The second weekend of the Barclays Women’s Super League could provide some early answers after an opening round that immediately challenged expectations.
One weekend into the new Barclays Women’s Super League season and already, the old order is looking a little less predictable.
London City Lionesses announced themselves with a statement victory over Manchester United. Chelsea dropped points at home. Arsenal began with a narrow win, while promoted Birmingham City showed they will not simply be making up the numbers.
That is the beauty of an expanded 14-team league.
There are more fixtures, more storylines and, potentially, more opportunities for the established sides to be caught out.
Matchweek 2 arrives with seven more games, but rather than simply looking at who is playing who, there are some bigger questions hanging over the weekend.
Can London City Lionesses Prove Their Opening Win Was No Fluke?
London City Lionesses' 2-1 victory over Manchester United was the result that immediately changed the conversation around the new season.
With Alexia Putellas making her competitive debut and Danielle van de Donk providing the winning moment, Eder Maestre's side showed why their summer recruitment has attracted so much attention.
Their victory was not simply about individual quality either; London City controlled large periods of the match and looked comfortable against a United side that struggled to create chances.
Now comes the less glamorous part: doing it again.
West Ham United are the opponents on Saturday, and this is arguably a more important test than the opening fixture.
There is no Putellas-sized spotlight. No sold-out opening-night occasion. No expectation that the entire football world will be watching.
Instead, London City have to show they can produce the same intensity in a game they are expected to win.
West Ham's 3-1 defeat to Tottenham was hardly the start Rita Guarino wanted, but there were attacking positives. The problem was converting those moments into something more substantial.
If London City win convincingly again, the conversation around their title ambitions will become considerably louder.
Can Manchester United Respond Against Chelsea?
Manchester United's opening-night defeat was disappointing, but it would be premature to draw sweeping conclusions from one match.
The bigger concern for Eva Olid is what comes next.
That result was frustrating rather than disastrous for Sonia Bompastor's side. Chelsea created enough to win the game but could not find the finishing touch when it mattered.
For United, however, this is a chance to immediately change the mood.
The Reds have entered a new era under Olid, and a difficult opening fixture against one of the league's most ambitious new clubs was always going to provide a serious test.
But Chelsea are another level of challenge.
Lauren James will be one to watch after scoring against Villa, particularly given her record against her former club. She has scored six times against Manchester United since leaving in 2021.
United therefore face a simple question: can they turn possession and promising moments into the attacking threat that was missing against London City?
A second defeat would not define Olid's tenure, but it would certainly increase the pressure around a side that has ambitions of competing near the top.
Can Chelsea Turn Their Dominance Into Goals?
Chelsea's opening weekend raised a familiar question.
What happens when you dominate a game but fail to finish it?
The answer, in this case, was dropped points.
Aston Villa's resilience deserves credit, but Chelsea will know they left Stamford Bridge with less than their performance warranted.
That makes Sunday's trip to Manchester particularly interesting.
Chelsea cannot afford to allow another match to become a test of their finishing.
The quality is there. James has already opened her account, while Bompastor has one of the deepest squads in the division.
The challenge is making that superiority count on the scoreboard.
And with Arsenal, Manchester City and now London City all looking capable of putting pressure on Chelsea this season, dropped points could become more significant than usual.
Which Promoted Side Can Make a Statement in Matchweek 2?
Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic both received reminders of how difficult the top flight can be on the opening weekend.
Birmingham lost 3-1 to Manchester City, while Charlton were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool.
But their second fixtures offer very different opportunities.
Birmingham host Brighton, a side who also lost their opener, meaning points are immediately available for a team that showed plenty of promise against the defending champions.
Oceane Hurtre's goal was a particular highlight and offered an early glimpse of what Birmingham can bring to the division.
Brighton, meanwhile, will want a response under new head coach Arturo Ruiz.
Kiko Seike remains an obvious threat after an impressive campaign last season, and her movement caused Arsenal problems despite Brighton eventually losing 1-0. Lisa Baum's superb debut goal was enough to separate the sides.
This feels like a much more realistic measure of where Birmingham are.
Can they impose themselves against a side they could be competing with for position throughout the season?
Elsewhere, Charlton face Everton at Goodison Park.
Karen Hills' side had barely any opportunity to settle against Liverpool, managing just 24% possession and failing to register a shot on target.
Everton also lost their opener, but there were positives despite the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
For both newly promoted teams, Matchweek 2 is therefore about more than simply getting off the mark.
It is about showing they belong.
Can Tottenham Build on Their Opening-Day Win?
Tottenham could quietly become one of the more interesting teams to watch this season.
Their 3-1 win over West Ham was convincing, and Kirsty Hanson could hardly have asked for a better introduction to life in north London.
Two goals on her debut immediately put the summer signing on the radar.
But one impressive performance is easy.
Doing it against Liverpool is much harder.
Liverpool were ruthless in their own opener, beating Charlton 4-0 with Grace Fisk scoring twice.
The centre-back's contribution went beyond her goals, too, with seven clearances and seven recoveries highlighting an impressive all-round display.
That makes Sunday's game at the BrewDog Stadium a fascinating contrast.
Tottenham have attacking momentum. Liverpool have defensive confidence.
Something will have to give.
If Hanson can produce another influential performance against a much stronger defence, Tottenham's opening-day win starts to look like something more meaningful.
Can Crystal Palace Frustrate Arsenal at the Emirates?
Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Brighton was not spectacular, but there was plenty to like about their opening performance.
Lisa Baum's debut goal provided the moment of quality, while the defensive structure held firm to secure three points.
Now they return to the Emirates.
Crystal Palace arrive with a win of their own after beating Everton 1-0, and Jo Potter's side have already demonstrated that they can make themselves difficult to break down.
For Arsenal, this is where patience could become important.
Palace are unlikely to simply open the door for them, meaning the hosts may have to find another way through a compact defence.
The Gunners have plenty of attacking options capable of doing exactly that.
And there is another reason to fancy Arsenal at home.
They went unbeaten at the Emirates in the WSL last season, winning eight of their 11 matches there, and have not lost a home league fixture since Chelsea's victory in December 2024.
For Palace, this is less about expecting to dominate and more about staying in the game long enough to create a chance.
If they can do that, Arsenal may have another awkward afternoon on their hands.
Can Aston Villa Trouble Manchester City at Villa Park?
The final game of the weekend could be the most revealing.
Aston Villa left Stamford Bridge with a point after recovering from going behind against Chelsea.
Now they face the defending champions.
Manchester City began their title defence with a 3-1 win over Birmingham, with Khadija Shaw scoring twice after Mary Fowler opened the scoring.
Shaw remains one of the biggest threats in the league after finishing last season as the WSL's leading scorer.
But Villa have already shown they can absorb pressure and find opportunities of their own.
The challenge at Villa Park will be considerably greater.
Manchester City will expect to control the game, but Villa's ability to counter could make this uncomfortable if they can remain disciplined.
City's record in this fixture is strong, with Villa's only WSL victory over them coming in September 2022.
Still, the opening weekend has already shown that reputations count for very little once the whistle goes.
Seven Questions That Could Shape WSL Matchweek 2
It is far too early to talk about title races, relegation battles or definitive power shifts.
But Matchweek 2 can still tell us plenty.
Is London City the real deal? Can Manchester United respond? Will Chelsea solve their finishing problems? Can Tottenham build around Hanson? And are Birmingham and Charlton ready to compete rather than simply survive?
Those are the questions that make this weekend more interesting than a straightforward list of fixtures.
The opening round gave us surprises.
The second could start telling us whether they were simply surprises, or the beginning of a very different WSL season.
