Manchester City Women saw off Liverpool 4-2 in the Women's Super League on Thursday evening at the Etihad. The result keeps City unbeaten through three games and extends their recent winning run to five matches. Liverpool, who had won just once in the league so far, fought back after going behind twice before the break.
L. Hemp opened the scoring in the 13th minute, a clean finish after a period of pressure. City doubled their advantage before the quarter-hour mark when A. Bergstrom found the net in the 19th minute. V. Endemann added a third shortly after, capitalising on Liverpool's defensive disorganisation in the 29th minute. K. Shaw made it 4-0 just before half-time, the fourth goal coming in the 45th minute plus two.
And here's the thing about City's approach — they did not travel to make up the numbers. Their statistics tell the story: 58 per cent possession, 82 attacks compared to Liverpool's 62, and seven big chances created against just two for the visitors. The shots tell a similar tale. City registered 15 attempts inside the penalty area, Liverpool nine. Yet the accuracy figures were close — 39 per cent for City, 36 per cent for Liverpool — and that is where the second half would unfold.
Liverpool pulled one back through G. Fisk's own goal in the 90th minute, a moment that came after City had switched off at a set piece. Hemp added a second for City in the 95th minute, a late strike that settled the contest. There were three substitutions for both sides in the final minutes — M. Fowler, L. Blindkilde and I. Beney for City at 62 minutes, alongside B. Mead and B. Olsson. Liverpool brought on S. Kerr, N. Ramos and V. Endemann when the clock showed 90 plus three.
By then the result was clear enough. City remain top of the table with nine points from three games, three wins and nothing else to write home about. Liverpool sit third with four points, one win, one draw and one defeat. The gap between them now stands at five points, and City have made it harder for anyone to catch up.
