Pre-season games for WSL sides saw Newcastle United Women beaten by ten-player Atletico Madrid, a goalless Manchester derby, five goals for Palace and Villa, Brighton drawing with Ajax and Birmingham winning.
Aston Villa 5-1 Liverpool
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Ajax
Crystal Palace 5-0 Portsmouth
Manchester City 0-0 Manchester United
Newcastle United 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Valencia 0-1 Birmingham City
Manchester City and Manchester United played out a goalless draw, as home custodians Grace Prior and Khiara Keating saved well from Celin Bizet and Elisabeth Terland respectively, while Phallon Tullis-Joyce denied City with a good stop.
Atletico Madrid beat Newcastle United with two first-half goals to lift the Sela Cup, Vilda Boe Risa and Macarena Portales the scorers. Stand-in goalkeeper Silvia Lloris kept the home side out after half-time substitute Lola Gallardo swiftly departed with a red card for handling the ball outside the area.
Fran Kirby forced two penalties during Brighton’s 2-2 draw with Ajax, missing one but converting the other. Kiko Seike was also o target for Albion, when finishing from a Jelena Cankovic cross. (Match highlights here)
Aston Villa came from behind to beat Liverpool, whose Marie Höbinger’s had opened the scoring via a Lily Woodham free kick. Kirsty Hanson quickly levelled, Rachel Daly put the hosts ahead with a penalty, Georgia Mullett and Jill Baijings netting for a 4-1 lead. Sarah Mayling completed the scoring on the rebound, after Faye Kirby turned Ebony Salmon’s effort against the bar.
Crystal Palace put five past Portsmouth without reply, with all the goals coming after the break. There were doubles for Annabel Blanchard and Lola Brown, with Molly-Mae Sharpe also finding the net.
Birmingham City were victorious in Valencia, where an eighth-minute goal for the visitors was the differece between the sides.