Shaw sets WSL hat-trick record in emphatic Etihad victory against Spurs

Another clinical display saw Shaw also become the first player ever to score three hat-tricks against the same opponent in Barclays Women’s Super League history

In front of more than 10,000 fans at the Etihad, she needed just 21 seconds to find the opener, before doubling our lead less than 15 minutes later.

Jill Roord got her third in three games to put City three up and out of sight before Shaw completed an historic hat-trick midway through the second period.

It meant a comfortable night for Gareth Taylor’s team as we registered our 250th win as a professional outfit in just 340 outings while we have now gone 11 matches unbeaten across all competitions at the start of the 2024/25 season.

At this early stage, the victory guarantees we’ll see out the weekend in top spot of the WSL no matter what title rivals Chelsea do against Liverpool on Sunday.

What happened

After a spectacular fireworks display and light show as the players lined up in the tunnel, all in the Etihad marked the upcoming Remembrance Sunday with a minute’s silence and sounding of The Last Post.

Once the game kicked off, City incredibly needed only 21 seconds to take the lead with Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw pressing high, taking the ball off Clare Hunt and finishing with aplomb.

Our next major opening came after nine minutes, when Kerstin Casparij dashed to the byline and whipped a dangerous low cross that Aoba Fujino was inches away from converting at the back post.

The City fans in the Etihad didn’t have to wait long to celebrate again however, with Shaw rising above Hunt to nod home Lauren Hemp’s floated cross in the 15th minute.

Spurs improved as the first half wore on, but never to the extent that Khiara Keating’s goal felt truly under threat.

Instead, City still could have added to our tally before the break, with Fujino meeting Hemp’s brilliant cross but failing to keep her header under the bar.

The second half began with City again on the front foot and only a superb diving Becky Spencer save prevented Hemp from registering another Goal of the Season contender.

Hemp could not have gone any closer in the 58th minute, when a sweeping move from right to left ended at her feet in the inside left channel.

Our electric winger stepped onto the ball and hit it with her instep, seeing it strike the inside of the near post before flying across the goal line and colliding with the other post.

The 24-year-old has arguably been the top-flight’s outstanding player so far this term and was again at her flying best in this one, proving a constant thorn in Spurs’ side.

It was her exquisite footwork that eventually brought about City’s third of the night.

Dancing through midfield, Hemp found the pass for Jill Roord, who took one touch and hammered home to continue her excellent form since return from injury.

That momentum swiftly carried us to our fourth as Shaw completed her hat-trick shortly afterwards, with the striker turning Hemp’s cross home.

It marked her 12th goal in just five WSL starts against Spurs and another record broken for our incredible forward.

That goal also signalled Hemp’s third assist in a spectacular performance and led to Taylor rotating his pack ahead of a busy November across domestic and continental fronts.

Teenage winger Lily Murphy was centimetres away from topping the occasion with a special memory of her own but saw her shot rustle the side netting narrowly wide of the near post.

Teams

CITY XI: Keating, Casparij, Kennedy, Greenwood, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Park (Coombs 77), Roord (Blindkilde Brown 70), Fujino (Fowler 70), Hemp (Kelly 77), Shaw (Murphy 77)

Subs: Yamashita, Prior, Thomas, O’Carroll

SPURS XI: Spencer, Morris, Bartrip, Hunt (James-Turner 46), Buhler, Neville, Naz (Grant 82), Summanen, Spence (Ahtinen 70), Vinberg (Raso 55), England (C) (Thomas 55)

Subs: Heeps, Wang, Gunning-Williams, Csiki

gareth Taylor reaction

I’m pleased we got the result. There were some good parts to our game tonight, and I think there were some things we can be better with.

We have to factor in playing in a different kind of environment for us. The good thing is we play three games here [this season] and the girls will feel ready for the next game because it’s slightly different to what we have at the Joie Stadium.

Really good start, I think we had opportunities to enhance our lead at 2-0 and also at  4-0 as well.

These are the things as I as a coach I want to push with the girls because when we stick to what we do we’ll see top things. Overall I was really pleased. 

Player of the Match

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw

The striker simply loves playing Spurs. While she’s prolific against all opposition, her numbers are jaw dropping when it comes to playing against this half of north London.

It was her pressing that won the ball back 20 seconds in and she was the only City player on the pitch to have touched the ball as it hit the back of the net.

If that was all about hard work and composure, her second typified her physical prowess. Leaping higher than anyone else on the pitch is capable, Shaw powerfully headed beyond Becky Spencer.

Her third made it 12 goals in five Barclays Women’s Super League and saw her become the first player ever to score three hat-tricks against the same opponent.

That’s before you consider she has now passed Vivianne Miedema as the WSL’s record hat-trick scorer, hitting three on six separate occasions.

Fortress Etihad

After five games at the Etihad in our professional history, we have won four and drawn one.

In that time, we have scored 10 goals and conceded just twice.

We’ll next have the opportunity to extend that record when we host Manchester United in January before we host defending champions Chelsea at the stadium in March.

What it means

City have 19 points from our first seven matches in the 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League.

We will stay top no matter what Chelsea do at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon and remain at the summit for next weekend’s clash with Sonia Bompastor’s side.

What’s next

City host Swedish side Hammarby at the Joie Stadium in the Women’s Champions League at 20:00 on Tuesday 12 November.

Our next Barclays Women’s Super League outing comes at defending champions Chelsea at 17:30 on Saturday 16 November.