“Believe” read the signs at The CopperJax Community Stadium.
Fans of London City Lionesses are starting to.
Third in the table nearly a quarter of the way through the season, and five points clear of fourth place, owner Michele Kang’s pre-season claims that London City are ready to compete for the title are looking more conceivable with every passing week. At the very least, a Champions League place feels like an increasing possibility for a side that has won the last six in all competitions.
Kang doesn’t lack ambition. And after a summer where Alexia Putellas and Maria Leon were among the headline additions, perhaps occupying a spot towards the league summit should not come as a shock.
And yet, not since 2013/14 has the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) top three been infiltrated by a side other than Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City. The size of that achievement cannot be overstated, particularly for a team participating in just their second top-flight campaign.
There’s a long way to go, of course, but Sunday’s win over Everton was another important step in the right direction.
A classic game of two halves, London City both amazed and disappointed in south-east London.
First-half strikes from Delphine Cascarino and Freya Godfrey underlined the hosts’ early dominance. The goals continue to be spread across the team - no BWSL team can better London City’s nine different scorers so far this term.
In five of the club’s six BWSL matches they have managed to net multiple goals, with the six put past Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break an eye-catching result. Some viewed it as a marker being laid down, an indication of the quality at Eder Maestre’s disposal.
Against Everton they didn’t perform with the same swashbuckling swagger, but for periods of the opening 45, London City comfortably zipped the ball around. Midfielders Grace Geyoro and Daniela Arques were excellent and controlled the game’s tempo, while Kadidiatou Diani pushed inside to create overloads in central areas.
But London City were happy to play more vertical when required, while their orchestrated pressing resulted in Godfrey’s 34th-minute strike.
At the break Everton’s heads were spinning. If this was a boxing match, it would have been all but over.
But the Toffees, to their immense credit, rallied after the interval, and managed to stymie London City’s forward surges.
Everton have an unmistakable ability to keep games tight and cagey. Only one BWSL match this season has been decided by a winning margin greater than one.
On Sunday, they managed to restore a sense of competition that had been amiss in the first period. Try as they might, London City just couldn’t pull clear.
Uncertainty quickly settled in as their play became increasingly ponderous. That was amplified when Hannah Cain netted an excellent header late on.
Naomi Layzell then failed to convert the game’s best opening with three minutes remaining, and London City breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ultimately we’re proud of the reaction in the second half, we have to acknowledge that,” Scott Phelan told Everton’s website.
“First half was a strange one; I thought we actually started okay and then we just had a strange spell in the middle where we lost a little belief and we spoke a lot about transitional moments. The speed and athleticism they have in their team is real.”
Had London City let their two-goal lead slip, there would have been immense frustration. They allowed the game to slide, and failed to exert the same authority or attacking impetus. Other than an inswinging late corner, London City failed to muster a shot on target after the 49th minute.
The sight of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Putellas passing the ball straight out of play summed up the substandard offering.
“Very happy with the win and the three points, but I think it was a bit sloppy at times and I think we can do much better,” was Danielle van de Donk’s honest post-match verdict.
That both sides created just one big chance apiece also speaks to London City’s lack of a spark. Ironically, this game had been billed as a clash between free-scoring London City and miserly Everton. Yet Maestre was more indebted to his defence on this occasion.
“I think every attack starts with defence and that is definitely something we work hard on. I thought today the defence was good, but the attack was a little bit sloppy,” Van de Donk told Sky Sports.
The offensive numbers have somewhat shifted focus away from how stoic the defence has been this term. Only Chelsea have conceded fewer.
That balance and the ability to win games at either end bodes well for London City as they bid to challenge City and Chelsea for top spot.
Are they capable of a title tilt? After travelling to Liverpool next, a home clash against City on 1 November will offer a real test of this side’s mettle.
Win then, and the fans really will start to believe.
