Tag: Man City Women

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WSL

Sixth Sense for Manchester City against bottom of the league, Leicester City 

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photo taken from @mancitywomen on instagram

Goals from Khadija Shaw, Yui Hasegawa, Aoba Fujino, Kerolin and a Vivianne Miedema double secured all three points. After 14 league wins (including this one), it puts them 11 points clear of rivals, Manchester United with six league games remaining. 

Manchester City started positively out of the blocks with multiple chances from Bunny Shaw being saved from Leicester City Goalkeeper Olivia Clark. Chances continued to come until the first goal 22 minutes in, with efforts from Lauren Hemp, Sam Coffey, Bunny Shaw, Kerstin Casparij and Vivianne Miedema all finding wide of the goal. 

22 minutes in, a diving header from Bunny Shaw caused the start of a goal-scoring rampage from the hosts, after the cross from Lauren Hemp on the left side found Bunny in the box and breezed it past Clark in net. 

After chances from Kerolin and Alex Greenwood in the blue of Manchester City, Vivianne Miedema found the two goal cushion six minutes after the first goal. Just outside the 18 yard box, she cut it across, and fired it into the bottom left side of the net. 

Although it was predominantly Manchester City, the visitors did have a couple of chances from Alisha Lehmann but Ayaka Yamashita did well to keep them out of it. Chances continued to come for Bunny Shaw after her and Lauren Hemp were comfortable with the ball but nothing came from then until another Vivianne Miedema goal 36 minutes in. 

She saw the cross from Lauren Hemp on the left side with her head finding the ball, and firing it past Clark in the Leicester net. Just two minutes later, Yui Hasegawa made it 4-0 after a cross from Kerolin on the right side found Hasegawa in the box and her first time attempt looped over Olivia Clark. 

Half-time: Manchester City 4-0 Leicester City 

Right off the blocks in the second half saw a fifth for Manchester City just three minutes after the restart from Kerolin. Her first-time effort from outside the box found the top left corner after the initial shot from Vivianne Miedema was blocked. 

Chances for the home side kept coming in following the first goal of the half with Aoba Fujino rounding off the scoring in the 66th minute. After pressure on Leicester, the effort went past the keeper and slotted into the back of the net and just minutes later, even had another shot on target. 

Both Home and Away sides saw chances in the final 20 minutes including Leicester looking to reduce the demolition with chances from Noemie Mouchon, hitting the top netting twice. They ultimately saw their 10th loss of the season, with Manchester calling home a fortress after scoring 22 and conceding two in the last five games.  

Full-time: Manchester City 6-0 Leicester 

What’s next for the sides: 

City remain at home as they welcome WSL2 side Sheffield United in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, on 22nd February. For Leicester, they now have a full month off with their next game being away from home against Liverpool on 15th March in the league. 

How the teams looked: 

Manchester City: Yamashita, Rose, Greenwood © (Ouahabi 58’), Shaw, Miedema (Clinton 58’), Hemp, Kerolin (Fujino 58’), Coffey (Blindkilde Brown 77’), Casparij (Beney 77’), Hasegawa, Knaak. 

Unused Substitutes: Keating, Coombs, Lohmann, Prior. 

Goals: Shaw (22’), Miedema (28’, 36’), Hasegawa (38’), Kerolin (48’), Fujino (66’).  

Leicester City: Clark, Kees (Ale 69’), Van Egmond, Mouchon, Lehmann (Williams 59’), Thibaud, Mayling, McLoughlin, O’Brien (Payne 59’), Neville ©, Swaby.

Substitutes: Keane, Goodwin, Cain, Ayane, Walne. 

Yellow Cards: Neville (62’) 

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WSL

Kerolin Nicoli- History Maker

Image Credit: Mancity.com

Kerolin lit up her name in headlights on matchday fourteen of the Barclays Women’s Super League by slotting not one but three goals past reigning champions Chelsea.

However, it wasn’t just this game week that has shown just how good she can be; going quietly under the radar this season, she’s been one of the Citizens’ most influential players.

Her first appearance this season came as a substitute against Brighton and Hove Albion in a 2-0 win, playing twenty-seven minutes. Her next appearance would again come off the bench, this time against Tottenham Hotspur. Replacing an injured Lauren Hemp, she came on with a point to prove; playing just sixty-eight minutes, she managed to register an assist, and in an impressive performance, she collected her first of many player of the match awards.

Unfortunately, after the Spurs game, she suffered an injury that would keep her out until early December. Her long-awaited return was made in the game against Leicester City and she made an instant impact, first assisting Bunny Shaw for the opening goal before getting herself on the scoresheet, grabbing the third goal; this was arguably the turning point in her season. 

