Putellas Leads London City Lionesses to WSL Victory
Seven years ago, the idea would have sounded like a fever dream. Millwall Lionesses breaking away to become London City Lionesses, then opening a WSL season in Bromley with Alexia Putellas – two-time Ballon d’Or winner, former Barcelona captain, serial Champions League winner – leading them out and beating Manchester United with authority.
Yet there she was on a cool night in south-east London, stooping to scoop up the coin after the toss, as she always does. Referees will have to get used to that ritual now. So will opponents, who suddenly find the cameras and eyes drifting past them towards the No 11 in sky blue. And Putellas herself must adjust to a world where her teammates have not been raised on Barcelona’s strict positional play from childhood.
On the pitch, this is a step down from a club that has ruled Europe. Off it, the gap is not as stark. Owner Michele Kang has poured resources and ambition into London City, vowing to give her players the best of everything. With a world-class training facility already approved, the infrastructure is catching up to the superstar in the armband.
Kang, in her “Kang 27” home shirt, circled the perimeter before kick-off, stopping for photos with fans. Her visibility and enthusiasm stood in stark contrast to the man on the other side of the divide, Manchester United’s owner Jim Ratcliffe, whose dismissive references to his women’s teams have hung over the club like a cloud.
A New Reality for a Global Icon
Putellas emerged from the tunnel to a raucous roar at a sold-out Bromley FC. Her gaze was fixed, almost icy, until a brief crack in the mask: a quick smile and a few words for the mascot clinging tightly to her hand.
This is her new stage. Less glamour, more grit. At 32, with her very peak likely in the rear-view mirror, she delivered a performance that was solid rather than spellbinding. The rhythm and vision were there, but the fireworks came from others.
Rosa Kafaji buzzed and probed, constantly stretching United’s back line. Lucía Corrales, lively and fearless, impressed until her night ended in distress, taken off on a stretcher late on after overstretching for a ball. The crowd’s delight turned quickly to concern.
“Everybody knows what [Putellas] can create and bring to us,” said London City manager Eder Maestre afterwards. “It’s not just the things she’s capable of doing, it’s the things she facilitates for other players too.
“Having this kind of player in the squad is very important because she represents the highest standards and having her involved in it is not only because of her performance, but also because of the leadership she can bring in terms of helping us to reach that standard. But it is not only about Alexia, she is only one player, and I think the most impactful thing was the way everybody connected, the chemistry that we are building around the players.”
That chemistry will need to develop quickly. Maestre has been handed a dressing room packed with new faces, including former England No 1 Mary Earps. On opening night, though, Earps watched from the bench. Elene Lete got the nod.
“Mary had some issues in pre-season so that was why there was inconsistency in game involvement,” Maestre explained. “We have two strong goalkeepers. Today, Elene deserved to be in the lineup. She was very strong in her actions.”
Childhood Joy, Grown-Up Intensity
Maestre has spoken about wanting his team’s identity to be “related to all those things we felt when we were playing football as children”. In Bromley, you could see what he meant.
London City flew at United from the first whistle. The football was not always polished, but it crackled with intent. They pressed high, hunted in packs, and attacked with a sense of enjoyment that cut through the tension of a season opener.
The pressure told early. Just nine minutes in, a set piece caused chaos. Alanna Kennedy climbed to challenge, and Julia Zigiotti Olme, crouched low under the aerial duel, could only divert the ball into her own net. A messy goal, but a deserved one.
For Eva Olid, newly installed as Manchester United manager, it was a brutal introduction to the WSL spotlight. Chelsea and Arsenal loom next, and after a flat summer transfer window, there are no soft landings in sight. United were second best everywhere, finishing with just 40% of the ball and looking every bit as disjointed as their numbers suggested.
They mustered only three shots, and by the time they finally began to threaten, the contest was gone.
Mapi León’s corner sparked the killer blow. London City worked it smartly to Delphine Cascarino on the flank, the French forward whipping in a sharp cross. Daniëlle van de Donk arrived with perfect timing, flicking the ball delicately into the far corner. One touch, one flash of class, and United’s hopes of a comeback vanished.
United’s Late Flicker, London City’s Firm Statement
“It’s a process,” Olid said afterwards. “I think it was something more mental in the first half, we could feel like the players were not believing.
“At half-time I say that this is not us, we need the ball to be ourselves … in the second half, we were building through the middle, finding the free player, playing between the lines. That is us, and I can feel my team in the second half. It’s my job to help them to believe that we can always be the team of the second half.”
Her players did at least find a late response. Deep into added time, a free-kick broke loose on the edge of the box and Simi Awujo reacted fastest, driving the ball into the unguarded space. It was a well-taken goal, a flicker of the side Olid wants to build.
But it barely dented the mood around Bromley. The final whistle brought a surge of noise and relief from the home stands. This was not just a novelty night with a global superstar in town. It was a serious performance from a team that looked organised, hungry and already bought into their manager’s ideas.
Putellas did not need to dominate to shape the evening. Her presence raised standards; her teammates did the rest.
For London City Lionesses, this felt like more than an opening-day win. It looked like the start of something that might just reshape what is possible for a club that, not so long ago, was fighting simply to exist.
