Key events
Tottenham are now 3-0 up against West Ham. Hanson with her second. Are Spurs the real deal this season?
76 min: Another driving run from Seike wins a corner but it comes too nothing.
75 min: Blackstenius miss! Williamson wins a fine header to give Blackstenius a shooting chance but the Swede kicks thin air.
74 min: Fox wins a corner for Arsenal from the right full-back position. Kelly’s delivery is headed away at the near post this time.
72 min: Stina Blakstenius is on for Mariona Caldentey. And some housekeeping from earlier. Brighton brought on Emilie Joramo for Maisie Symonds.
70 min: Foord wants to remind people that she is still an opetion on Arsneal’s left wing despite Baum’s heroics. Foord breaks inside and on to her right but lifts her curling effort high and wide.
68 min: We haven’t mentioned Kirby much so far but she is beginning to purr.
67 min: Fran Kirby releases Kiko Seike with a lovely pass down the right. Her shot is deflected out for a corne,r which is punched clear by a commanding Rodriguez.
65 min: Kelly wins a corner off Vanegas, who has been really good at full-back. Kelly puts the corner straight out of play.
62 min: Baum and Smith are off is off and Foord and Kelly are on. What options Slegers has now on the wings.
61 min: Stanway has beeen quiet (so far). Much like Putellas forr London City on Friday night. Solid rather than showstopping as Suzie Wrack reported.
60 min: Slegers looks a little agitated. Is she pondering Chloe Kelly from the bench?
59 min: Baum carves her way from the left through the heart of the Brighton defence, leaving defenders trailing. It opens up and she lefts fly with her right foot but it dribbles through to the keeper. Interesting that the German teenager can go both ways though. A superb trait for a winger.
56 min: Olivia Smith is exactly the type of winger Mikel Arteta loves in the Arsenal men’s side. Tenacious and defensively responsible as well as able to beat her full-back
54 min: Little strikes from the edge of the area after the ball drops to her from a corner. No problem for Nnadozi.
53 min: Arsenal have picked up their passing rhythm again. Brighton chasing shadows, and Lisa Baum who wins a corner.
50 min: Apologies. Sky just binned off the game on main event so after some scrabbling around i can see it again. No goals so far in the second half thankfully.
I think Ruiz will be pretty satisfied with his first 45 minutes as Brighton manager. His side couldn’t do much about Baum’s goal and they didn’t fold after it happened. They grew into the game and looked like they could produce something on the counter.
Half-time! Brighton 0-1 Arsenal
The teams go into the interval. Lisa Baum’s magnificent individual goal lit up an engrossing half. I’ll grab a cuppa while the players have their oranges. Back soon.
44 min: Baum surges down the left but her cross goes to nobody. One minute of injury time to be played.
43 min: Stanway releases Smith down the right. One, then two stepovers from the Canadian signal danger but Brighton defend well. 90 seconds in the half to go.
41 min: Baumm and Batlle interchange passes to open up space before an overhit pass loses possession.
40 min: Caldentey! What a lovely player. So much time in midfield to turn and spread the play. Discuss …
38 min: Almost a mix-up between Catley and Rodriguez at the back but they escape. without harm. Hope for Brighton here now. Arsenal getting aa little slack in their passing.
37 min: Brighton have a great chance to level and it’s Fran Kirby. The ball drops to her on the corner of the six-yard box. She swivels and strikes with her left but the ball goes high over the bar.
Tottenham now 2-0 up against West Ham. Gaupset turnes provider this time and Kirsty Hanson has her first goal since her move from Aston Villa.
34 min: Smith blooters a cross way over everyone in the box. When she gets another chance to run at her marker down the left she gives away a free-kick.
32 min: Caldentey slaloms through midfield after a perceptive pass from Little. The Spaniard’s effort with her left is easily saved this time by Nnadozie.
30 min: Great save from Russo’s effort! The striker is thread through one on one and sidefoots towards goal but Nnadozie flies out of the area and saves with her feet. If it had hit her hands she could have been off there.
28 min: Catley wins a header at the back post from the corner but the effort is blocked, the ball loops up and Nnadozie claims without fuss.
27 min: Baum breaks down the left, just keeps the ball in play then wins a corner. Her understanding with Batlle down the left is already there.
25 min: The ball is slung into the box but it’s too long and sails out of play. Brighton are growing into this now though.
24 min: Back in Crawley the Arsenal fans are taunting Brighton’s. Catley gives away a foul in a dangerous position. From which …
Tottenham have taken the lead against West Ham in the other early game and it’s Signe Gaupset with the goal.
21 min: Seike has a momentary opening down the right as Brighton find their feet. But the ball is quickly cleared. The Japan forward looks to be their best way back into this game.
19 min: Baum looks really threatening. Her close control is superb and she constantly puts defenders on the back foot with her pace and skill. Early contender for signing of the summer perhaps?
