Beth Mead bagged a brace in Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. PHOTO: LIAM ASMAN/SPP

IF the opening round of fixtures in the Women’s Super League is anything to go by, then we’re in for a scintillating season full of big shocks and surprises.

There were seismic waves on Sunday afternoon when Aston Villa toppled Manchester City in a 4-3 thriller.

But that was just a tremor compared to what the evening would bring when newly-promoted Liverpool rocked the Richter scale by recovering to beat champions Chelsea 2-1.

It is, of course, far too early for any title talk – but both results were good news for Arsenal, who jump-started their campaign with a resounding win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Having starred for England in their victorious Euro 2022 triumph in the summer, Beth Mead returned to the domestic scene with a bang as she struck twice in 21 second-half minutes.

Captain Kim Little and Stina Blackstenius were also on target as a sold-out Meadow Park crowd of more than 3,200 fans cheered the Gunners on to a 4-0 victory.

Arsenal’s night was made that much easier by the early dismissal of Emma Kullberg, who was shown a straight red just six minutes into the game after bringing Blackstenius down when the Sweden international was through on goal.

Facing the Sky Sports cameras after the game, Mead – who won the Euro 2022 Golden Boot with six goals and was also named player of the tournament – made it clear she wanted more.

“I’m a little bit disappointed with a few of my chances, I think I should’ve scored more, and as a team we could’ve put a few more away,” she said. “But four goals and three points is what we wanted.

“I thought we were playing really good football, it was just our final ball and final finish in the first half. We were a bit more clinical in the second half. We’ve set out standards now and we need to keep setting them higher.”

Meanwhile, Little and Blackstenius were both on target again on Tuesday night when Arsenal battled out a 2-2 draw in the home leg of their Champions League qualifier against Ajax. The Gunners now have it all to do in the second-leg, which takes place in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Kick-off is 6pm.

Derby days

Arsenal are set to smash the WSL’s attendance record this Saturday when they entertain north London rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.

More than 45,000 tickets have reportedly already been sold for the derby, eclipsing the current record crowd set in November 2019 when the two teams met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“It’s been incredible to see the demand for tickets for the north London derby,” said Arsenal’s head coach Jonas Eidevall. “You can really feel the excitement around the game at the moment so it’s amazing to see that translate into a record-breaking attendance – now it’s our job to repay that enthusiasm with a big performance in this crucial clash for our supporters.”

Tottenham will go into the game full of confidence after beating Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium in their league opener on Sunday.

Rehanne Skinner

A wonder strike from Ashleigh Neville set Spurs on their way, the defender smashing the ball into the top corner from all of 40 yards. Drew Spence doubled Tottenham’s lead with another stunner from distance, before scoring at the wrong end of the pitch to set up a grandstand finish.

Enjoying all that comes with a winning start, Spurs head coach Rehanne Skinner said: “I was really pleased with the result. To get three points in the first game of the season is obviously what we set out to achieve. It eases the nerves a little bit and gives everyone a bit of confidence, so it’s a great way for us to start.”

The north London derby kicks off at 1.30pm on Saturday and will be shown live on the BBC.

Spot-kick stories

Emma Hayes is tipping Chelsea to bounce back from their shock start against Liverpool when they entertain title rivals Manchester City this Sunday at Kingsmeadow.

Fran Kirby gave the Blues the lead within three minutes of the kick-off from the penalty spot at Prenton Park on Sunday, but Liverpool striker Katie Stengel scored two second-half penalties of her own to earn the home side a jaw-dropping 2-1 win.

However, the match wasn’t without its controversy – the most notable moment coming when Sam Kerr thought she had doubled Chelsea’s lead midway through the first half, only to see the goal wrongly cancelled out by the offside flag.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s 4pm kick-off, Camden-born coach Hayes said: “I know our fans are amazing and we need their support this weekend.

“We’re disappointed but I know how much this team over the years has the ability to recover quickly, and I’m sure we’ll do that.”