Kenni Thompson put in a player-of-the-match performance to help new club London City Lionesses kick off the FA Women’s Championship campaign in style with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool yesterday.

Having signed only a day previously, the 20-year-old made an instant impact to get off to the ideal start to life with her new club. Having proved a threat to the Liverpool defence throughout the first half, Thompson was hauled down inside the area to win the Lionesses a 60th-minute penalty.

Fellow debutant Rianna Jarrett stepped up and made no mistake from the spot to score what proved to be the only goal of the game to secure all three points.

Thompson is the club’s ninth summer signing, having joined from Spanish women’s first division side Santa Teresa.

The switch marks a return to England for the Bermudian, who was part of the Chelsea Under-15 set-up before spending the majority of her professional career in Spain, having also previously played for Deportivo La Coruña and Espanyol.

Before yesterday’s Championship opener, Thompson spoke of her excitement of continuing her development with the club, who play in the second tier of domestic women’s football in England.

“I’m so happy to be joining such an ambitious club with great values,” she said. “I can’t wait to start the season and develop my game further.”

Head coach Melissa Phillips reflected on what she feels her latest addition can bring to her side.

“Kenni is a bright young player with tremendous technical ability and understanding of the game,” she said. “She has been able to come into the environment and integrate seamlessly, while looking to challenge herself physically and mentally at this stage in her career.

“We have goals that strongly align and look forward to challenging Kenni to get the best out of her in the year ahead.”

Founded in 2019, London City is a fully professional women's football club, based at Princes Park Stadium in Dartford, Kent.

Despite their youth, the Lionesses, who are the first independent fully professional women’s team in London, are determined to create a lasting legacy in the game, first by getting established in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League.

"I would like to think London City Lionesses will be around in 150 years’ time,“ said Diane Culligan, the chairwoman. ”That is a goal I have in my mind. I’d love one day for the club to have a rich history like many of the men’s football clubs in this country.

“On a shorter timeline than that, the obvious goal is for us to be an established team in the Women's Super League. There isn’t a particular pressure to achieve promotion in a certain time frame, but we are looking to implement a top-tier level of football on and off the pitch that is built to last decades and ultimately win honours."