Mary Fowler opens Manchester City's WSL title defence with first goal

Mary Fowler set Manchester City's title defence in motion with a first-time strike in a 3-1 victory over newly promoted Birmingham City. The Australian forward opened the scoring in the 49th minute after two deflected crossing attempts fell back into her path, allowing her to fire into the bottom-right corner.

Bunny Shaw quickly doubled City's lead by heading in a corner from Kerstin Casparij. Shaw, last season's leading scorer and the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year, added a second goal late in the match. Oceane Hurtre scored for Birmingham 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. Manchester City will now continue its title campaign after making a winning start.

Other opening-day results included Liverpool's 4-0 win over newcomer Charlton Athletic, with Grace Fisk scoring twice. Crystal Palace beat Everton 1-0 through Lexi Lloyd-Smith's 34th-minute goal, while Arsenal defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 after Lisa Baum scored on her club debut. Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United 3-1, with Kirsty Hanson scoring twice on her Spurs debut.

The Women's Super League will pause after its first month for an international window from October 5 to 13. During that break, Germany will host Fowler and the Matildas for a friendly on October 10 in Karlsruhe.

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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.