How much can you really read into the opening weekend of a season? Teams can look rusty, new managers are still trying to make their mark and by the end of the campaign the events from the first set of matches will seem like distant memories.
That being said, we certainly got a taste of what we can look forward to in the Women’s Super League (WSL) in 2024-25. Chelsea’s tight 1-0 win over Aston Villa hinted that they might take time to gel under new manager Sonia Bompastor, while Villa looked a lot more organised under new boss Robert de Pauw than they did at times last season. It was a positive start for new managers in general as Amandine Miquel was able to pick up a point with Leicester at Liverpool and Dario Vidosic’s Brighton & Hove Albion blew Everton away.
The showcase fixture, though, was Arsenal hosting Manchester City, the 2-2 draw coming just a few hours before the respective men’s teams also played out a lively, high-stakes game in which they could not be separated. From a Chelsea perspective, it was an ideal result, with both title rivals dropping points on the opening weekend. Yet Chelsea will know better than anyone that a slip-up on matchday one does not need to impact your season — in their past five WSL title wins, they only won on the opening day twice.
Here are some of the main storylines from the weekend…
Emirates effect helps Arsenal against Manchester City
For the first time, Manchester City’s women headed south to play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. It marked an early homecoming for Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema, who joined City in the summer after seven years at Arsenal. In the past, there was a belief among some fans that Arsenal had chosen not to play City at the club’s main stadium because the size of the pitch was thought to be an advantage for the Manchester club, who have a reputation for being possession dominant and for playing with fast wingers. As it turned out, it was Arsenal who benefited most from the Emirates’ size.
It was clear from the starting line-up that Arsenal were going to try to stretch City’s defence. Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius was selected to start instead of Alessia Russo. A nod to her prowess in this fixture in the past — she was the scorer of two goals in three minutes which put an end to City’s title hopes on the penultimate weekend of last season as Arsenal came from a goal down to win 2-1 — but also Arsenal’s main weapon when it comes to attacking in transition.
The tactic worked as Arsenal had two one-on-one chances during the game — one for Blackstenius, which was well saved by City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, and one for Russo, who came on in the 63rd minute but could only manage a tame shot.
With the game finishing 2-2, Arsenal will be the unhappier team after failing to make the most of their chances in what was one of their best performances against City in recent times, despite having done the double over them in the league last season. But they firmly proved that playing on the big Emirates pitch is an advantage for them over anyone else.
Kiko Seike’s historic hat-trick for Brighton
Brighton signed six attacking players in the summer so there is a lot of competition for starts under new manager Dario Vidosic. Kiko Seike certainly managed to make her mark on the opening weekend as she became the first player in WSL history to score a hat-trick on her debut, as Brighton beat Everton 4-0.
Playing off the right, the Japan forward — who can also play in defence — produced two incredible finishes from the edge of the area for her first and third goals, but it is her second that Vidosic will be most pleased about. Playing out from the back, Brighton progressed the ball through midfield before playing it out wide. It was crossed in by full-back Poppy Pattinson from the left, with Seike ready and waiting to head it in.
Seike joined Brighton from Urawa Reds after 10 seasons in which she scored 82 goals in 332 games. She has played in multiple positions but it was last season that she went supernova, scoring 29 goals in 34 games. Seike is part of a growing trend of Japan players thriving in the WSL. In fact the nation was the second-best represented on the opening weekend after England, with 11 players featuring across the six games.
While it is Seike’s individual performance that rightly received plaudits, that second goal demonstrated that Brighton are able to put in a strong team performance too. For what it’s worth, they are now top of the table after the first round of matches (ahead of Tottenham Hotspur on alphabetical order).
Brynjarsdottir’s West Ham captaincy snub?
When West Ham walked out at Old Trafford on Saturday to face Manchester United in their season opener, they were led by Katrina Gorry. The Australia midfielder was named captain by manager Rehanne Skinner for this season, becoming their third captain in as many WSL campaigns.
It has been a snub of sorts for former captain Dagny Brynjarsdottir. A childhood West Ham fan, Brynjarsdottir had been Hammers skipper under Paul Konchesky, the previous coach, but had been absent last season having her second child. As a result goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was named captain but she left the club in the summer. There was a logic in expecting the captaincy to revert to Brynjarsdottir, who was in the starting line-up against United, but Skinner felt differently.
“Dagny’s never played for me,” said Skinner in her pre-match press conference, when asked if it was a role Brynjarsdottir no longer wanted. “Footballing-wise that was a bit of an unknown because she was off as soon as I came in.
“Dagny’s got a lot going on and we have to make sure we’re able to utilise her strengths on the pitch and not make that overwhelming.
“Collectively we all made the decision but Minnie (Gorry) was the first choice in terms of captaincy.”
Given West Ham’s laudable commitment to supporting mothers in its team, the fact that one lost the captaincy while pregnant and away from the side leaves a bit of a bitter taste. Equally, the idea that Brynjarsdottir is overwhelmed rings hollow given Gorry herself has just welcomed a second child into her family. Either way, Skinner likely now has more pressing issues than captaincy decisions given how lacklustre West Ham looked in the 3-0 defeat handed out to them by Manchester United.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
