Aston Villa Women got off the mark for the season with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United Women in the FA Women's Continental League Cup.
Jodie Hutton's first-half penalty ultimately proved to be the difference on what was a much-needed result for Gemma Davies' side.
The result gets Villa off to the best possible start in the Conti Cup, a competition in which they reached the quarter-final stage last season.
The win also gives the team some added momentum heading into a pivotal league fixture versus Bristol City on Sunday.
Davies made five changes in total from the side that were torn apart by Everton at the weekend.
Elisha N'Dow came in to captain the side, replacing Nat Haigh in the centre of defence.
Elsewhere, Emily Syme and Amy West made their first starts of the season in a midfield three with Nadine Hanssen.
Jodie Hutton and Shania Hayles also started in attack and looked to do damage from the start.
It was Hayles who had her first opportunity after 10 minutes, but couldn't muster enough power on her shot to seriously trouble Fran Kitching in the Sheffield United goal.
Elisha N'Dow, who supplied Hayles with the previous opportunity, this time tried her luck from distance but saw the effort saved.
Villa were then unfortunately forced into a first-half change when Ella Franklin-Fraiture seemed to injure her right ankle in a collision and was unable to continue.
Nat Haigh, Saturday's captain, came on in her place and look assured as a makeshift right-back.
Despite the lack of clear-cut opportunities in the first half, Villa looked threatening going forward every time they broke.
They were rewarded for their desire when Hutton was upended in the area as she attempted to turn in a rebound at the far post.
The 19-year-old, also making her first start of the season, dusted herself down before sending Kitching the wrong way to give Villa a boost before the break.
The action dried up somewhat over the second 45 minutes, with the hosts performing professionally in nullifying the visitors' pacy attack as well as tiredness setting in after the hour-mark.
Davies and co., who take on the Robins on Sunday, will be delighted to finally be off the mark in 2020-21.
Villa: Weiß, Franklin-Fraiture (Haigh 33'), Asante (Petzelberger 46'), N'Dow (C), Ale, West, Syme, Hanssen, Silva (Follis 76'), Hayles, Hutton (Haywood 68')
Unused subs: Rogers, Arthur, Larsen, Siems, Ewers
Goals: Hutton (37')
