Manchester City Women vs Manchester United Women
FA WSL
3:00pm Saturday 7th September
Etihad Stadium
Caroline Weir’s stunning 25-yard strike sealed a derby success at the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City of 31,213 facing a record Women’s Super League audience.
The left-footed taken from outside the box proved sufficient to take the points but just once Manchester United, that commanded the first half for extended periods of weir, came agonisingly close.
City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck saved brilliantly to refuse Jane Ross before the rest, then was fortunate to find back a late Jackie Groenen effort bounce off the bottom of a pole and to her arms.
Following cruising to the Women’s Championship title last year featuring in the top flight for the very first time, the side of Casey Stoney did enough to suggest they could be a substantial force this season.
Having survived an early scare when’keeper Mary Earps struggled to clean a back-pass that was loose, the visitors – cheered on with a sizeable contingent at a bunch which dwarfed 5,265’s WSL record in Brighton last year – rose to the challenge.
A brilliant, winding save from Roebuck prevented Ross out of opening the scoring in the 22nd minute if she caught on the end of a left-wing cross from Leah Galton for United.
City defender Gemma Bonner made a vital interception to deny Ross yet another shooting opportunity, then Ross and Groenen just failed to squeeze the ball over the line from another Galton cross.
Nick Cushing’s City side, intent on wresting back the WSL title in Arsenal, looked slow and short before dawn in the phase, when Weir and Janine Beckie possibly carved out half-chances.
But it was a different story after the break as City began to dominate and they caught the lead after Weir let fly with a shot from outside the box.
Beckie fired on the bar overlooked a further chance after racing over half the length of the pitch in a lightning counter-attack to miscue her attempt in the edge of the area.
As City completely dominated the half hour pinning the visitors back stoney’s side seemed to visibly wilt.
City doubled their advantage in the 81st minute when the Beckie played with with a fantastic lay-off in Tessa Wullaert screwed a shot that was rising over the bar from a tight angle also the box.
But there was still time for United to come agonisingly close to snatching a stage when Groenen was found in the City box in the 83rd minute.
Despite stumbling because she attempted her first shot, the striker trickled an attempt that beat Roebuck but rebounded off the foot of back and a pole into the relieved’keeper’s arms.
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