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.
**ABC/Reuters**