Manchester City were desperate to get some points on the board as they prepared to host West Ham this weekend.
Coming off the back of a resounding victory over Leicester City in the FA Cup, the Sky Blues were hoping their tough spell was coming to an end. They had lost three games on the bounce prior to their league meeting with the Irons on Sunday.
The streak of poor form saw them slip to eighth in the table.
West Ham went into Sunday’s clash a place above their hosts with four points under their belts. The visitors had also faced Leicester in their last game, where they put four past the Foxes in the WSL.
Starting XIs
Manchester City
Taieb; Beckie, Scott, Greenwood, Stokes, Walsh (Coombs 45′), Angeldahl (Stanway 68′), Weir, Park, Hemp, White (c) (Shaw 68′)
West Ham
Arnold; Longhurst, Cissoko, Flaherty (c), Wyne, Stringer (Filis 90+1′), Brynjarsdottir, Yallop, Svitkova (Parker 81′), Hasegawa, Walker (Leon 60′)
How it went
Man City started the game brightly – enjoying the majority of the early possession. Jess Park and Lauren Hemp were providing their team with plenty of opportunities to take the lead with attacking runs down the wings. However, none of their chances came to fruition.
The game began to open up as the first half progressed, however the hosts arguably had the better chances to go ahead.
Dagný Brynjarsdóttir broke the deadlock in the 39th minute as she got on the end of a Yui Hasegawa cross and nodded it into the net.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe game went to half time with the visitors leading 1-0 and further questions being asked of last season’s league runners-up.
The 63rd minute appeared to bring a change of fortune for Gareth Taylor’s side through an Ellen White equaliser, but her goal was quickly ruled offside.
West Ham continued to press their hosts as City struggled to find the clinical edge they needed in front of goal. Despite consistent pressure from the hosts, Hasegawa doubled the Hammers’ lead with a long range strike in injury time.
The defeat marks Manchester City’s third successive league defeat, a first in their history.
Embed from Getty ImagesPost match thoughts
Speaking to the media after the game, Gareth Taylor was clearly frustrated by the defeat.
The City manager was asked whether he felt able to turn the season around.
“I’ve proved I can bring a brand of football thats exciting to watch and that it is winning football,” he replied.
Olli Harder on the other hand was full of praise for his players. Harder spoke on the quality of both Mackenzie Arnold and Yui Hasegawa’s performances.
The West Ham manager also spoke of the duration of the season and the importance of staying level-headed.
