Shaw strikes late to snatch last-gasp London City win

Kerolin gave City an early lead after an excellent team move and, despite the hosts hitting the woodwork twice, we went in a goal to the good at the break.

But London City drew level with around 20 minutes to play when Freya Godfrey rifled into the roof of the net after a counter attack.

It looked like we’d have to settle for a point, only for Shaw to pounce on a loose ball in the London City area to extend our winning run to 12 matches in the WSL.

What happened

City travelled south knowing a positive result could extend our lead at the top of the WSL after Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal on Saturday.

And, after Shaw had gone close early on with a slip at the far post, we’d grab the opener inside 11 minutes.

A beautifully-crafted move down the centre eventually saw the ball fed to Kerolin in behind and the Brazilian slotted home.

It was just reward for a bright start, but the hosts were proving a nuisance in advanced areas with Ayaka Yamashita pulling off a fantastic save to tip Isobel Goodwin’s one-on-one effort onto the post, before recovering the loose ball.

Goodwin continued to provide the hosts’ main threat and headed against the bar as half-time approached from a corner, but City managed to go in a goal to the good at the break.

The hosts had ended the first 45 on top and began the second in the same fashion with former Blue Kosovare Asllani firing over the bar from a promising position soon after the restart.

And although City had done well to weather the storm, the Lionesses drew level with around 20 to play when Godfrey attacked some space down the right flank and fired into the top corner at the near post.

The Blues regrouped after that setback, with Sam Coffey introduced for her debut as the final 15 minutes approached, before Shaw fired over the bar after being sent in behind by Vivianne Miedema.

Momentum was starting to swing City’s way again, and the pressure would eventually tell with less than five to play, as Shaw smashed home after the hosts had scrambled the ball off the line.

We had to ride our luck at times, but battled until the end to take a huge win back to Manchester.

Lead extended

After the frustration of a League Cup semi-final exit on Wednesday, City have ended the week on a major high note.

With Chelsea losing to Arsenal on Saturday, the Blues knew a result at London City could extend our lead at the top ahead of next week’s huge clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Andrée Jeglertz has consistently stressed the importance of focusing on our own performances and ignoring the increasing outside noise that our form has created.

It’s clear that message is shared by the team, who put on a professional display against a difficult side to come away with a big three points.

Coffey’s debut

Sam Coffey’s long-awaited debut came from the bench in Bromley, with the midfielder introduced with around 15 to play.

A US international with bags of experience at the top level, she came into a difficult situation in the engine room, with the hosts pressing hard for a winner.

Composed on the ball and disciplined off it, her integration into the squad has been gradual but, as we saw with Hemp and Kerolin’s reintroductions after injury, that patience has clearly paid off.

How we lined up

London City XI: Lete, Fernandez, Pattinson (Van De Donk 70’), Perez, Corrales, Asllani (C), Godfrey (Parris 78’), Roddar (Geyoro 70’), Goodwin (Franssi 85’), Sangare, Kennedy

Subs: Orman, Goldie, Kumagai, Linari, Brown

City XI: Yamashita, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood (C), Casparij, Blindkilde Brown (Coffey 76’), Hasegawa, Hemp, Kerolin (Beney 90’), Miedema, Shaw

Subs: Keating, Clinton, Coombs, Ouahabi, Lohmann, Prior, Murphy

		Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1		Manchester City Man City	13	12	0	1	36	11	25	36
2		Chelsea Chelsea	13	8	3	2	24	8	16	27
3		Arsenal Arsenal	13	7	5	1	25	10	15	26

What it means

City move nine points clear at the top of the WSL with our 12th successive league win.

Up next

City welcome Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium for our next assignment, with kick-off set for 14:30 (UK) on Sunday 1 February.

GET YOUR CITY v CHELSEA TICKETS HERE

Tickets are still available for our top-of-the-table clash, with plenty of exciting entertainment off the pitch as well as on it.

Chelsea Etihad tickets on general sale

Tickets for our WSL clash with Chelsea at the Etihad are on sale, with Under-16s able to attend for just £5!

A meeting between the WSL’s top two, it’s one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures of the season and gets under way at 14:30 (UK) on Sunday 1 February.

Our last Etihad fixture more than delivered, with City beating Manchester United 3-0 in November, so make sure you don’t miss out this time!

Tickets are available from just £5 for Under-16s, with Adults starting from £15, or you can save your spot in our Kits Bar for an incredible £35 per adult and £20 for Under-16s.

If you make a group booking, you’ll also be automatically entered into our competition to win fantastic prizes, such as being part of the team photo at the Etihad or enjoying our ‘Blue Carpet Experience’ at the game.

Or make it an afternoon to remember with hospitality packages starting from just £35 per person and a wide range of experiences available to suit your budget.

Make sure you don’t miss our final WSL Etihad match of this season!

Get your tickets for City v Chelsea at the Etihad!