Chelsea Women and Aston Villa Women draw 1-1 in WSL opener

Chelsea Women played to a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa Women in their Women's Super League (WSL) season opener at Stamford Bridge. Lauren James opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 11th minute with a powerful strike.

Despite Chelsea dominating the match with over 30 attempts and a disallowed header from Aggie Beever-Jones, they were unable to secure a victory. Aston Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma made several key saves to keep the score level. In the 80th minute, an own goal by Veerle Buurman resulted from a loose ball following a block by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, leveling the match.

This result marks a challenging start to the campaign for Sonia Bompastor’s side, who are entering the season without the league title.