By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-08 12:01:04 | Updated at 2026-09-19 01:43:17
1 week ago
We’ve curated our WSL Opta XI of Matchday 1 based on the performances that stood out most across the opening round of fixtures.
The 2026-27 Women’s Super League is up and running, and the opening weekend wasted little time in producing some standout performances.
From Aston Villa’s remarkable defensive resilience against Chelsea, largely thanks to goalkeeper Akane Okuma, to Lauren Hemp once again underlining her credentials as one of the WSL’s most dangerous attacking threats, there was no shortage of contenders for our Opta XI of the week.
With several players making impressive WSL debuts, the task of narrowing the field down to just 11 was quite difficult. So, as ever, we’ve let the data make the case.
Goalkeeper – Akane Okuma (Aston Villa)
There was little debate over the goalkeeper position. Akane Okuma produced a remarkable display on her WSL debut, making nine saves to help Aston Villa secure a point against a dominant Chelsea side.
Only one goalkeeper has ever made more saves on their WSL debut: Lisa Weiß, who made 10 for Villa against Reading in September 2020.
Chelsea registered 35 shots, their most ever in a league match without winning, and generated 3.6 expected goals (xG), the highest Opta has recorded in such a game for the Blues since November 2017.
Okuma’s contribution was therefore decisive. She prevented an estimated 1.3 goals based on the quality of the chances she faced, making her the standout goalkeeper of the opening weekend.
The scale of Aston Villa’s defensive improvement is particularly striking when viewed against last season. Only Leicester City (52) conceded more goals than Villa in the 2025-26 WSL campaign.
If Okuma can reproduce anything close to this level of performance against the league’s best attacks, Villa could surprise a few teams this season.
LCB – Andrea Medina (Manchester United)
Manchester United lost 2-1 to London City Lionesses in the opening game of the WSL season, but no player won more duels (11) than United’s Andrea Medina on MD1 (level with West Ham’s Viviane Asseyi).
The full-back was involved in 16 duels in total, the most among United defenders since Jayde Riviere was involved in 16 vs West Ham in April 2025.
Medina was particularly impressive defensively, topping all WSL players on MD1 for interceptions (4), tackles attempted (8) and tackles won (4). The only Manchester United player to previously attempt more tackles in a single WSL game was Hannah Blundell (9) vs Manchester City in November 2023.
However, it wasn’t just Medina’s defensive work that stood out.
She also recorded six touches in the opposition box, the joint-most of any player on MD1 alongside Ellie Carpenter. It was another indication of her willingness to get forward, adding an attacking threat to what was an excellent defensive display.
CB – Grace Fisk (Liverpool)
The Liverpool captain led by example on the opening weekend, scoring twice against newbies Charlton Athletic in a 4-0 win at the Valley – as many goals as she had managed in 79 appearances across the previous four campaigns.
But her performance was about much more than her goals. Fisk was strong in the air, winning three aerial duels, with only Everton’s Rion Ishikawa (6) winning more among all players on MD1.
She was equally impressive in possession, attempting 122 passes – the most of any player on the opening matchday – and completing 121 of them. Her 99.2% passing accuracy was also the highest on MD1, and the best recorded by a Liverpool player to play 90 minutes in a single WSL game on record.
At the other end, Fisk helped Liverpool keep a clean sheet as they restricted Charlton to just 0.08 expected goals (xG), their lowest conceded in a WSL game on record (since 2017-18).
Liverpool also generated 2.35 xG, their highest total in a single WSL game since May 2024 (3.02 vs Man Utd), making it an impressive all-round display from the Reds.
RCB – Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City)
Kerstin Casparij has picked up where she left off last season. After leading the WSL for assists in 2025-26 (7), the Manchester City full-back already has her first of the new campaign.
Now in her fifth season with City, Casparij provided the delivery for Khadija Shaw’s headed goal from a corner against Birmingham City. It was also the full-back’s first goal involvement on the opening day of a WSL campaign.
The Dutch full-back was a constant threat from wide areas in the 3-1 home victory, attempting eight crosses – only Lauren Hemp (9) attempted more of all players on MD1. She also created four chances, with only Hemp (7) creating more on the opening weekend.
The assist took Casparij to 14 in the WSL since making her debut for City against Chelsea in September 2022. Only Alex Greenwood (16) has registered more assists among City defenders in that time, while just five players across the WSL have recorded more overall.
LM – Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
Lauren Hemp marked her 200th appearance for Man City across all competitions with another performance that showed exactly why she remains one of the WSL’s leading attacking threats.
She became the fourth player in the club’s history to reach the milestone, joining Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh and Demi Stokes.
Hemp topped all players on MD1 for both chances created (7) and successful open-play crosses (5), further extending her lead in those metrics since making her WSL debut for Bristol City in April 2017. Since then, no player has created more chances from open play (315) or completed more open-play crosses (162) than the Citizen winger.
She was also unfortunate not to register a goal involvement against Birmingham, generating 0.93 expected assists (xA), with only London City’s Delphine Cascarino (1.23) producing more across the opening weekend.
Hemp also led the WSL for carries on MD 1 (31), highlighting the constant-attacking threat she posed through both her creativity and ball progression.
CM – Georgia Stanway (Arsenal)
Georgia Stanway wasted little time showing Arsenal supporters exactly what she can bring during their 1-0 win at Brighton, becoming the first midfielder to record 100 or more passes on their WSL debut for a club.
Her 77 passes in the opposition’s half were also the most of any player on MD1, while her 51 passes ending in the final third were the most by an Arsenal player in the competition since Victoria Pelova recorded 52 in April 2024 (vs Bristol City).
