Manchester City Women started their 2026 Women’s Super League title defence with a 3-1 win over newly promoted Birmingham City on September 6 in Manchester, England [1, 2, 3]. Mary Fowler opened the scoring four minutes after halftime with a low finish following a defensive error, breaking Birmingham’s first-half clean sheet [1, 2, 3].
Khadija Shaw, last season’s PFA Women’s Player of the Year and WSL Golden Boot winner, scored a second-half double by heading in two goals from corners in the 52nd and 86th minutes to seal the victory [1, 2, 3]. Birmingham City’s Océane Hurtré pulled a late goal back around the 90th minute but it was only a consolation [1, 2, 3].
The match marked Manchester City’s 1,000th professional women’s team goal [3]. Newly promoted Birmingham’s goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley made an impressive debut showing, earning praise from her head coach Amy Merricks. Merricks said the team "got into some good areas and lacked just a bit of anticipation... I’m really pleased with the performance. I’m disappointed with the result but really pleased with the platform we’ve given ourselves to build on" [3].
Manchester City head coach Andrée Jeglertz commented on the team’s performance: "We created a lot of scoring chances. The first half, [we were] a little bit hesitant on the ball, not determined with or without the ball, but the second half was better" [3].
The victory in this opening match sets Manchester City Women on course to defend their WSL title. Lauren Hemp marked her 200th appearance for Manchester City during the game, a milestone for the club [3].
