Honours even as City draw with United in Manchester derby

Bunny Shaw looked to have given the visitors all three points at Progress With Unity Stadium with a second half strike.

But, with the clock ticking down to full-time, Elisabeth Terland fired the hosts level at the death.

The result kept us second in the Women’s Super League table, only behind Chelsea on goal difference, Sonia Bompastor’s side having leapfrogged the Blues following a 3-1 success at Crystal Palace earlier in the day.

THE GAME IN BRIEF

It’s been blustery here in Manchester over the last 24 hours with Storm Boelo blowing through the UK.

Full respect to those who made it to Progress With Unity Stadium in these inclement wet and windy conditions.

When the action kicked off, the players were just as intense as the weather as both United and City battled for bragging rights in the Manchester derby.

Lauren Hemp had the first effort of note, twisting and turning in the left channel before letting loose with a right foot shot which Phallon Tullis-Joyce collected on the move.

Aoba Fujino then let fly with a rocket of a shot but the ball flew marginally wide of its target as the Blues continued to chase an opener.

United had their moments, too, though, with Elisabeth Terland only just failing to reach a ball into the box from Ella Toone.

Toone herself then tried to chip Ayaka Yamashita but the goalkeeper did well to collect the floated effort before Terland squandered the best opportunity of the first half.

The No.10 failed to get the right connection after a ball into the box from Andrea Medina Martin on the left.

Hemp tried a cheeky chip as the clock ticked down to half-time but her effort nestled on the top of the net with the referee calling time shortly afterwards.

The game continued in much the same manner after the break with both teams eyeing a defining moment.

Bunny Shaw was sent through by Aoba Fujino in the opening moments of the second half but she saw her shot sail over the bar.

For the hosts, Terland managed to evade Alex Greenwood with a blindside run but couldn’t beat the dependable Yamashita with her right foot effort hit straight at the keeper.

Meanwhile, Hinata Miyazawa attempted a piledriver from 25 yards which flew wide before former City midfielder Jess Park clipped the bar with an effort from similar distance.

Shaw, always a menace in the opposition box, turned Maya Le Tissier inside-out before forcing a fine save from Tullis-Joyce.

But our brilliant No.9 wouldn’t be denied, firing forcefully home to open the scoring after being played in superbly by Mary Fowler.

She could – and probably should – have doubled the advantage soon after but nudged substitute Kerstin Casparij’s cross from the right over the bar when well placed. 

Julia Zigiotti had a golden chance to level matters for the hosts as the derby developed in the second half but the Swede ballooned the ball over the bar after being played in by Medina Martin.

But City continued to push for a second, Shaw first glancing a corner ball wide with her head before Fujino forced a good save from Tullis-Joyce.

Substitute Grace Clinton - up against his former club - had a great chance to settle the match after being played in by Hemp but the former United midfielder couldn’t finish from close-range.

There was late drama as the hosts drew level at the death, Terland finishing smartly in the box.

TEAMS

UNITED XI | Tullis-Joyce, Lundkvist, Le Tissier (C), Janssen, Sandberg (Griffiths 78’), Zigiotti Olme (Schuller 88’), Miyazawa, Park (Jusu Bah 88’), Toone (Awujo 78’), Medina, Terland

SUBS | Bernal, Hill, Leitzig, Simpson, Wangerheim

CITY XI | Yamashita, Beney (Clinton 67’), Rose, Greenwood (C), Wamser (Charles 88’), Hasegawa, Blindkilde Brown (Lohmann 88’), Fowler (Casparij 67’), Fujino, Hemp, Shaw.

SUBS | Cumings, Wienroither, Knaak, Prior, Davies. 

100 up for Bunny

Bunny Shaw brought up a milestone in the 1-1 draw with United.

Shaw made her 100th WSL appearance – with 91 goals coming in those 100 games.

Before kick-off, she had already scored 12 more goals than any other player managed in their first 100 outings, adding another against the Red Devils.

Shaw also became the first player to score in their first seven starts to a WSL season.

She remains the leading goalscoring in Manchester derbies in the Women’s Super League, scoring five times in eight starts.

WHAT IT MEANS

The result means defending champions City are on the shoulder of Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table.

Sonia Bompastor’s side came from behind to see off Crystal Palace 3-1 earlier today at The 360 Engage Stadium to clock up six wins and one draw from their opening seven games and go ahead of the Blues.

City’s draw with United moved us level on 19 points but behind the eight-time WSL winners on goal difference.

Next Fixture

All fixtures

Thu 29 Oct

UEFA WCL

Man City

20:00

GMT

PSG

WHAT’S NEXT

City are in UEFA Women’s Champions League action later this week.

The Blues host Paris Saint-Germain this coming Thursday with an 20:00 (UK) kick-off at the Joie Stadium.

We’ve started our UWCL campaign with two draws to date, a 2-2 away at Bayern Munich and a 1-1 at home to Real Madrid.

It’s a League Phase format with fixtures against six different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.

After PSG, we take on Inter away on Tuesday 10 November, Hacken Women away on Wednesday 18 November and Austria Wien at home on Wednesday 16 December.

The top four sides in the League Phase will qualify automatically for the quarter-finals, while the teams finishing in 5th to 12th place compete in two-legged knockout phase play-offs to secure their path to the last eight. Teams ranked 13 to 18 are eliminated.

We’re currently 11th while our opponents, PSG - two-time runners-up in the competition in 2015 and 2017 where they lost out to Frankfurt and Lyon respectively – are third with current holders FC Barcelona in top spot.