Alexia Putellas marked her first ever goal in English football with a decisive strike that helped the London City Lionesses secure a 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, propelling the visitors to second place in the Women's Super League standings. The Spanish midfielder, who was the headline signing of the summer transfer window, opened the scoring after a chaotic sequence that began with a saved attempt by Chiamaka Nnadozie on Kadidiatou Diani's powerful shot.
The rebound fell to Putellas, who deftly swerved around a defender and unleashed a half‑volley that slipped past a goalkeeper still regaining her footing, giving London City an early lead. The opening half was relatively quiet in terms of clear‑cut chances, but Brighton came close to restoring parity almost immediately.
A well‑timed header from Emily Murphy found the crossbar, while Keiko Seike, who had been solid in defence throughout the match, failed to control a loose ball that could have provided a second opportunity for the visitors. Both sides struggled to create sustained pressure, and the first half concluded with the Lionesses holding a slender advantage. The second half saw London City increase their tempo and look to exploit any gaps left by Brighton's defense. The decisive moment arrived when Danielle van de Donk won the ball from Fran Kirby, setting off a swift counter‑attack.
Delphine Cascarino collected the pass and released Lucia Corrales, who had been making intelligent runs down the left flank. Corrales finished the move with composure, slotting the ball home to double the lead and seal a comprehensive win.
With this third win of the campaign, London City leapfrogged both Chelsea and Tottenham, climbing to second place with several matches still to play on Sunday. Brighton, meanwhile, remain rooted at the bottom of the table in 10th place, still searching for their inaugural WSL victory. After the match, Lionesses captain Alexia Putellas reflected on her goal: "It was a mix of a little bit of training and instinct inside the box. The most important thing is helping the team… I'm very proud of all the players.
It's a new challenge for everyone in the WSL because we want to build something special here. We're on our way, we have to keep pushing, keep working, keep being together and see how the season unfolds." She added that the team aims to stay unpredictable: "We want to score both from possession and on the counter‑attack.
We have players for both styles, so our main goal is to be unpredictable, and we achieved that today." Head coach Eder Maestre praised Putellas' impact: "It's a relief because she's doing amazing. She's trying to lead the team through the captaincy. I'm so glad to see her scoring again, but it's not just about the goal; it's about everything she's bringing to the team in terms of quality and leadership." Maestre also highlighted the tactical battle: "We knew the game would be tough.
Brighton are a very good side, very fluid in midfield, making it hard to keep the ball. I'm proud of the team not only for the win but for how we won it.
We respected our identity, dominated most of the game, and had the options to be even more aggressive in the final moments." On the broader picture, Maestre explained the club's ambition: "Our target is to keep climbing. We adopt an underdog mentality—humble yet ambitious. In this project we want to reach the top, push limits, and give our players the best environment to succeed. It's a temporary position, but we dream big and hope to stay in contention until the end of the competition." Brighton's coach Arturo Ruiz offered a candid assessment of his side's performance: "We faced a strong opponent today.
They didn't create many clear‑cut chances, which made the game feel long, but we were comfortable and superior in many phases. However, we need to be more confident in the moments we feel good and capitalize on them.
We generated several scoring opportunities, but we must read the momentum of both teams better. Our substitutions were meant to be very offensive, but we didn't convert them into points." Ruiz added that his team must improve their finishing mindset: "We were not comfortable with a 1‑0 lead and didn't push for a second goal.
After a difficult first half, we need to feel the momentum and seize the chances when they arise." The match also featured several notable moments captured in the broadcast timeline: a goal at the 29th minute when Putellas volleyed home from a rebound, an almost‑equaliser at the 35th minute when Murphy's header struck the bar, a close header by Putellas at the 54th minute that rattled the woodwork, a save by Seike at the 72nd minute, and Corrales' finishing strike in stoppage time at 90+2 minutes. Overall, the victory underscores London City's growing confidence and tactical flexibility under Maestre, while Brighton must regroup and find a way to break their winless streak in the league. The Lionesses now look ahead to their upcoming fixtures, hoping to maintain their momentum and continue challenging for top honors in the WSL.