She has kicked on massively since then, grabbing an assist against West Ham United in the Subway Women’s League Cup quarter-finals before then going on to score against Everton in a two-nil win at the Joie Stadium before picking up her second player of the match award of the season. 

Against London City, Kerolin slotted the ball home to give City the lead in a tense affair in Bromley, and her impressive performance she earned her a second consecutive player of the match award.

Ultimately it was the top-of-the-table clash that really showed the best side of her, as she became the first ever player to score a hat-trick past the reigning league champions. The first goal came after Hannah Hampton parried a shot right into the path of Nicoli, who struck home into the bottom left corner. 

The second goal was even more impressive; latching onto a long ball and beating Keira Walsh to it, she chipped Hannah Hampton expertly to get her second of the game. Finally, the perfect day and hattrick was rounded off with her third goal, getting onto the end of a cross from Lauren Hemp and slotting it into the back of the net, making history in a perfect individual performance. This incredible individual performance earned her a third consecutive player of the match award, a credit to all the hard work she’s put in over the past season so far.

Categories
WSL

Manchester City duo swoop two Barclays WSL December awards.

Photo: @ManCityWomen on X

It was a successful December both on and off the pitch for Manchester City as they extended the gap at the top of the table over Chelsea to six points. Off the pitch, striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and manager Andree Jeglertz secured the Barclays WSL player and manager of the month awards, respectively.

Jeglertz oversaw two league games in December, one away to Leicester City and the other against Aston Villa at the Joie Stadium.

In his first league game of the festive period, City faced an early trip to the King Power Stadium with kickoff at 12:00PM on Sunday the 8th of December. After a tense first half, City were able to break the deadlock through none other than Bunny Shaw, who capitalised on a failed Leicester clearance. She got her second not long after taking her to ninety-nine goals as a City player before Kerolin Nicoli got the third, marking her return from injury in incredible fashion. Jeglertz said he was “delighted by the belief in City’s principles”, as this kept his side on top of the table.

Moving onto the final league game of December, City were set to face Aston Villa at the Joie. Unlike the previous game, Jeglertz’s side went ahead on the thirty-seven-minute mark, and it was Bunny Shaw writing her name into the history books, scoring her 100th goal as a Manchester City player, becoming the first player in the club’s professional era to do so, and becoming the club’s all-time goal scorer. The Citizens went on to run rampage with the full-time score reading six goals to Aston Villa’s one, extending the gap at the top to an incredible six points.

For the award Andree was up against Arsenal boss Renee Slegers. However, with his side securing all six points available to them, scoring nine and only conceding one, and extending the club’s unbeaten run to ten WSL games, he scooped up his third consecutive award, following victories in October and November too.

Striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw had a December to remember. In both games during the festive season, she played consecutive full matches.

In the opening December game – she got her ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth goals in a tough trip to the King Power against Leicester. She was instrumental and even grabbed herself an assist for Kerolin Nicoli’s goal to round off a three-nil win.

It was the Aston Villa game that really secured things for Shaw; she scored her 100th and 103rd goals in sky blue, putting four past the Villains in a six-one victory in a memorable game for the Jamaican international.

Shaw was nominated alongside teammate Vivianne Miedema, Everton’s Honoka Hayashi, Tottenham Hotspur’s Olivia Holdt, Liverpool’s Beata Olsson and Arsenal’s Olivia Smith.

Congratulations to both on their respective awards!

Categories
WSL

From City Youth Teams to the Etihad

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Photo at the Etihad from the crowd | photo taken from @jesspark_16 on instagram

Manchester City host Manchester United this weekend at the Etihad, proving to be a big fixture in recent seasons. It is a big occasion for the players but especially those that have had aspirations to play at the big stage, including those from the youth set ups. 

Lily Murphy: 

The 19 year old signed her first professional contract with Manchester City in December 2024 and further signed a contract extension this past summer. As part of the 2024/25 pre-season fixtures in Australia, Murphy and a number of other academy prospects took their chances in the games. 

Lily injured her shoulder in their season opener against Chelsea and therefore will not be able to play in this momentous occasion this time, but is looking to return by the time the side next play at the Etihad against Chelsea next year. 

When scoring her first Manchester City goal against St Polten in the Champions League (which was also her first senior start) she said “It’s been crazy, I’m so proud, this is my childhood club so it’s so special to do it here.”

Codie Thomas: 

The 19 year old defender joined the blues in 2016 and since has risen through the ranks to become a regular in the senior squad. Alongside Lily, she signed her first contract in December 2024 and also went on the Australia preseason tour prior to the 2024-25 season. 

Making her debut in the Champions League at St Polten, she has since featured on the bench multiple times across the season and looks to feature in the squad on Saturday, potentially even coming on. 

