Two days after her permanent departure from Chelsea was announced, tri-national midfielder Ashanti Akpan made her competitive debut for Newcastle United as they suffered a 2-1 loss to table-toppers Charlton Athletic in a WSL 2 encounter staged at The Valley on Sunday.

Akpan brought an end to a 13-year association with Chelsea, a period during which she enjoyed considerable success at youth level, winning the FA Youth Cup in the 2021-22 season and the FA WSL Academy Cup in 2022-23.

The 20-year-old spent the first half of the current campaign on loan at Southampton, where she made 13 appearances for the Saints before completing a permanent move to Newcastle United.

Born in Warsaw, Akpan is eligible to represent three nations internationally: Nigeria through her father, Poland through her mother, and England, where she has resided for more than a decade.

Newcastle fell behind in the 15th minute when Jodie Hutton scored her sixth goal of the season to give the hosts the lead.

The advantage was doubled in the 31st minute after Akpan conceded a penalty by bringing down Muya in the box, with Katie Bradley confidently converting from the spot.

The Magpies reduced the deficit two minutes before the hour mark, as Sevenius rifled a composed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area following a low cross from Freya Gregory.

However, Newcastle were unable to find an equaliser as the table-toppers held on for all three points.

Akpan became provisionally cap-tied to England in 2023 after featuring in a UEFA European Women's U19 Championship qualifier. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: newcastleunited.com