Manchester City Women vs Manchester United Women
FA WSL
3:00pm Saturday 7th September
Etihad Stadium
Caroline Weir’s gorgeous 25-yard strike sealed a historical derby success in the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City facing a listing Women’s Super League bunch of 31,213.
Weir shot from outside the box but just once Manchester United, that commanded the first half for long periods, came agonisingly close to snatching a draw.
City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck saved to refuse Jane Ross ahead of the rest, then was fortunate to find back a late night Jackie Groenen effort bounce straight off the bottom of a post and to her arms.
Featuring after cruising last year, the side of Casey Stoney did enough to indicate that they could be a force this year.
Having survived an early scare when’keeper Mary Earps struggled to clean a loose back-pass, the people – cheered on by a large contingent at a crowd which dwarfed the WSL list of 5,265 at Brighton last season – rose to the challenge.
A superb prevented Ross by starting the scoring at the 22nd minute if she landed from Leah Galton at the end of a left-wing cross for United.
City defender Gemma Bonner made a crucial interception to deny Ross another opportunity Ross and Groenen simply failed to squeeze the ball over the line.
The City side, intent on wresting back the WSL title in Arsenal of nick Cushing, looked sluggish and short on ideas until dawn in the first period, when Weir and Janine Beckie equally carved out half-chances.
But it was a different story after the break as City started to dominate after Weir let fly with a shot from beyond the box, and they caught the lead within three minutes of the restart.
Beckie fired on the bar overlooked a further opportunity after hurrying over half the period of the pitch in a lightning counter-attack, only to miscue her attempt from the edge of the region.
The side of stoney appeared to visibly wilt as City dominated the half hour pinning the visitors back inside their own half.
City almost doubled their advantage when the impressive Beckie played with a fantastic lay-off from the box and also Tessa Wullaert pulled a climbing shot just over the bar from a tight angle.
But there was time for United to come agonisingly close to snatching a stage once Groenen was found in the City box in the 83rd minute.
Because she attempted her first shot despite stumbling, the Dutch striker trickled an attempt which defeat Roebuck but rebounded off the foot of straight back and a post into the relieved’keeper’s arms.
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