Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City: Beever-Jones and Hamano strike in season-opening win
Women's Super League champions Chelsea battled to a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the first game of the 2025-26 season on Friday.
Chelsea got their latest Women's Super League title defence off to a flying start as Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano netted in a 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Having gone unbeaten when completing a domestic treble in Sonia Bompastor's first campaign at the helm, the Blues began 2025-26 with a hard-fought win over a potential title rival at Stamford Bridge.
England's Euro 2025-winning goalkeeper Hannah Hampton denied Khadija Shaw early on, before Ayaka Yamashita got a palm to Sandy Baltimore's deflected shot at the other end.
The first goal of the campaign went Chelsea's way in the 31st minute. Nathalie Bjorn released Ellie Carpenter down the right flank, and after beating Alex Greenwood, the latter supplied a fine cross for Beever-Jones to sweep home.
City were unfortunate not to draw level when Greenwood rattled Hampton's crossbar from a free-kick late in the first half, and the visitors also started the second period on top with Yui Hasegawa going close on two occasions.
But Chelsea got their second goal somewhat against the run of play in the 64th minute, with Hamano tucking home from Wieke Kaptein's cutback.
Niamh Charles put through her own net with an awkward header five minutes later, but Shaw missed City's best chance for an equaliser and Andree Jeglertz's team also lost Greenwood and Lily Murphy to injury late on.
Data Debrief: Bompastor reaches 20 in record time
Chelsea won 19 of their 22 WSL matches last season (three draws), showing no signs of dropping off after Bompastor replaced legendary boss Emma Hayes.
And Friday's victory means Bompastor has reached 20 WSL wins in just 23 outings, the fewest required to hit that tally, overtaking former Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall (25).
Chelsea are now unbeaten in 26 WSL games dating back to Hayes' time in charge. Only the Blues themselves (33 games between February 2019 and January 2021) and City (31 between May 2015 and May 2017) have ever enjoyed longer unbeaten runs in the WSL.
City may feel hard done by, having amassed 17 shots to the hosts' eight, though they only just edged the expected goals (xG) battle (1.4 to 1.23) and failed to kick on after Charles' own goal.
