London City Lionesses kick off WSL season with 2-1 win vs Man Utd

London City Lionesses began their new chapter in the Women’s Super League with a solid 2-1 win over Manchester United at Hayes Lane, with the standout moment being Alexia Putellas’ debut. As Sky Sports reports, the match launched the 2026/27 season and delivered a strong start on the pitch, with the home side in control for long stretches.

Putellas’ debut sets the tone

According to Sky Sports, Putellas — a two-time Ballon d’Or winner — made her first appearance for the club and helped draw a sell-out crowd. On the field, though, the first goal came via an unfortunate moment: in the box, Putellas wrestled with Alanna Kennedy and, from a header situation, the ball was guided into the back of her own net as an own goal by Julia Zigiotti.

From there, London City Lionesses pushed the rhythm and kept United at arm’s length throughout the contest.

Van de Donk finishes it

The hosts then doubled their lead thanks to a piece of quality. Sky Sports describes a “moment of magic” from Danielle van de Donk, whose neat flick made it 2-0 and effectively decided the game with under 10 minutes to go.

Manchester United did pull one back: a goal from Simi Awujo made it 2-1 late on, but it was not enough to overturn the result.

Overall, it was a winning debut story for London City Lionesses: a big-name arrival, control of the match, and the key moments that mattered, as Sky Sports notes.