A Bunny Shaw goal was enough to secure Manchester City all three points from a frustrating meeting with Brighton. Gareth Taylor’s side was unable to break down the Seagull’s resolute defence for much of the 90 minutes. The tie marked the Sky Blues first win of the 2024/25 WSL season.
Starting XI’s
Manchester City
Yamashita; Layzell, Aleixandri, Greenwood, Miedema, Hemp, Park, Casparij, Fujino, Shaw, Hasegawa
Brighton
Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Pattinson, Bergsvand, Losada, Bremer, Seike, Kirby, Carabali, Olislagers, Vilamala
How it went
Manchester City got the game off to a bright start, dominating much of the early possession. A well worked piece of team play almost put Lauren Hemp through on goal, however the Seagulls defence was equal to the danger. The remainder of the opening half passed in frustrating fashion for the hosts. For all their chances, the Sky Blues were unable to break down their opponents back line.
The breakthrough finally came on the stroke of half time as Bunny Shaw tapped home Kerstin Casparij’s ball across the face of goal.
The second half played out in much the same fashion as the first. Whilst Gareth Taylor’s side dominated the ball, the Seagulls high defensive line left Taylor’s side unable to extend their lead. Despite taking all three points from the 1-0 victory, the Sky Blues may well rue their missed chances after scoring just one goal from their six shots on target.
The tie saw the return of midfielder Jill Roord after an extensive spell on the sidelines. The No.10 ruptured her ACL in January’s League Cup win over Manchester United.
Up next
Manchester City will take on West Ham at the Joie Stadium ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona.
Brighton will face Birmingham in the League Cup before hosting Aston Villa in the league.
