There's no Kirby-ing Fran enthusiasm, Chelsea prove they don't need Kerr to win

Chelsea and Tottenham kicked off their WSL season at Stamford Bridge with Emma Hayes’s Blues finally breaking their first game of the season curse that has seen them fail to win on the opening day in the last four years.

Goals from newcomer Mia Fishel in the first half and Lauren James in the second put Chelsea 2-0 ahead, before a goal from Spurs’ Martha Thomas in the 76th minute briefly threatened to rain on Chelsea’s parade.

The result sees the reigning WSL champions get their new season off to a great start however they'll take on Man City in a huge clash next weekend, while Tottenham face Bristol City on Sunday.

But the Blues ended up holding out in front of a raucous crowd at the Bridge in the opening round of the 2023-24 campaign and Tara Anson-Walsh was on the ground to bring you the clash from a different perspective.

No Kerr, no problem

Chelsea and star Sam Kerr wasn’t included in today’s squad but that didn’t stop the home team from kick-starting their season with two goals.

It makes you wonder just how the dangerous the Blues will be when their Australian striker, who scored 29 times in all competitions last season and helped guide Australia to a historic World Cup semi-final, returns.

Good day for the debutants

It was a good day for the new arrivals on show as they produced two of the three goals. The first came from 22-year-old Mia Fishel, a childhood Chelsea fan who joined the Blues from Mexican side Tigres this summer. A neat cross from Niamh Charles was headed in by Fishel in the 28th minute.

Spurs newcomer Martha Thomas had some big boots to fill with Lionesses forward Bethany England out injured, but the Scot, who joined from Manchester United, looked a threat throughout the game. She sealed the deal by pouncing on a fumble by Chelsea goalkeeper Zecira Musovic to set up a nervous finish at the Bridge.

No Kirby-ing Fran’s enthusiasm

Euros winner and Chelsea mainstay Fran Kirby received an excellent ovation today when she made her much-anticipated return on Sunday evening.

The crowd erupted when it was announced that Chelsea’s number 14 was coming off the bench shortly after half-time.

It marked her first minutes in a Blues shirt since she was forced off with a knee injury in the Continental Cup semi-final win over West Ham on February 9.

Ange-ball is spreading

New manager Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn spoke before the match about how he and Ange Postecoglou share similar visions for their style of play.

And while Tottenham couldn’t manage to get one over London rivals Chelsea today, it’s clear that they are playing a more direct style of football. Spurs went toe-to-toe with Chelsea, registering 11 shots on target compared to the hosts’s 12.

VARcical scenes in the WSL

VAR has dominated the headlines this weekend for all the wrong reasons, but Chelsea boss Emma Hayes labelled the absence of it here as ‘madness’.

There were a couple of moments here where the technology could have quickly cleared up. The first came when a header from Guro Reiten was swept away by Spurs goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer right on the line.

The goal wasn’t given by referee Tom Kirk and with no goalline technology in operation, the no-goal decision stood. Thankfully for Hayes and Chelsea, moments later Lauren James did double their lead.

Hayes said: ‘I said to the fourth official “I bet you’re grateful that [James goal] went in” because the whole stadium could see that [Reiten’s header] had crossed the line. I don’t think there should be any excuses, we’ve got the technology, I don’t know why we aren’t using it.’

Fitting tribute to Cusack

Tributes were paid to Maddy Cusack this weekend with every WSL match taking a minute’s silence to pay their respects to the Sheffield United player who tragically passed away in September.

5-a-sides

Arsenal set record attendance

1. Arsenal’s match against Liverpool set a new WSL attendance record with 54,115 at the Emirates yesterday, although the bumper crowd couldn’t help the home team avoid defeat. The previous record holders were also Arsenal with 47,367 in attendance at last season’s north London derby.

Garcia's slip up

2. Manchester United goal scorer Lucia Garcia caused a stir in her post-match interview with BBC Sport when she said ‘I’m so f***ing tired’ on live television. Her United teammate Millie Turner reposted the video on X (formerly Twitter) after the match, showing her appreciation for the slip-up.

WSL pays tribute to Maddy Cusack

3. Tributes were paid to Maddy Cusack this weekend with every WSL match taking a minute’s silence to pay their respect to the 27-year-old Sheffield United player who tragically died in September.

Will there be more red cards this season?

4. Two red cards were handed out yesterday, with Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson and Manchester City’s Leila Ouahabi both being sent off. This is quite a step up from last season where one red card was handed out every 16 games on average.

Williams has a knack for scoring late

5. Rachel Williams sealed the deal for Manchester United in the 92nd minute in yesterday’s match at Villa Park, making her the first WSL player to have scored five consecutive goals in the last ten minutes of a match.