Manchester City hosted Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday for an entertaining Barclays Women’s Super League clash. A bold approach from new head coach Dario Vidošić saw his prospering south coast outfit challenge last season’s title-contenders.
Gareth Taylor’s starting eleven was much-changed from their midweek magic against Paris FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Cityzens head coach opted to start Ayaka Yamashita between the sticks, with Aoba Fujino making her way into the front three and midweek goalscorer Chloe Kelly taking her place on the bench. Last season’s statement signing, Jill Roord, returned to the Sky Blues squad for the first time this afternoon since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January. The Dutch midfielder came off the bench in the 80th minute, receiving a rapturous applause from the stands.
Brighton, on the other hand, made no changes following their first league fixture of the season, after debutant Kiko Seike’s hat-trick heroism saw them snatch all three points away from Brian Sørenson’s Toffees.
Bunny Shaw put Manchester City ahead in the 45th minute, after the Seagulls challenged Taylor’s side for the duration of the first half. Following half-time, Brighton were unable to fight their way to a goal, but the team’s effective quieting of one of the strongest frontlines in the league should not go unnoticed.
The Lineups
MNC: Yamashita; Layzell, Greenwood, Aleixandri, Casparij; Miedema, Hasegawa, Park; Hemp, Shaw, Fujino
BHA: Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Bergsvand, Carabali; Kirby, Losada, Olislagers, Pattinson; Seike, Bremer, Vilamala
The Action
It was evident from the first touch that the Seagulls were looking to build upon last weekend’s dominant attacking display against Everton. Gareth Taylor’s Cityzens, however, house a formidable frontline.
Though Shaw came close to providing the home side with the opener, Manchester City had their work cut out for them as Brighton looked especially dangerous on the counterattack through former Cityzen Pauline Bremer.
Despite several high quality chances across the face of goal for both sides, it was not until the 45th minute that Shaw finally gave the home side the lead. Solid build up play down the right-hand side was seen from Manchester City, as captain Alex Greenwood found Kerstin Casparij. lThe fightback’s cross landed favourably at the feet of the ruthless goalscorer, and she made no mistake in slotting it past Sophie Baggaley.
Brighton fell narrowly behind shortly before the half-time whistle, regardless of their promising first-half effort to stifle the visitors.
After the break, the guests continued to push against the favourites. However, the calibre of the Sky Blues’ attacking setup shone through even in this slightly uninspiring appearance. The Seagulls were certainly handed a difficult task when it came to defending against their hosts, and while they did it well, they could not quite do enough at the other end to level the scoreline.
The Cityzens, although performing effectively, were stretched by Vidošić’s side on occasion at the Joie Stadium in Manchester. A strong defensive presence for Brighton, Poppy Pattinson was a standout as the Seagulls can hold their heads high, yet still feel disappointed not to have taken a point from the occasion.
Yui Hasegawa’s midfield dominance was largely the catalyst behind the Cityzens’ triumph today. The Japanese international fills every gap over the course of the game, both her offensive and defensive showings driving the generally high standards of Taylor’s squad.
In the end, it was Baggaley’s saves and defensive resilience from the southerners that kept the playing field fairly even. Manchester City could have found themselves further ahead, but at times Taylor’s outfit failed to execute the necessary composure in the final third.
Brighton showed promise across the length of the pitch, and will no doubt be reasonably pleased to have kept the Sky Blues at bay for the majority of the 90+ minutes.
It was not to be for Vidošić’s Brighton this Sunday, but the Seagulls continue to demonstrate the impact of their summer recruitment. They will now gear up to compete with Barclays Women’s Championship side Birmingham City in the Women’s League Cup this coming Wednesday.
Manchester City will welcome winless West Ham United next Sunday in the Barclays Women’s Super League, before being visited by FC Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League next Wednesday.
The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Yui Hasegawa