Stanway’s ability to progress the ball was already well established from her time at Manchester City. Between 2015 and 2022, only Keira Walsh (2,048) and Jill Scott (1,511) recorded more passes ending in the final third in the WSL for the club than Stanway’s 1,475.
She also won possession 11 times this weekend, the joint-most of any player on MD1 alongside London City debutant Mapi León, while her 131 overall touches were the fourth-most by an Arsenal midfielder in a WSL game, and the most since Kim Little recorded 142 against Bristol City in April 2024.
Only Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman (26) completed more carries followed by a pass than Stanway (25) on MD1, further highlighting her influence in moving Arsenal up the pitch.
One game into her return to the WSL, and Stanway already looks capable of becoming the player who sets the rhythm for this Arsenal side.
CM – Daniëlle van de Donk (London City Lionesses)
After a first season disrupted by injury, Daniëlle van de Donk looks ready to make her mark for London City Lionesses.
The Dutch midfielder managed just 247 league minutes in 2025-26, but she repaid her manager’s faith on her fourth WSL start for the club, scoring the goal that helped secure a 2-1 win over Manchester United.
It arrived at a crucial moment, too. With United beginning to build pressure, Van de Donk met Delphine Cascarino’s dangerous cross with a clever backheel that guided the ball on to the post and in. It was a finish befitting a player of her quality, and continued a growing run of form, with the midfielder now scoring in each of her last two league appearances.
Only Liverpool’s Ceri Holland (3) attempted more shots from inside the box than Van de Donk (2) on the opening weekend, while her 13 duels contested highlighted the intensity she brought to Eder Maestre’s midfield. Among midfielders, Grace Geyoro (14), Jess Park (15) and Fuka Tsunoda (15) were the sole players involved in more on MD1.
CM – Lauren James (Chelsea)
Lauren James showed exactly what she can provide when she is able to stay fit, opening the scoring in trademark fashion against Aston Villa.
It meant James has been involved in a goal in each of her last five WSL appearances, scoring four and assisting three.
She was a constant threat against Villa, attempting 11 shots – her joint-highest total in a WSL game for Chelsea and the most she has ever attempted in a single WSL game for the club.
The last Chelsea player to attempt as many in a WSL match was Bethany England, who had 11 against Bristol City in January 2020.
James also created two big chances, with only Ellie Carpenter (3) creating more than her across all WSL players in MD1.
RM – Vivien Endemann (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s new winger, Vivien Endemann, couldn’t have enjoyed a much better WSL debut, with the summer signing from Wolfsburg immediately showing the threat she can provide down the right flank.
The German became just the third Liverpool player to register two or more goal involvements on their WSL debut for the club, joining Grace Fisk (September 2025) and Gemma Davidson (October 2014).
She created five chances, scored one goal and assisted another against Charlton, with her goal coming from her only shot of the game. The finish was instinctive, controlling the ball before hammering it into the roof of the net.
Endemann’s directness was another standout feature of her performance. She completed three dribbles, the joint-most of any player in MD1, while her five dribbles attempted ranked third across the WSL.
The German also completed two carries that ended in a chance created, with only Hemp (3) managing more. It was an impressive introduction to the WSL.
ST – Khadija Shaw (Manchester City)
Manchester City’s number nine keeps reaching new heights. Khadija Shaw’s brace means she has now scored multiple goals in 22 different WSL games, joint-most in the competition alongside Vivianne Miedema. She also moved level with Bethany England for the joint-most home goals in WSL history, with 51.
Shaw was a constant threat against Birmingham, accounting for 11 of Manchester City’s 27 shots – 40.7% of the team’s total – with five of those efforts on target.
Her two goals both came with her head, the fifth time she has scored at least two headed goals in a single WSL game. No player has done so more often in the competition.
Only against Everton in January 2026 has Shaw attempted more shots (12) or recorded more shots on target (6) in a WSL game than she did against Birmingham.
Unsurprisingly, her performance also saw her record the highest xG total of any player across MD1, with 1.2 xG.
ST – Kirsty Hanson (Tottenham Hotspur)
Kirsty Hanson showed exactly why Martin Ho brought her to Tottenham this summer, producing the kind of ruthless finishing that has made her such a consistent goalscorer in the WSL.
Hanson became the first player to score a brace on her WSL debut for Spurs, while her three braces in the top flight in 2026 are joint-most of any player.
What makes her two goals against West Ham even more impressive, though, is that they came from a combined xG of just 0.32, underlining her ability to outperform the quality of the chances presented to her.
That is something Hanson showed throughout last season, too. At Aston Villa, she finished the campaign with 12 goals despite an xG of 6.75, scoring 5.25 more goals than would have been expected based on the chances she had.
Her finishing was a key reason Tottenham recorded the highest shot accuracy of any WSL side in MD1, at 72.7%.
Spurs attempted 20 shots, their second-most on the opening day of a WSL season, while their 1.9 xG was also their second-highest on record on an opening weekend. Hanson also won five duels, joint-most among Tottenham players alongside Caitlin Dijkstra, making it a debut to remember.
Looking Ahead to MD2
The opening weekend provided plenty of evidence that several summer signings could make an immediate impact in 2026-27, while some of the WSL’s established stars picked up exactly where they left off.
If you’re playing the new WSL Fantasy game, there are plenty of names here worth keeping a close eye on ahead of Matchday 2. From the creative influence of Hemp and Stanway, to the goalscoring threats of Shaw, Hanson and van de Donk, this XI is packed with players who look well placed to deliver fantasy returns in the weeks ahead.
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