Manchester City start WSL season with a defeat

Chelsea 2 - 1 Manchester City

City lost on opening night of the WSL despite a promising second half performance away at Chelsea

Author | Macca

Stadium | Stamford Bridge

Chelsea took the lead when Ellie Carpenter burst past Alex Greenwood down the right and cut the ball back with a driven cross, leaving Aggie Beever-Jones to sweep home for the first goal of the season.

Having been second best at the beginning of the second half, Chelsea got a bit of space down the right hand side and made it count. Wieke Kaptein  squared the ball for Maika Hamano to sweep home.

City then gave themselves hope when a delivery from the right caused problems in the Chelsea box, Niamh Charles unsighted by a runner as the ball glanced off the back of her head and flew into her own net.

This was Andrée Jeglertz’s first outing in the WSL after leading Denmark at Euro 2025. He gave debuts to Sydney Lohmann and Jade Rose, who looked composed in midfield and defence respectively. 

For all the encouraging passages of play from his reshaped City side, and a Greenwood free-kick that struck the bar, the pattern was a familiar one as Chelsea proved decisive when it mattered.

There were further blows for City at the end of the game with Greenwood injured and forward Lily Murphy taken off on a stretcher.

Champions remind City of the level they need to reach

At times, this felt like an unpleasant sight for City. They have a massive task on their hands to try and close the gap their hosts. Last season, they carved out an impressive, unbeaten domestic campaign that produced WSL, FA Cup and League Cup triumphs.

One City fan told us: “This was a decent, occasionally good, performance, but we still need to go up a few levels if we’re going to challenge Chelsea for the title this season.”