Another title contender emerged as Tottenham Hotspur Women laid down a marker with a convincing 3-1 victory over West Ham United. Martin Ho’s side built on last season’s fifth-place finish, and new signing Kirsty Hanson announced her arrival with a brace on debut. The forward, recruited from Aston Villa after finishing as their top scorer in the 2025-26 campaign, hit the ground running in London.
Liverpool Women Make Early Statement
The surprise package of the opening weekend was undoubtedly Liverpool Women. Gareth Taylor’s side has been active in the transfer market and looked formidable in a 4-0 drubbing of newly promoted Charlton Athletic. While tougher tests await, the team oozed confidence, with new signing Vivien Endemann standing out as a standout performer. The contrast is stark: last season, Liverpool did not secure their first victory until January while battling at the bottom of the table. They have already laid down a significant marker this time around.
“It feels very, very good. We had a clean sheet, scored four goals and won the first match,” goalscorer Endemann told Sky Sports.
“Last season, it was really tough, so now to start with a win is very important for us. We want to keep going.”
Crystal Palace Stun Everton in Promoted Clash
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace’s 1-0 victory over Everton proved there is hope for the promoted sides in the expanded 14-team league, despite opening-day losses for Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic. Jo Potter’s Palace edged in front during the first half thanks to Lexi Lloyd-Smith’s clinical finish and held firm under pressure, limiting Everton to a single shot on target that arrived in stoppage time.
“No words can explain. I’m buzzing. To get to do this in front of my friends and family, it was an unbelievable feeling,” said Lloyd-Smith.
“We knew it was going to be hard, we knew we were going into these games as underdogs. It’s so good that in the first game we show we’re here to put out a statement. “I feel like we’ve got a lot to give.”
