Mary Fowler scores opening goal as Manchester City begin WSL 2026/27 with 3-1 win over Birmingham City

Matildas star Mary Fowler has kicked off her 2026/27 Women's Super League season by scoring Manchester City's opening goal in a 3-1 win over Birmingham City.

Bunny Shaw was player of the match for her double, but Fowler started the day with a brilliant first-time strike to set the tone for the reigning champions.

After a goalless first half, Fowler worked down the right wing, where her cross was deflected and Neve Herron's hack ended at the feet of Laura Blindkilde Brown.

She then tried a second cross and, after another failed clearance by Geum-min Lee, the ball returned to Fowler, who fired a first-time strike into the bottom right corner.

Her 49th-minute goal was quickly followed by Shaw's first, nodding home a well-directed corner from Kerstin Casparij.

Shaw, last season's leading scorer and Professional Footballers' Association player of the year, repeated the feat in the shadows of full-time before newly promoted Birmingham got a consolation goal through Oceane Hurtre in the 90th minute.

"The most important thing was to get the ​win ​and start off on the right foot. I think we did that today … we have to keep on going," Shaw told ⁠Sky Sports.

Fellow newcomer Charlton Athletic was ​also given a tough ​introduction to the top flight as Grace Fisk scored twice in Liverpool's commanding ​4-0 victory.

Crystal Palace, who finished second behind Birmingham in WSL 2 last season, enjoyed a happier return to the ​top ​division, beating Everton ​1-0 through Lexi Lloyd-Smith's 34th-minute winner.

Last season's runners-up Arsenal secured a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion earlier on Sunday, with 19-year-old winger Lisa Baum marking her club debut by surging forward ⁠from midfield and finishing left-footed from a tight angle in the 10th minute.

Arsenal's north London ​rival Tottenham Hotspur ​eased to a 3-1 win over West Ham ​United, with Scotland forward Kirsty Hanson scoring twice on her Spurs debut.

The WSL season will pause after its first month for a brief international window from October 5-13, during which Germany will host the Matildas for a friendly.