City’s winning run continues with Spurs triumph

An own goal from Amy Turner handed Gareth Taylor’s side an early lead at Brisbane Road after a bright start from the visitors.

And City would repeat the trick at the beginning of the second 45, with Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw doubling our advantage with her 14th goal in as many matches this season.

It means we move back to within three points of the WSL summit, as our fine run of form continues apace.

What happened

In a battle between two of the top flight’s in-form teams, it was City who started the brighter, with Alex Greenwood forcing a fine save from Spurs stopper Barbora Votikova when she tried her luck from a free-kick inside seven minutes.

It was an indication of the visitors’ early intent, and we took the lead moments later when a dangerous cross saw Turner inadvertently deflect the ball into her own net.

And the players showed a touch of class in their celebrations, racing over to the dugout to hold up a shirt emblazoned with Jill Roord’s name and number in support the Dutch midfielder following her recent anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

City had been dominant, but the hosts had their first real sight of goal before the 20-minute mark when Grace Clinton’s incisive ball in behind found Martha Thomas, but the forward fired over from a promising position.

It was an exception to the rule though in an opening 30 where City were showcasing our usual blend of intricate football, and a brilliant passing move almost yielded a second when Laura Coombs was a clean contact away from converting Chloe Kelly’s cutback.

Nonetheless, Thomas continued to offer a threat at the other end and had the ball in the net after being sent in behind, but the forward was a fraction offside to ensure our lead was preserved.

With the hosts growing into the game after that opening, chances were few and far between before the break, though Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw did force another save from Votikova with a far-post header.

Once again City were the brighter in the early exchanges of the second half, with Filippa Angeldahl flashing a vicious low drive just wide of the near post within 60 seconds of the restart.

And number two would follow soon after when Shaw gobbled up her first chance of the game.

The Jamaican had found the net in emphatic fashion in last season’s encounter and repeated the trick with a vicious drive in at the near post after being fed by Lauren Hemp.

That goal settled any lingering nerves for City, who were in control from then on at Brisbane Road.

Shaw almost carved another opening when she brought the ball down inside the area, but Spurs recovered before she could pull the trigger.

At the other end, Spurs substitute Jessica Naz had a brief glimpse of goal down the left, but snatched at the effort and dragged it well wide.

And as stoppage time approached Spurs once again tested Khiara Keating, with the City goalkeeper alert to the danger as Beth England tried her luck in a one on one situation.

It meant City secured a two-goal win, with Taylor’s side seeing out the result to cap off a professional performance.

Our winning run now stretches all the way back to the reverse fixture against Spurs at the Joie Stadium in November, while our unbeaten streak now stands at an impressive nine matches.

Player of the Match: Yui Hasegawa

The Japanese midfielder’s quality on the ball and tenacity off it kept City ticking at Brisbane Road.

Not only was she often the one to spark an attack with a clever turn or pass, but her anticipation to mop up any potential Spurs openings was essential to making this a much more routine win than it could’ve been.

What it means

Victory sees City close the gap on WSL leaders Chelsea back to three points.

We currently sit second in the table, three points clear of Arsenal ahead of their league clash with Liverpool later this evening.

How we lined up

Gareth Taylor made one change from the side who beat Manchester United in midweek, with the injured Jill Roord replaced by Filippa Angeldahl in midfield.

Alanna Kennedy, ruled out since December with an Achilles complaint, made her return to the City squad with a place on the substitutes’ bench.

Khiara Keating started between the sticks, shielded by a back four of Kerstin Casparij, Laia Aleixandri, Alex Greenwood and Leila Ouahabi.

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Yui Hasegawa sat in front of the defence, with Angeldahl and Laura Coombs completing the midfield three.

At the sharp end, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp started out wide, with Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw at centre-forward.

CITY XI: Keating, Casparij, Aleixandri, Greenwood (C), Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Angeldahl, Coombs (Park 79’), Kelly, Shaw (Fowler 79’), Hemp.

SUBS: MacIver, Stokes, Houghton, Morgan, Mace, Kennedy.

SPURS XI: Votikova, Grant (Petzelberger 76’), Turner, Bartrip, Nilden, Clinton (Wang 63’), England (C) (Ayane 90’), Bizet (Vinberg 90’), Thomas (Naz 63’), Ahtinen, Summanen.

SUBS: Brazil, Graham, Buhler, Spencer.

Up Next

City welcome Leicester to the Joie Stadium in our next fixture, with our latest WSL clash taking place in Sunday 4 February.

Kick-off is set for 13:00 (UK), with tickets still available to purchase by clicking here.