Alexia Putellas Leads London City Lionesses to Victory in WSL Opener

Alexia Putellas did not tiptoe into English football. She walked straight into the centre of it.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner captained London City Lionesses to a 2-1 victory over United at the Copperjax Community Stadium, launching their 2026-27 Women's Super League campaign with a performance that was far more one-sided than the scoreline suggests. Owner Michelle Kang watched on, visibly delighted, as her marquee signing set the tone for a new era.

Lionesses dominate, scoreline deceives

On the pitch, London City were sharper, quicker and far more cohesive. United, by contrast, never really got going.

The breakthrough came via a mistake the visitors could not afford. Julia Zigiotti Olme turned the ball into her own net, gifting the Lionesses a lead their control already deserved. From there, the home side tightened their grip.

The pressure finally told again after the interval. Danielle van de Donk, buzzing between the lines all afternoon, applied a deft second-half flick to double the advantage and effectively kill the contest. United had no answer to London City’s tempo and organisation, trudging through long spells without any attacking punch.

Their first shot on target did not arrive until the 97th minute. By then, the game was gone. Simi Awujo’s late strike offered a cosmetic consolation, nothing more.

Putellas adjusts – and warns there’s more to come

This was not a one-woman show, but everything about London City’s performance seemed to orbit around Putellas. She dictated rhythm, demanded the ball, and set standards in and out of possession.

Yet the Spaniard insisted she is still adapting to her new surroundings.

"We are so happy," she told BBC. "We had a strong beginning so [we're] really, really happy. I'm still learning, it's the first game. It's a physical league. I'm the player who thinks the ball always moves faster than the legs so we're going to try to improve that kind of thing.

"It's the first game, we have to bring more improvement of course. We are going to give better and better football to our crowd. Very happy to start with three points and we keep moving."

The message was clear: this was a good start, not the finished product. If this is London City still learning each other, the rest of the league has reason to pay attention.

Maestre’s new-look side clicks early

Manager Eder Maestre had rolled the dice before kick-off, handing out four debuts in a reshaped XI. Any fears of early-season disjointedness vanished quickly as his side knitted together with impressive fluency.

Star goalkeeper Mary Earps, still working her way back to full fitness after pre-season issues, remained on the bench. Elene Lete stepped in and did exactly what was required, slotting into the structure without fuss and giving Maestre the calm presence he needed behind a dominant team.

For the coach, the story of the afternoon stretched beyond any single name, even one as luminous as Putellas.

"Alexia knows all the things that can bring to others - because it's not only the thing that she's capable of doing on the field, it's all the things that can help us," Maestre explained.

"Having this kind of player in the squad is very important because she represents the high standards and having her involved in the project [is important, because of] her performance and the leadership she can bring in terms of helping us to reach the standard [we want].

"The biggest impact is the way we played as a team, having everybody connected very well. The chemistry we are building around the players is the most important thing today."

That chemistry showed. London City hunted in packs, passed with conviction and defended as a unit. United, sluggish and second best in most duels, could not disrupt the patterns Maestre has started to imprint.

Opening days can mislead. Legs are heavy, systems are raw, and scorelines sometimes flatter the wrong team. But here, the balance of play matched the ambition London City have declared with their summer business.

They have their superstar. They have their statement win. Now the question is how high this project, built around Putellas’ standards and Maestre’s structure, can climb over the long haul of a WSL season.