Sam Kerr misses Chelsea’s season opener with World Cup injury as Matildas’ Women’s Super League takeover begins

The biggest contingent of Matildas stars ever to play in England’s Women’s Super League have launched their season with mixed results — and with the biggest name of all, Sam Kerr, left having to sit out the opening day with injury.

Kerr turned up to cheer on her Chelsea teammates at Stamford Bridge even though she was evidently not properly fit enough yet to be included in the champions’ squad to face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (Monday AEDT) following her injury-hit World Cup.

Kerr’s fantastic semi-final goal against England just under six weeks ago had left Blues fans hopeful that she would be flying by the time the season started yet she was still not considered ready to lead the line after her calf trouble.

The good news for Chelsea was that Kerr’s replacement, new American signing Mia Fishel, scored on her debut to ensure the Blues, this season going for a fifth title in a row, made another successful start with a 2-1 victory.

Of the 13 Australian players now featuring in England’s top flight, it proved a dismal day for Arsenal’s high-profile trio of Matildas — Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and new signing Kyra Cooney-Cross.

Despite a record Women’s Super League crowd of 54,115 flocking to the Emirates Stadium to see them, the Gunners went down 1-0 to Liverpool, losing to Miri Taylor’s second-half strike.

Catley and Foord both played the full 90 but substitute Cooney-Cross only got a brief cameo after being introduced in the 86th minute as Arsenal, already out of the Champions League, suffered a severe setback on launch day.

There was better news for a couple of the other stand-out Matildas at the World Cup with goalkeeping hero Mackenzie Arnold reprising her penalty-saving ways by palming a spot kick from Manchester City’s England star Chloe Kelly away for a corner.

But Arnold, who also made a fine stop to deny another Lioness, Lauren Hemp, could not stop both Hemp and debutant Jill Roord from scoring after the break to give City, who featured Alanna Kennedy and also gave a rare full 90 minutes to Mary Fowler after her breakthrough World Cup, a 2-0 away victory.

Brighton, for whom new Sydney FC signing Charlie Rule came on as a substitute, earned a 2-1 victory at Everton, who also gave a late cameo to their own Aussie, Clare Wheeler, while Courtney Nevin featured in Leicester’s 4-2 win at Bristol City.

AAP