Curtain up. As the Women’s Super League season began on a freezing Friday on the fringes of London, the hazy sunlit pastures of Wembley felt a long way away. Perhaps this was for the best. There are new battles to be fought, new rivalries to nourish, and for Arsenal a new campaign that brings with it the familiar hope of finally deposing Chelsea from their throne. Time to get to work.
There was a capacity crowd of 3,238 and a sparkling welcome for the conquering heroes Beth Mead and Leah Williamson. There was Gunnersaurus posing for photos in his black armband, because after all dinosaurs can feel sadness too. Most importantly there was a routine win for last season’s runners-up, an outcome that felt inexorable from the moment Emma Kullberg was sent off in the sixth minute to reduce Brighton to 10 players.
