Shaw Scores Twice in Second Half as Manchester City Beat Birmingham 3-1

Manchester City began their defence of the Women's Super League title with a 3-1 victory over promoted Birmingham City, as last season’s leading scorer Khadija Shaw struck twice after halftime.

Birmingham held out during the opening half, but City broke through four minutes after the interval. Mary Fowler took advantage of a poor clearance and placed her shot into the bottom corner. Shaw then headed in Kerstin Casparij’s corner six minutes later before adding another powerful header from Beth Mead’s set piece in the 86th minute. Oceane Hurtre scored Birmingham’s consolation four minutes later after taking the ball from defender Jade Rose and shooting into an unguarded net.

“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.

Liverpool gave fellow newcomers Charlton Athletic a difficult return to the top flight, winning 4-0 with two goals from Grace Fisk. Crystal Palace, who finished second behind Birmingham in the second tier last season, also enjoyed a winning return, beating Everton 1-0 through Lexi Lloyd-Smith’s 34th-minute goal.

Last season’s runners-up Arsenal won 1-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion after 19-year-old Lisa Baum scored on her club debut. Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United 3-1, with Scotland forward Kirsty Hanson scoring twice on her Spurs debut.

“

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.