London City Dominates Manchester United in WSL Opener
The word is out on London City.
If anyone doubted it, the evidence sat in the stands: a record-breaking, sold-out crowd in the capital on Friday night, all crammed in to see what this rebuilt side has been cooking over the summer. Many came for the star names – to watch Alexia Putellas in club colours for the first time, to catch a glimpse of Mary Earps, a Lionesses icon. They left talking about something else entirely.
They left talking about a team.
Putellas delivered a calm, controlled competitive debut, knitting things together without ever needing to force the issue. Earps watched from the sidelines as Elene Lete came within a heartbeat of claiming the first clean sheet of the WSL season, denied only in the 100th minute by Simi Awujo’s late strike. That was the one blemish on a night that belonged to the collective.
Others stole the show. Grace Geyoro was everywhere, snapping into challenges, driving through lines, looking nothing like a player who had endured a quiet first campaign after that world-record move. If last season raised questions, this display hinted it was the outlier.
Alongside her, Alanna Kennedy justified her selection in a star-studded midfield trio. With Geyoro and Putellas either side, the Australian set the tone, her pressing forcing Julia Zigiotti Olme into an early own goal that lit the touchpaper. Rosa Kafaji buzzed around the final third, tormenting defenders and hinting at a resurgence after her stalled spell at Arsenal.
On the flanks, the damage was relentless. Delphine Cascarino, later named Sky Sports’ Player of the Match, ripped through United down the right with that familiar blend of pace and precision. On the opposite wing, Lucia Corrales inflicted similar punishment, stretching the game and turning every transition into a threat.
And that was only half the story.
At the back, Isa Kardinaal impressed alongside Leon, who stood out with her distribution, stepping in and picking passes that launched attacks. Ahead of them, Danielle van de Donk floated between the lines in a false nine role that suited her perfectly. Her clever movement knitted everything together; her deft flick to double the lead summed up the intelligence and fluidity of London City’s front line.
This was the on-pitch proof of what those inside the club have been saying since spring. Appointed at the winter break last season, head coach Eder Maestre has finally had a full pre-season to drill his ideas into this group. The difference showed.
“Having to adapt to something new midway through the season, it's a little bit disruptive,” Kennedy admitted to GOAL in pre-season. “I think we're in a good spot in terms of the cohesion and being able to have some time, real time, together, to hopefully do something special.”
On Friday night, it looked exactly like that.
London City hunted Manchester United in packs, pressing high and refusing to let them settle. They moved as one in and out of possession, passing through pressure and rotating positions with a clarity that United simply could not match. The off-ball movement dragged red shirts all over the pitch and carved open lanes again and again. It felt like a team that knows its roles – and believes in them.
United, by contrast, looked like a side still reading the manual.
New head coach Elena Olid, appointed only a month ago, needs time. That much was obvious. Her starting XI contained just one new signing, yet the lack of cohesion was stark. The structure never quite convinced. At times it was hard to tell whether United were operating with a back three or a back four, a confusion that spoke volumes.
On the left, Andrea Medina – the lone new arrival in the line-up – and Anna Sandberg are clearly still learning each other’s games. On the right, Jayde Riviere, usually such an attacking outlet, rarely ventured forward, her usual thrust replaced by caution.
Olid had warned this week that her tactical demands, especially on the full-backs, would take some getting used to. “It's a little different [to] how they were playing,” she said. “These first weeks have been a challenge for that because it's different in our style of play.” That challenge played out under the floodlights.
The system teething problems were only part of it. United were also their own worst enemy. Heavy touches, loose passes, poor decisions in dangerous areas – they piled pressure on themselves. Phallon Tullis-Joyce had to bail her team out on multiple occasions, her interventions preventing the scoreline from becoming even more brutal.
“Players were nervous, without confidence,” Olid told Sky Sports afterwards. “That is not us.”
Yet on this evidence, in the here and now, it is London City who look primed to crash the established order. On this showing, they appear far better placed than United to trouble Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the race for Champions League spots.
And the scary part? They insist this is only the beginning.
“We don't even know our best level yet,” Van de Donk told Sky Sports. “We've not really played together that much. Hopefully there's still more to come. We have loads to improve.”
If this is the starting point, the ceiling feels high.
For United, the picture is very different. This could be a long, uncomfortable season, one the club will argue is necessary to lay foundations under a new coach and a new style. London City already look like they’ve fast-forwarded that process.
The question now is simple: who will still be in their slipstream when the race for Europe really ignites?
