photo taken from @mancitywomen on Instagram
A tough opener for the WSL2 Champions as Reigning Champions, Manchester City won 3-1 against Birmingham City. A double from Khadija Shaw and a Mary Fowler goal helped City win all three points against the newly promoted side with Oceane Hurte getting the goal.
Birmingham had multiple chances in the opening five minutes as Oceane Hurte opened her WSL account but failed to find the back of the net on both attempts. Just minutes later, Lauren Hemp fired a cross into Bunny Shaw but her header from close range was saved. Triple chance, one after another from the hosts failed to find the back of the net as Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp both had attempts which failed.
Sophie Baggaley performed spectacularly for the newly promoted side as save after save helped her side in the first half against the Champions. The hosts were testing the side with efforts from Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Aoba Fujino but all were saved or blocked.
It wasn’t all the hosts with the chances. Birmingham City also provided with Oceane Hurte and Lily Crosthwaite both having attempts but most of their first half consisted of blocking the shots.
Half-time: Manchester City 0-0 Birmingham City
After a frustrating first half, Manchester City opened the scoring in the 49th minute from Australian Forward, Mary Fowler. Her effort from the near side of the goal was fired in from 12 yards out, which marked the club’s 1,000 goal as a professional club. Just 10 minutes later, the home side doubled their lead after a header from Khadija Shaw. She had many attempts from her head in the first half but finally got one in the back of the net after a corner from Kerstin Casparij.
Both sides continued to have chances throughout including a shot from Lauren Hemp, who was making her 200th appearance, but was comfortably saved by Sophie Baggaley. Just four minutes left of the 90, Khadija Shaw added her second of the day and a second header for the Jamaican International. Beth Mead crossed the ball in from a corner with her effort going into the back net from close range.
On the 90 minute mark, Oceane Hurte scored Birmingham’s only goal of the game as she stole the ball from Jade Rose outside the box with her effort finding the back of the net past Ayaka Yamashita.
Full-time: Manchester City 3-1 Birmingham City
What’s next:
Manchester City next travel to Aston Villa for a 6:30pm kick off on Sunday 13th September, meanwhile Birmingham City host Brighton and Hove Albion on the same day at 2pm.
Manchester City:
Starting 11: Yamashita, Rose, Greenwood © (Wamser 74’), Fowler (Mead 61’), Shaw, Hemp, Casparij (Beney 61’), Blindkilde Brown (Coffey 74’), Fujino, Hasegawa, Prior.
Unused Substitutes: Cumings, Wienroither, Davies, Davis, Beckinsale
Yellow Cards: Mead (83’)
Goals: Khadija Shaw (55’, 86’), Mary Fowler (49’)
Birmingham City:
Starting 11: Baggaley, Levasseur, Lee Geum-min (Amano 84’), Naalsund (Miyagawa 46’), Leidhammar (Cornet 57’), Crosthwaite, McKenna, Turner ©, Hurte, Sarri (Effa Effa 72’), Herron.
Unused Substitutes: Thomas, Startup, Harris, Cooke, Holloway.
Yellow Cards: Effa Effa (90+3’)
Goals: Oceane Hurte (90’)