Alexia Putellas Shines in London City Lionesses' WSL Opener

Alexia Putellas needed just one afternoon to show England what all the noise was about.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner pulled on London City Lionesses colours for the first time and walked away with three points, a captain’s armband and the clear sense that this project might be something serious. A 2-1 win over United at the Copperjax Community Stadium opened their 2026-27 Women’s Super League campaign, and the margin flattered the visitors.

Owner Michelle Kang watched on from the stands as her marquee signing steered the game with familiar authority. This was not a one-woman show, but everything London City did well seemed to orbit around Putellas’ calm on the ball and control of tempo.

Lionesses dominate as United labour

The breakthrough came via a slice of fortune that had been earned by pressure. United, sluggish from the first whistle, creaked under London City’s intensity and eventually cracked when Julia Zigiotti Olme turned the ball into her own net. The hosts had their lead, and from that point they never truly looked rattled.

United barely laid a glove on them. London City moved the ball with purpose, squeezed space out of possession and looked physically sharper across the pitch. The second goal underlined that superiority: Danielle van de Donk, alive to the moment in the box after the interval, applied a deft flick to double the advantage and put the Lionesses in complete control.

Only in stoppage time did United finally register a shot on target, Simi Awujo grabbing a consolation in the 97th minute that changed the scoreline but not the story. By then, the damage had long been done.

Putellas adjusts to the WSL grind

For all the control, Putellas was the first to admit this is just the beginning of her English education. The Spanish midfielder, now the heartbeat of Maestre’s side, cut a satisfied but realistic figure when she spoke afterwards.

"We are so happy," she told BBC. "We had a strong beginning so [we're] really, really happy. I'm still learning, it's the first game. It's a physical league. I'm the player who thinks the ball always moves faster than the legs so we're going to try to improve that kind of thing.

"It's the first game, we have to bring more improvement of course. We are going to give better and better football to our crowd. Very happy to start with three points and we keep moving."

The words matched the performance: composed, ambitious, but with the clear message that there is more to come once the rhythm of the league kicks in.

Maestre’s new-look side clicks early

Eder Maestre rolled the dice with four debuts in his starting group and was rewarded with a display that looked anything but makeshift. The cohesion pleased him as much as the result.

Key summer signing Mary Earps, still managing pre-season fitness issues, stayed on the bench, yet Elene Lete stepped into goal without fuss. London City’s structure held, their pressing stayed coordinated, and the new faces slotted into the patterns as if they had been there for months.

Maestre highlighted Putellas’ impact beyond the obvious technical brilliance.

"Alexia knows all the things that can bring to others - because it's not only the thing that she's capable of doing on the field, it's all the things that can help us," he explained.

"Having this kind of player in the squad is very important because she represents the high standards and having her involved in the project [is important, because of] her performance and the leadership she can bring in terms of helping us to reach the standard [we want].

"The biggest impact is the way we played as a team, having everybody connected very well. The chemistry we are building around the players is the most important thing today."

On day one, that chemistry already looked promising. If this is London City Lionesses still “learning”, the rest of the league will be wondering how high the ceiling sits once Putellas and company truly find full stride.