorable full debut goal.
Liverpool made light work of newly-promoted Charlton in a 4-0 away victory at The Valley. Grace Fisk was the standout performer, scoring once in each half to give her side control of the match. Vivien Endemann added a third goal for the Reds before Cornelia Kapocs completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time, rounding off a dominant display on the road.
Tottenham Hotspur also enjoyed a productive start to the season, defeating West Ham 3-1 at home. New signing Kirsty Hanson made an immediate impact on her debut, scoring twice to help turn the match in Spurs' favor after West Ham's Signe Gaupset had given the visitors an early lead. West Ham did pull a goal back through Viviane Asseyi deep into stoppage time, but by then Tottenham's advantage was already secure.
In one of the day's tighter contests, Crystal Palace marked their return to the WSL with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Everton at Borough Sports Ground. Lexi Lloyd-Smith's first-half strike proved decisive, giving the newly-promoted side a winning start to life back among the top flight.
The opening weekend results leave Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all with maximum points, setting an early tone for what promises to be a competitive season across the division. Newly-promoted sides Birmingham, Charlton and West Ham will look to regroup after difficult openers, while Everton will be eager to bounce back following their narrow loss to Palace.
With City looking to defend their crown and rivals like Arsenal and Liverpool already showing attacking intent, the early stages of the campaign suggest another tightly-contested race at the top of the Women's Super League table.
Based on reporting from The Independent (PA).