LONDON – Forward Kit Graham scored the only goal of the game as Tottenham Hotspur kicked off their Women’s Super League campaign with a nervy 1-0 win over Birmingham City at home.
Spurs started brightly but were repeatedly denied by a Birmingham side that offered little going forward but were stubborn in defence.
The hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute with Graham scoring a glancing header from a move that was smartly worked around the edge of the box.
Spurs continued to attack in the second half, with substitute Angela Addison going close to adding a second, while Birmingham managed just two shots on target in the entire game.
Earlier, new signings Vicky Losada and Khadija Shaw were among those on target for Manchester City as they ran riot in the first half to secure a handsome 4-0 victory over Everton in their opener.
Three down at the break, a stunned Everton tried to muster a response at Goodison Park but City successfully kept them out, with Steph Houghton adding a fourth in the 67th minute.
Aston Villa scored twice in two minutes in the second half to claim a 2-1 win over Leicester City, Reuters reported.
Promoted Leicester took a deserved lead through Natasha Flint in the 39th minute following a goalkeeping error by Hannah Hampton.
Villa, however, came back strongly after the interval, with Sarah Mayling curling in a splendid free kick to equalise in the 63rd minute before captain Remi Allen completed the turnaround a minute later.
Elsewhere, Manchester United got their FA Women’s Super League season off to a flying start with a 2-0 win over Reading thanks to a goal in each half from Kirsty Hanson and Ona Batlle.
Hanson got the first goal of the season six minutes before the break as Ella Toone picked her out with a superb pass and she slotted the ball home to put United in front to the delight of the 2,000-strong home crowd.
Reading pushed for an equaliser after halftime and Brooke Chaplen saw her shot cannon off the bar and hit the ground and bounce away, with television replays showing the ball could have crossed the line. However, without goal line technology it was not given.
Spanish full back Batlle then doubled United’s lead in the 54th minute when she fired a long-range rocket into the top right corner for an early contender for goal of the season, and Reading couldn’t find a way back into the game.
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