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 historic derby victory in the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City of 31,213 facing a listing Women’s Super League crowd.
Weir’s left-footed shot from outside the box proved sufficient to take the things but only after Manchester United, who dominated the first half for extended periods, came agonisingly close.
City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck saved to refuse Jane Ross before the break, then was fortunate to see a Jackie Groenen effort bounce straight off the bottom of a pole and into her arms.
After cruising to the Women’s Championship title last year, featuring in the top flight for the first time, Casey Stoney’s side did enough to suggest they could be a force this year.
Having survived an early scare when’keeper Mary Earps struggled to clear a back-pass that was loose, the traffic – cheered on by a contingent in a crowd which dwarfed the WSL listing of 5,265 in Brighton last season – rose to the challenge.
Just a brilliant, winding save from Roebuck prevented Ross from starting the scoring at the 22nd minute if she landed at the conclusion of a left handed cross from Leah Galton for United.
City defender Gemma Bonner made a vital interception to deny Ross another opportunity Groenen and Ross just failed to squeeze the ball over the line.
Nick Cushing’s City side, intent on wresting back the WSL name in Arsenal, looked sluggish and short until late in the period, when Janine Beckie and Weir equally carved out half-chances.
However, it was a different story after the break as City started to control and they grabbed the lead in three minutes of the restart when Weir let fly with a rising shot from beyond the box.
Beckie fired on the bar then overlooked a opportunity after hurrying over of the length of the pitch in a lightning counter-attack, simply to miscue her final effort.
As City completely dominated the half hour pinning the visitors back in their own 24, stoney’s side appeared to wilt.
City doubled their advantage when the Beckie played a from Tessa Wullaert pulled a climbing shot just over the bar from a tight angle and the box.
But there was still time for United to come agonisingly close to snatching a point when Groenen was found unmarked in the City box at the 83rd minute.
Despite stumbling as she attempted her shot, the Dutch striker trickled an effort which beat Roebuck but rebounded off the foot of back and a post to the alleviated’keeper’s arms.
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