Khadija Shaw, the Women's Super League Golden Boot winner, began the new season with two goals to lead Manchester City to a 3-1 win against newly promoted Birmingham. Shaw's second-half headers, from corners taken by Kerstin Caspari and Beth Mead, secured the victory after Mary Fowler had opened the scoring with Manchester City's 1,000th goal as a professional women's side.
Birmingham managed a late consolation goal through Océane Hurtré in the 90th minute. Despite the loss, Birmingham's performance, which saw them keep the scoreline goalless until after half-time, showed a stronger and more competitive side than their last top-tier appearance in 2022.
Elsewhere on the opening day, Arsenal secured a 1-0 win at Brighton with a debut goal from Lisa Baum. Crystal Palace also started their campaign with a 1-0 victory against Everton, thanks to Lexi Lloyd-Smith's debut goal. Tottenham's new striker Kirsty Hanson scored twice in their 3-1 win over West Ham, while Liverpool were the day's most emphatic winners, cruising to a 4-0 victory away at promoted Charlton, with Vivien Endemann scoring on her debut.