Manchester City made short work of returning to the top of the Women’s Super League table, winning 5-0 against West Ham United to establish a three-point lead over Chelsea and, crucially, a goal difference superior.
It took City 23 seconds to open the scoring as Spanish full-back Leila Ouahabi scored her first goal for the club. Then, 150 seconds later, it was 2-0 as Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw had time to push away Lauren Hemp’s cross before finishing on the turn. She then scored her 21st league goal of the season in the 24th minute.
Midweek, Chelsea hosted Aston Villa, winning 3-0 but failing to fully punish their opponents after goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off after just four minutes. City, however, made sure to score as many goals as possible, adding two late goals in the 81st and 86th minutes from Laura Blindkilde Brown and Jess Park.
But once again it was the Bunny Shaw show, as she became the second-fastest player to reach 50 goals in the WSL and the first to score a goal in 10 consecutive matches. Shaw is just two goals away from breaking the WSL single-season goalscoring record of 22 goals, reached by Vivianne Miedema and Rachel Daly.
Her time to achieve this could be limited, however, after being replaced at half-time by what manager Gareth Taylor described as a “foot injury”. Shaw was pictured in a boot after the match, but Taylor played it down.
“It always looks worse when they’re on crutches, but that’s just for relief (not to put weight on the foot),” he said. “It was unclear if she was going to come back at halftime, which makes it seem like it might not be too big a deal, but we’ll have to see.”
City have been fortunate to maintain good health for most of the season, with Dutch midfielder Jill Roord their only notable long-term absentee. There is no doubt that Shaw would be a huge loss for them, with just a fortnight until their biggest challenge of the season when Arsenal travel to the Joie Stadium – but Manchester City are firmly in the driver’s seat in the title race.
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What you may have missed
Tottenham and Manchester United staged a dress rehearsal for May’s FA Cup final as Maya Le Tissier scored a 92nd-minute equalizer to keep United in fourth place.
United led 1-0 thanks to Melvine Malard, on loan from Lyon, but two goals in two minutes from Bethany England and Jessica Naz allowed Tottenham to turn the situation around. Those were Tottenham’s only two shots on target in the entire match, as they played without Grace Clinton, on loan from United, who will also be ineligible for this final.
Robert Vilahamn’s side lost 4-0 to United in the reverse fixture, but Spurs have gradually improved this season. He hopes they can go further when they get to Wembley.
Time of the week
Trailing 2-0 with 80 minutes remaining, Lyon faced a rescue mission in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. However, three goals in six minutes stunned their league rivals and handed Lyon a 3-2 victory. Amel Majri came off the bench to score the winner, letting the ball run delightfully between her legs on the edge of the box before turning and surprising goalkeeper Constance Picaud.
Before the match, PSG could have been content to enter their home game with a single-goal deficit, but losing a two-goal lead could be a fatal blow mentally.
When it comes to Lyon in the Champions League, they can never be written off.
Player of the week
Chelsea’s 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona in the first leg was a historic result against a team who had not lost at home for five seasons.
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This should also be a particularly proud moment for Jess Carter. The 26-year-old England centre-back has grown immensely as a player over the past two years, but her dominant defensive performance was a huge step up from her struggles during Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in 2021 Champions League final.
Both aggressive and poised, Carter is always at her best as part of a backline, and her vocal leadership on the pitch has grown significantly during the long-term absence of captain Millie Bright.
At the age of 16, Carter made her name in football with a player of the match performance in the same competition for Birmingham City. A decade later, she won this award again, and deservedly so.
Goal of the week
Brighton & Hove Albion’s defensive weaknesses once again cost them dearly as Everton won 2-1 at Broadfield Stadium on Friday night. While Brighton improved under Mikey Harris, they gave Everton far too many opportunities due to lax marking or errors at the back.
Everton’s first match was a personal satisfaction for a family as the Holmgaard twins linked up to score in the 60th minute. It was Sara who found the space to cross Karen who was arriving at the far post.
Despite Tatiana Pinto’s equalizer shortly afterwards, Guro Bergsvand’s own goal gave Everton manager Brian Sorensen three points in the week he celebrated signing a new contract with the club.
What’s coming
The second legs of the Champions League semi-finals take place this weekend, with Barcelona attempting to overturn the deficit on Saturday evening at Stamford Bridge (KO 5:30 p.m. UK; 12:30 p.m. ET) before PSG and Lyon play on Sunday ( 3:00 p.m. UK; 10:00 a.m. ET).
(Top image: Ian Hodgson/PA Images via Getty Images)