Manchester City beat Everton 2-0 in the Women’s Super League. The win keeps City clear at the top of the table.
Manchester City started the match with high energy and control. They pressed Everton from the first minutes and did not allow many clear attacks. In the 14th minute, Bunny Shaw had a good chance to score, but goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan made a strong save to keep the score at 0-0.
The first goal came in the 26th minute. Kerolin made a direct run into the penalty area and took a shot. The ball hit Martina and changed direction, leaving Brosnan with no chance to react. Everton thought they had equalised in the 39th minute when Martina put the ball in the net, but the referee ruled the goal out for a foul on City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita.
City’s midfield kept the pace of the game. Laura Blindkilde, Yui Hasegawa, and Kerstin Casparij passed the ball well and moved it quickly across the pitch. Everton suffered a setback just before halftime when Katja Snoeijs picked up a serious-looking injury and had to leave the field. The referee added six minutes of stoppage time, but neither team scored again before the break.
After halftime, City looked for a second goal to close the match. A smart pass from Casparij reached Shaw, who set up Lauren Hemp, but Holmgaard blocked Hemp’s shot. City kept pushing and were rewarded in the 63rd minute. Shaw lifted the ball into the box, Viviane Miedema controlled it calmly, and then finished to make it 2-0. Later, Grace Clinton came on for Miedema and had a few chances, but could not add another goal.
Across the 90 minutes, City had 31 shots, with 13 on target, showing how often they tested Everton’s defence. The 2-0 win was comfortable in the end and keeps City in first place on 33 points. They now hold a six-point lead over Chelsea and are ten points ahead of Arsenal, who drew with Manchester United earlier in the round.
