Matchweek 1 is done and dusted in the Subway Players Cup, with some incredible performances along the way to certainly make this one to remember.
There were four inter-league matches that were always going to bring about tricky ties, as sides were pitted against one another, while already knowing each other quite well and having seen a lot of their games already.
Some teams from the Barclays Women's Super League were pushed all the way by BWSL2 sides, which shows the strength of the second division, while we also had the drama of our first penalty shootout of the season.
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 Charlton Athletic
The Seagulls picked up their first win of the season against fellow BWSL opposition, Charlton Athletic, and the scoreline will certainly hand Brighton a boost heading into the weekend.
Both sides heavily roasted their sides from the previous weekend, but it was the hosts who got to grips with those changes quickest by racing into a lead after just 18 minutes through Olaug Tvedten.
Charlton held firm for the remainder of the first half; however, Brighton grew stronger after the break, as within 20 minutes Tvedten had her second and Caitlin Hayes made it 3-0 before Sophie Peskett rounded off the scoring in the 82nd minute.
Leicester 0-2 London City Lionesses
The Foxes, relegated from the BWSL last season, rotated a core part of their squad with a league game against Newcastle United in just four days' time, whereas London City Lionesses kept a lot of their firepower in attack.
However, there wasn’t much between the two sides for the majority of the game, and for a long time it looked like the Foxes may leave with at least a point. That was until goals from Nikita Parris and Kadidiatou Diani inside the final 10 minutes secured all three points.
Tottenham Hotspur 0 (3) - 0 (4) West Ham United
The first penalty shootout of the season was the main event in this game between Spurs and the Hammers.
With nothing to separate the two WSL sides, it was a shootout to decide who would leave with an extra point, and ultimately it came down to Shekiera Martinez, the former West Ham player, to keep Spurs in the tie, but she missed her side’s fifth and final spot kick.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford
This was the closest that we came to an upset during matchweek 1 of the Subway Players Cup. Crystal Palace were struggling to make the breakthrough against a Watford team who were newly promoted into the BWSL2.
The Hornets were looking strong and resolute on the road and just days after losing to Bristol City, but the Eagles’ depth and quality did finally pay off when Shannon O’Brien scored the winner in the 82nd minute.
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Aston Villa
There was plenty of rotation at the City Ground, where Nottingham Forest welcomed BWSL opposition Aston Villa.
Despite the rotation from both sides, who have a quick turnaround for league games this weekend, Villa reigned supreme thanks to second-half strikes from Maya Hijikata and Chasity Grant.
Manchester United 10-1 Sheffield United
Eva Olid picked up her first win as Manchester United manager, and her players did so in emphatic fashion against Sheffield United.
It was already 5-0 heading into half-time, with captain Maya Le Tissier kicking things off from the spot, before Rebeca Bernal, Mared Griffiths, Lea Schüller and Ella Toone got in on the act.
The Red Devils continued to assert their dominance in the second half, with Schüller and Bernal adding to their tally for the evening, and Jessica Simpson also finding the back of the net.
It was a night to remember for Griffiths, though, as she struck twice in the second half to complete her hat-trick, while Amy Andrews got the Blades’ only goal of the evening.
Liverpool 4-2 Sunderland
Sunderland have made a bright start to life in the BWSL2, sitting on seven points and undefeated, and at half-time against Liverpool, they will have been dreaming of a cup upset.
The Black Cats went down after 24 minutes when Zara Shaw struck for Gareth Taylor’s side, but Sunderland bounced back with two goals in three late first-half minutes via Chloe Paxton and Ella Parker putting them ahead.
Despite that hard work, though, the game was won by the Reds’ quality when Marie-Therese Höbinger scored two minutes after the restart, before Natalia Ramos and Taylor’s Austrian forward added a further two goals to put Liverpool in a comfortable position.
Everton 2-0 Birmingham
Everton managed to match their goal tally in the BWSL of two in one game as they edged past Birmingham to start their Subway Players Cup in the best way possible.
Scott Phelan watched on from the sidelines as his side found the back of the net after 17 minutes through Zara Kramzar, before his side went on to dominate possession and limit the Blues to just one shot on target.
While at 1-0, the Toffees won’t have felt easy in the game, so Yuka Momiki's strike just before the hour mark certainly will have settled any nerves and secured all three points.
