It took until the fifth minute of injury-time for Manchester City to be sure their 100 percent start to the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) season would continue.
The champions were pushed all the way by a spirited Liverpool side that flirted with relegation for long spells of last season. On the basis of the three performances this term, there’s no chance of that threat being repeated.
City were frustrated for long spells on Friday, as Liverpool effectively interrupted the Blues’ passing sequences and tempo. Up until the latter stages, there was audible frustration inside the Joie Stadium, a fact epitomised when Yui Hasegawa threw her arms up exasperatedly in the 51st minute, as again she and her teammates were unable to disrupt Liverpool’s quickfire passes through the middle.
Some supporters made an early dart before injury-time to avoid the Manchester traffic on a chilly autumnal night. In doing so, they missed the two late goals that transformed a frustrating draw into a deceptively comfortable scoreline.
The Blues’ 4-2 win doesn’t tell the story of a pulsating, engrossing game that kicked off the third week of BWSL action. It was a match of contradictions. Liverpool were unfortunate to end up on the losing side, and yet City, despite their two injury-time goals, will believe on another night they could have doubled their tally.
The hosts hit the woodwork twice and Bunny Shaw went close with two late efforts, the second of which hit an almost immobile Khiara Keating, who sustained an ankle injury during the chaotic final throes.
The stats told the story of City’s attacking potency. Eight big chances, an expected goals figure of 4.27 and 33 touches in the opposition box. To produce such numbers in a game that didn’t go to plan for long spells is remarkable.
After an hour, with the score tied at 2-2, Liverpool were the superior side. Gareth Taylor, back at his former stamping ground, set his side up to stymie City’s midfield control and press the opposition high, while Vivien Endemann’s direct dribbling from the left flank caused repeated issues.
As the grumbles became louder from the City fans, Andree Jeglertz realised something had to change.
Reversing momentum
Ultimately, it was City’s substitutions that turned the tide. Sam Coffey, Kerstin Casparij and Aoba Fujino came on in the 61st minute, followed quickly by Grace Clinton. Suddenly, City had the control they had sought all night.
The arrivals pushed City to new heights. They were now able to dictate the flow and pace of the match and, coupled with a tiring Liverpool, things gradually tilted back in the hosts' favour.
Admittedly, it helps when you have Lauren Hemp tearing down the wing, bulldozing over everything in her path. The winger was insatiable against Liverpool; her penetrative runs and link-up were the game’s determining factor.
After Grace Fisk unfortunately turned the ball into her own net in the 90th minute, Hemp netted the last of the game’s six goals as she capitalised on a defensive mix-up from Liverpool before running the entirety of the opponent’s half and slotting past Keating.
It was her second goal of a night where she’d opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a vicious near-post shot. And it was her attempt that resulted in Shaw’s second-half equaliser, with Hemp undoubtedly the player of the match.
“She is such a fantastic player and she plays at a different level at the moment,” claimed Jeglertz after the game.
“To succeed you need other players. Well, maybe not Lauren Hemp with how she is playing,” he later joked.
Having the league’s in-form player and standout scorer at his disposal should help Jeglertz overcome most challenges, even if City still require refinements.
Ominous signs
In two key areas, City are evolving this season. Carlotta Wamser’s arrival has restructured the defence given the left-back’s penchant for driving inside on her right foot. On several occasions against Liverpool, her industrious, direct running punched a hole in the Reds’ organized rearguard, especially for Hemp’s opener, which Wamser provided via an excellent cutback into the box.
“She’s coming in with so much energy. She is a very special player to look at,” was Jeglertz’s post-match verdict. “She is bringing a lot of things to us, both defending and attacking. She is going to be really important for us this year.
“We have changed a little bit. If you play with Alex Greenwood, who has played left-back a lot, it changes the combinations because she is left footed.”
“I am not changing anything in the way Carlotta is playing. I want her to bring what she has done in her former club and national team,” he added.
The decision to deploy Mary Fowler as a right winger provides another fascinating evolution from last season. The 22-year-old routinely dropped deep or inside and looked for Shaw with through balls in behind. One such instance just before half-time saw the City striker round Keating and hit the post.
The front three behind Shaw continuously interchanged positions, even after the substitutions. It had mixed success on this occasion, with Beth Mead relatively quiet on her 200th BWSL appearance and Fowler struggling to make a telling impact.. Yet, Jeglertz believes the system will only become more effective as the season progresses and on-field relationships form.
That City could potentially still improve makes their start to the campaign even more impressive. Eleven goals from three games is an excellent haul, and the attacking output on a slightly indifferent night against Liverpool pleased the City coach.
“We have so many different ways of scoring,” said Jeglertz. “We scored on some set-plays, now Lauren Hemp scored two goals today and she is having a lot of opportunities, Bunny had a great opportunity today, we have some shots from just outside the box, Aoba Fujino is creating chances, Mary Fowler had a couple. We can score in so many different ways.
“We have individual skills but we also have, as a team, opportunities to score from crosses, central combinations, set-plays. There are so many different tools. We had it last year, but I think we have added some more steps in that.”
That may ultimately be the most encouraging sign for City, who outscored everyone last season. They weren’t at their best against Liverpool, were repeatedly frustrated by Taylor's game plan and needed until the final stages to settle the contest. And still they scored four and produced 18 shots.
If this is what City's attacking depth can produce on an off-colour night, it should serve as an ominous sign to the rest of the BWSL.