16 min: The interplay between Baum, Caldentey and Russo is beginning to looks really smooth.
15 min: Lovely play from Russo on the left ends with a cross into the box but Brighton clear easily enough. They are clinging on a bit here.
13 min: Big chance for Russo. Great work from Olivia Smith on the right. She wins the ball then tees up Russo in the box. The England striker blazes over when she should have scored.
Baum picked up the ball midway in Brighton’s half. She started dribbling with her left foot, beat a couple of players then leathered a left-footed screamer into the roof of the net. She is 19 and she has officially arrived in the WSL.
Goal! Brighton 0-1 Arsenal (Baum)
That is a stunning solo goal from Lisa Baum.
8 min: That was a big scare for Arsenal. They regain composure untile Russo slips on the ball.
6 min: Big save from Rodriguez after Seike is sent clear on goal after a long pass from Nnadozie in goal. Strong hand to keep Arsenal level.
4 min: Stanway is dropping in between the Arsenal centre-backs and trying to pick a pass. Russo has a chance to turn on the edge of the box but is dispossessed.
1 min: Arsenal pass the ball around serenely from the off. Lisa Baum and Olivia Smith are patrolling the wings ether side of Russo up top.
Kick-off
Peep peep! And we’re off. Brighton in blue. Arsenal in yellow shirts and blue shorts.
We’re 10 minutes from kick-off at the Broadfield Stadium in Crawley so what better time that to check out our brilliant pre-season preview on these two teams. Please email me with your thoughts during the game right here.
Renee Slegers speaks:
We’ve had a lot of change in the squad. We have spent six or seven weeks together and have come together really well. We lost one game last season in the league and had six draws so this season we have to find ways [to win]. We have to take the first step today. We don’t know what Brighton are going to do but we have to be comfortable with the unknown and impose ourselves.
Arturo Ruiz speaks:
I’m very excited to be here at Brighton. We are going to be very competitive. We have a lot of clarity in this team. And clarity about today’s game. So let’s go for it.
Georgia Stanway is a very interesting signing for Arsenal. She has called it a “new chapter” and will no doubt be tasked with bringing goals – and forward thrust – from midfield. She has scored heavily at Manchester City and Bayern Munich, and has 32 goals for England. With Little and Caldentey, Arsenal look very strong in the centre of the park this season.
Let’s looks at those teams then. For Brighton Lia Walti comes straight into the team after her move from Arsenal so will be highly motivated. Arturo Ruiz has decided to leave fellow new signing Gabby George on the bench.
Arsenal have four new signings in their starting XI. Misa Rodriguez goes straight into goal, while Ona Batlle, Georgia Stanway and Lisa Baum bolster a strong looking lineup with Alessia Russo as the focal point in attack while Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey pull the strings.
The teams
Brighton Nnadozie, Rule, Hayes, Minami, Vanegas, Walti, Symonds, Seike, Kirby, Olislagers, Haley.
Subs: Loeck, Heeps, George, Joramo, Rayner, Tvedten, Garcia, Peskett, Murphy.
Arsenal Rodriguez, Batlle, Williamson, Catley, Fox, Little, Stanway, Baum, Caldentey, Smith, Russo.
Subs: Borbe, Wubben-Moy, Foord, Maanum, Kelly, Hinds, Blackstenius, Holmberg, Cooney-Cross.
It’s been an interesting star to the WSL season already, with London City Lionesses beating Manchester United on Friday and Chelsea dropping points yesterday. Catch up right here …
Preamble
The WSL is back, with 14 teams this time around as women’s football goes from strength to strength. Those pesky upstarts London City Lionesses have been making waves on and off the pitch but it is the old guard who promise another enthralling title race. Champions Manchester City look the team to beat again, although Chelsea have spent heavily in a bid to reclaim their throne. Manchester United could be contenders too, but Arsenal will fancy ther chances of winning the Women’s Super League for the first time since 2019.
Renée Slegers’ squad has been boosted by the signings of Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle, Selina Cerci, Géraldine Reuteler, Lisa Baum, Misa Rodríguez, Isabella Damm and Élisa De Almeida. Stanway stands out as in the heart of midfield but could this be the season Olivia Smith really takes off? The Canadian forward joined Arsenal for a then world-record fee of £1m last summer and showed flashes of her potential last season. Her skill and incisive running should give Arsenal’s attack an extra dimension during this campaign.
Brighton, under new head coach Arturo Ruiz, offer awkward opponents for the Gunners first up and have designs on a breakthrough season themselves. Dario Vidosic’s exit just a week before the start of the season was quite a shock on the south coast but his replacement will be looking to calm the waters and show that Brighton are much more than mid-table also-rans who can be dangerous in the cups.
Kick-off is at 12pm BST