Manchester City Women began their FA WSL title defence with a 4-1 win over Aston Villa on 13 September 2026. The victory moved them to second in the league table with three points from one game, following a 3-1 win over Birmingham City the previous week.
Jessica Rose opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Megan Fowler doubled the lead in the 29th minute with an assist from Kayla Shaw. Aston Villa pulled one back through Amalie Vangsgaard in the 42nd minute, but Shaw restored City’s two-goal advantage in the 74th minute, set up by Lauren Hemp. An own goal by Maya Harviken in the 90th minute plus three added time completed the scoring.
City made four second-half changes, bringing on Beth Mead for Aiko Fujino, Isabella Beney for Kayla Casparij, Scarlett Coffey for Laura Blindkilde and Georgia Clinton for Megan Fowler. Aston Villa also made four substitutions, introducing Olivia Deslandes, Mollie Taylor, Gabrielle Mullet and Hinata Hijikata before Kayla Scott replaced Vangsgaard late on.
The result extends City’s winning run to two matches and leaves them with a goal difference of plus two after scoring three and conceding one in their opening fixture. They will look to maintain their momentum when they face Chelsea Women in their next league match on 20 September 2026.
