WSL winners and losers: dazzling debuts, anxious Liverpool injury wait, shock Crystal Palace defeat

The WSL returned with a bang at the weekend, with a number of surprising results putting paid to the idea that the campaign will pan out like seasons gone by.

Title challengers Arsenal opened proceedings with a 4-0 win over 10-man Brighton to head straight to the top of the table, and only Manchester United could match them with a 4-0 thrashing of Reading.

Holders Chelsea fell to a shock defeat to newly-promoted Liverpool, while Aston Villa upset the order of things with a dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester City.

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A pair of cracking goals helped Spurs secure victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium while Paul Konchesky’s tenure got off to a winning start as West Ham edged past Everton.

Here are the key winners and losers from the weekend’s action:

Loser - Leanne Kiernan

Liverpool striker Leanne Kiernan made her WSL return at Prenton Park on Sunday. The former West Ham United forward dropped down a league to join Matt Beard’s side at the start of last season and played a key role in the Reds’ promotion, ending the campaign as the side’s top scorer and player of the season.

She was rewarded for her performances when she signed a contract extension earlier this month ahead of the Reds’ first campaign back in the top flight.

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But after an impressive sixty minutes in Liverpool’s opener against Chelsea, Kiernan went down with what looked like an achilles issue after a big challenge by new Blues signing Kadeisha Buchanan.

Having been carried off the field, Kiernan later reappeared on crutches, with her foot in a boot - and Beard has revealed that the Ireland international is awaiting a scan for further clarity on the issue, which could count her out of the opportunity to represent her country in a vital World Cup qualifying play-off in October.

Winner - Rachel Daly

The Lioness star was sublime on her debut for Aston Villa. Her aggressive pressing won the hosts the ball to allow Alisha Lehmann to open the scoring at Villa Park, then Daly doubled the lead with an impressive no-look curl into the far corner.

Throughout, the Harrogate-born player looked assured in a striker role despite spending the summer as a left-back under Sarina Wiegman. A commanding leader, the 30-year-old confidently instructed her teammates, with whom she only first linked up six weeks ago.

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To cap off a brilliant debut and scintillating match of football, Daly was in the right place at the right time to tap home Villa’s winning goal.

Loser - Crystal Palace

After two rounds of Championship games, unbeaten Crystal Palace were leading the second tier and looking to make it three wins from three when they hosted Southampton on Sunday.

The Eagles expected to entertain a record crowd at Selhurst Park by getting the better of the newly-promoted Saints, who were yet to win a game at this level as it’s their ever first season competing at this level.

But the home fans were disappointed as the visitors took an early lead through full debutant Lexi Lloyd-Smith. Palace attacker Coral Haines levelled the scores on the stroke of halftime but Lloyd-Smith bagged a second straight after the restart.

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The hosts couldn’t find a reply this time, and the shock defeat sees them fall to fourth in the Championship rankings.

Winner - Maya Le Tissier

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner predicted that new signing Maya Le Tissier is destined to be ‘a real star’ in the future after the 20-year-old made a dream start to life with the Reds.

The England youth international left Brighton and Hove Albion this summer to join United’s Champions League qualification charge after Skinner’s side narrowly missed out last term.

The Reds got off to a storming start, claiming an easy 4-0 win over Reading - with Le Tissier twice on the scoresheet on her first appearance.

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In front of a crowd of over 5,000, the youngster looped the ball over the Royals’ keeper to give the hosts the lead before heading home from a corner to provide the Reds’ third.

The result leaves United second in the WSL table, tied on points and goal difference with first-placed Arsenal.