Sky Sports compiled a comprehensive recap of Sunday’s Women's Super League fixtures, highlighting Chelsea’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village – a win that finally broke their winless start to the campaign. Both clubs had failed to secure three points during the opening weekend, yet it was the visitors who imposed their will from the first whistle, delivering a stark lesson to new United manager Eva Olid in her inaugural home match. Chelsea entered the break with a comfortable lead, thanks to a well‑timed strike from Sjoeke Nusken and a superb effort by the ever‑impressive Keira Walsh, who curled a powerful drive from the edge of the box into the top corner.
The second half saw the home side maintain their dominance, adding three more goals to the tally. Lauren James, later named player of the match, extended the lead in the 61st minute, followed by Ellie Carpenter’s finish just four minutes later. The final nail in the coffin came with a last‑minute strike from Lucy Bronze, sealing a comprehensive five‑goal margin. United’s quest for their first league win continues, with a daunting away fixture against Arsenal looming on Saturday.
In other WSL action, Manchester City remained the sole team with a perfect record after a convincing 4-1 triumph over Aston Villa. Villa had impressed by holding Chelsea to a 1-1 draw in the opening round, but their resilience crumbled early in this encounter. Akane Okuma’s mis‑judged corner allowed defender Jade Rose to tap the ball home for City within the first 14 minutes.
Mary Fowler doubled the lead with a long‑range effort from the edge of the box. Villa managed to claw back a goal before halftime when debutant Amalie Vangsgaard found the net, offering a glimmer of hope.
The second half saw Villa push for an equaliser, only to see Khadija Bunny Shaw unleash a clinical finish after regaining possession high up the pitch. Lauren Hemp, who celebrated her 100th goal involvement by assisting Shaw, later added a fourth goal in stoppage time; her shot deflected off Mathilde Harviken before curling into the far corner, completing a clinical display orchestrated by manager Andree Jeglertz. City’s victory extended their lead at the top of the table to two points, preserving their flawless start.
Further down the table, newly promoted Crystal Palace earned a valuable point against Arsenal at the Emirates, with French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud‑Magnin delivering an inspired performance that kept the visitors scoreless. Arsenal dominated possession, registering 30 attempts on goal, nine of which required a save, but could not breach Palace’s well‑organised defence. The most promising chance fell to England forward Alessia Russo, who, despite a perfect left‑wing cross, missed a wide‑open net just before the interval.
Brighton staged a dramatic comeback against fellow promotion side Birmingham, salvaging a 2-2 draw thanks to a last‑minute goal from Kiko Seike. Birmingham had taken a 2-0 lead by the 60th minute through strikes from Oceane Hurtre and Lily Crosthwaite.
Brighton pressed relentlessly, and although goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley produced several key saves to keep her side in the game, defensive lapses in the final minutes allowed Birmingham to equalise. Olivia Garcia reacted quickest to Baggaley’s initial save, pulling one back, but Seike’s tight‑angle finish slipped under the goalkeeper, completing the comeback.
Charlton Athletic endured a painful defeat at Goodison Park, reduced to nine players after a series of disciplinary setbacks. After a heavy 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the opening weekend, the Addicks showed improvement against Everton but ultimately fell 1-0.
Holly McNamara’s cross was inadvertently turned into her own net by Leighanne Robe after Charlton had already been reduced to ten men following a straight red card for Ashleigh Neville’s high challenge on Ruby Mace. Hawa Cissoko compounded the misery by receiving two yellow cards in quick succession during stoppage time, leaving Charlton with just nine players on the field when the final whistle blew. The result leaves the newly promoted side second from bottom, ahead of Manchester United only on goal difference. At the Totally Wicked Stadium, Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur despite controlling large portions of the match.
Tottenham took the lead just before halftime when Signe Gaupset’s cross from the left byline deflected off Sam Kerr and looped over goalkeeper Khiara Keating. Liverpool responded in the second half, with Aurelie Csillag heading in a near‑post finish to level the scores shortly before the hour mark. Although Liverpool pressed for a winner, they were unable to find a decisive goal, settling for a point.
Overall, the second round of WSL fixtures delivered a mixture of dominant performances, hard‑earned draws, and dramatic comebacks, setting the stage for an increasingly competitive season as teams vie for position and momentum heading into the next set of matches.