Gracie Prior: 

This isn’t Gracie Prior’s first taste of the Etihad grass after being number one centre back pick for when experienced Alex Greenwood is out. Featuring many times in the matchday squads and starting lineups, Prior signed her first professional contract in August 2024 and also featured in the preseason friendlies in Australia.

Due to her cover across the backline, all three of Manchester City’s managers have given her chances in the starting eleven and with Alex Greenwood out, she looks to start at the Etihad again this weekend. 

Prior spoke ahead of the fixture and mentioned that “growing up, it’s always been a massive rivalry so to play in it is massive…playing at the Etihad is always special.” 

Khiara Keating: 

Despite only being 21, the youngster is cementing her place in the squad after moving to the side from rivals Manchester United in 2015. She made her debut in 2021 after injuries from senior players Karen Bardsley, Ellie Roebuck and Karima Taieb but her breakthrough season came in 2023/24, winning the golden glove that season. 

In the recent international break, she started at the Etihad for her international side and she believed it would be a “Special Night”. Like Prior, Keating has now made a number of appearances at the Etihad but it still proves to be a massive occasion, especially in a derby day setting. 

group photo from World 7’s featuring Murphy, Thomas, Prior and Keating | photo taken from @codie.thomas_1 on Instagram

Past Players:

Esme Morgan (Now at Washington Spirit): 

The 25 year old joined the NWSL side, Washington Spirit, in 2024 after leaving her childhood club. Being a product of the youth set up, she signed her first professional contract in June 2019 and the defender is a lifelong supporter. She had a season ticket and she “dreamt of playing for Manchester City” her whole life. 

In the most recent international break, like many others, she returned to the Etihad for the first time since her move abroad. She played in many derby days at the Etihad including the first time it happened saying “We had 30,000 fans – people who had never been to a women’s game before, people who were only interested because it was City against United.”

Keira Walsh (Now at Chelsea): 

Prior to her move, in the first derby, Walsh featured at the Etihad and it holds a special place in her heart being a lifelong Manchester City fan. Despite moving to Barcelona and now to Chelsea, she was captain of the Lionesses side who played at the Etihad in the recent break, returning to her old stomping ground. 

Growing up, she was playing for Manchester City but was too young for her professional contract and had to wait until 2015. As every lifelong fan, she had her inspirations – basing her play off her idol David Silva and even naming her goldfish Shaun Goater and Nicolas Anelka. For Walsh herself, she returns to the Etihad later on in the season for her new side Chelsea.

Jess Park (Now at Manchester United): 

Recently making the switch to the red side of Manchester, Park returns to the Etihad for the first time in her new colours after missing out in the International break. The 24 year old signed her first professional contract in April 2020 and in 2022 signed a 3 year extension saying: “This is my Club and this is where I want to be.” 

Park is shining for her new club, scoring four times and also picking up numerous individual awards, making her one to watch this weekend. 

Group photo featuring Morgan, Park and Walsh | photo taken from @jesspark_16 on instagram

Categories
WSL

Iman Beney: The Rising WSL Star 

Photo from Mancity.com

Photo: Manchester City

Iman Beney, a name already familiar to the Swiss faithful, sent shockwaves through the WSL this week as her first Manchester City goal turned out to be a crucial last-minute winner against Arsenal. 

Beney is already famed in her home country, scoring the winning penalty to secure BSC Young Boys Frauen their league title last season and securing herself a place in the team of the year. The sky is well and truly the limit for the young superstar. 

Many in the WSL may not have known her name, but they well and truly do now, as she stole the headlines in what turned out to be an absolute peach of a game between Manchester City and Arsenal on a cold and soggy Saturday afternoon at the Joie Stadium.

Beney had already impressed on her home debut, securing herself Manchester City’s player of the match award in a tense game against Brighton. Her quick and tricky plays down the wing earned her the award, much to the delight of the Citizens faithful.

However, it was the Arsenal game that really put her in the headlines. Entering the fray at 59 minutes with her side locked at 1-1, Beney came on with a point to prove. City got themselves back in front when a misjudged corner was scrambled home by Kerstin Casparij. However, City were haunted by former player Chloe Kelly, whose curled effort sailed into the top right corner; her goal and celebration didn’t faze the Citizens, as they were quick to respond.  

Within five minutes of the goal, Aoba Fujino played an inch-perfect pass over to Bunny Shaw on the right-hand side, whose impeccable touch and flick over the defender left her pass falling to the feet of the Swiss teenager.

With the Joie Stadium holding their breath, Iman brought the ball down and calmly rolled the ball into the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations and sending Manchester City within a point of Chelsea in second place. Well and truly announcing herself to the WSL and English football stage as the next big talent!