Report: Bristol City Women 0-3 Manchester City Women

What Happened? 

In the opening exchanges of the tie it was the visitors who were in charge, they were dominant in possession and starved Bristol City of the ball.

The first chance of the game fell to Stanway of Manchester City on the seventeen minute mark when the ball was laid off to her by Nadim, but the England U20 striker fired her shot wide of Sophie Baggaley’s goal.

Manchester City kept knocking on the door throughout the first half, but Bristol City held them out with resolute defending. Stand out tackles from Gemma Evans and Poppy Pattinson stopped the visitors’ best chances of the half as it remained 0-0 till the half time break. 

As the second half progressed it was Claire Emslie who broke the deadlock, her curling cross from the edge of the box took a slight deflection off the head of Gemma Evans to give Manchester City the lead.

The next goal came on the sixty-seven minute mark when Emslie was brought down in the box by Poppy Pattinson. Nadia Nadim stepped up to take the penalty and converted from the spot.

Bristol City’s best chance of the half fell to Juliette Kemppi, who broke from her own half and beat two Manchester City defenders but her effort didn’t trouble goalkeeper Roebuck.

Caroline Weir produced a sublime strike on the seventy-fifth minute mark seal all three points. The midfielder picked up the ball in the Bristol City half and her superb strike found the top corner of Sophie Baggaley’s goal. 

Key Moment: 

Claire Emslie was a threat all afternoon and her goal was the breakthrough that Manchester City needed.

She picked up the ball on the edge of the Bristol City box and her curling effort seemed to be heading into the far corner of the goal, but her shot took a slight deflection of the head of Gemma Evans and went into the back of the net. 

Teams:

Bristol City Women squad in full:

Baggaley, Dykes (C), Kerkdijk, Brown, Evans, Pattinson, Wilson (Humphrey 56), Biesmans, Rood (Johnson 56), Woolley (Payne 80’), Kemppi

Unused Subs: Watson, Rutherford

Manchester City Women squad in full: 

Roebuck, Bonner (Morgan 82), Houghton (C), Beattie, Walsh (Bonner 82), Weir, Stanway, Wullaert, Emslie, Hemp, Nadim

Unused subs: Bardsley, Lawley, Parris, McManus

Photo of the match: