Aston Villa held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the Women's Super League season, with a Veerle Buurman own goal cancelling out Lauren James's early strike. Chelsea dominated possession and chances but were unable to convert their superiority into a win, denying Sonia Bompastor's side victory in their first home match of a new era at Stamford Bridge, where they will now play all their WSL fixtures.

Chelsea took the lead in the 11th minute when defensive confusion allowed Ellie Carpenter to set up Lauren James, who finished emphatically. Despite dominating with 64% possession and 32 shots to Villa's seven, Chelsea repeatedly failed to add to their tally, with new Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma producing a string of impressive saves. Villa equalised in the 79th minute when Noelle Maritz's effort was blocked by Hannah Hampton and deflected in off Buurman, securing an unlikely point for Natalia Arroyo's side despite their limited attacking output.