A brace for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd inside the opening 15 minutes saw the Blues storm into a 2-0 lead at the Red Bull Arena, before Aggie Beever-Jones picked up where she left off last season and netted our third in the 26th minute.

Former Chelsea defender Jess Carter pulled a goal back for Gotham just after the half-hour mark, but it proved to be a consolation effort in the end as it finished 3-1.

Following a positive first display, Bompastor said: 'I'm really happy because I could feel like my players really invested in the game, especially because it was the first one [of pre-season] against a team within their season.

'You could see everyone was together to make sure we were working on our game model and the way we want to play.

'We had some success in the first minutes of the game and scored three goals, and it was really nice to start in this way.

'There is always room for improvement and that's normal because we are really in the beginning of the season, but I'm happy with the win and the way the team played tonight.'

The victory over the reigning NWSL champions also saw Bompastor utilise her squad with 20 players and two goalkeepers getting minutes over the course of the game.

The head coach added: 'The young players who came on during the second half did really well and I think it is good to have this good level in the squad because we really need everyone during the season, so it's always good to have this competition.'

The victory also provided an opportunity for Bompastor to rotate players in different positions, with Lucy Bronze playing at centre-back for the second half.

Bompastor said: 'I know Lucy well and I know she has already played in that position [before] and knows how to perform.

'She has a lot of experience and she is also quite happy to be in that position. It is maybe something we need to think about for the future.'