London City Lionesses set early WSL marker as Putellas makes debut
Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter highlights London City’s dominant opening performance, Manchester City’s set-piece threat and Chelsea’s failure to convert chances.
London City Lionesses opened their Women’s Super League campaign with a dominant win over Manchester United, in a performance Sky Sports analysis described as more complete than much of last season. The match was Alexia Putellas’ debut for the club, but Delphine Cascarino and Danielle van de Donk were identified as London City’s most influential performers.
Putellas was judged solid rather than spectacular as she adjusted to new surroundings. She created two of London City’s eight chances, while Cascarino was credited with four. Sky Sports said the Spain international would form the nucleus of manager Eder Maestre’s plans, with her standards expected to help bring together a squad assembled under Michele Kang.
The opening result provided an encouraging first indication of London City’s progress, although the analysis cautioned that the team would face sterner tests as the season develops. Their performance was also contrasted with Manchester United, described by Sky Sports as a side in decline.
Manchester City began their title defence with a win over Birmingham, with Khadija Shaw scoring twice from corners. City scored 15 times from corners last season, a seasonal record, but Sky Sports noted that their open-play attack was heavily channelled through Lauren Hemp. The analysis suggested City could use opponents’ focus on Hemp to create space elsewhere, including through Yui Hasegawa’s passing range.
Chelsea drew 1-1 with Aston Villa despite creating five big chances and taking 35 shots. Villa made six blocks and goalkeeper Akane Okuma produced nine saves, while Sky Sports identified Chelsea’s finishing and attacking depth as continuing concerns. Lauren James created four chances for teammates and took 11 shots, with Melvine Malard and Mayra Ramirez yet to return.
