Manchester City hosted their rivals and neighbours for a top of the table Manchester derby.
A win for the visitors would bring them level on points with leaders Chelsea. A win for the hosts however would see them leapfrog United with a game in-hand.
The Sky Blues went into the fixture on an incredible run of form whilst Casey Stoney’s side travel to the City Football Academy on the back of a 2-0 loss to Reading.
How the teams lined up
Man City
Roebuck; Bronze, Dahlkemper, Houghton (c), Greenwood, Walsh, Weir, Stanway, Kelly, Hemp, White
Man United
Earps; Thorisdottir, A. Turner, M. Turner, Batlle, Zelem (c), Ladd, Groenen, Toone, Galton, Press
From the off, the game was end-to-end. Both teams had plenty of chances with the fixture remaining goalless for the first 24 minutes before Lucy Bronze fired the hosts in front from a corner.
As the game moved towards half-time, United began to create more chances but were unable to break down the Man city defence. Leah Galton was forced to retire not long before the half with what seemed like an ankle injury.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe two teams went in with City leading 1-0 at the break. The second half began with an Ellen White shot that was saved by Mary Earps just two minutes in.
In the 71st minute, Lauren Hemp doubled the home side’s lead when the United defence failed to clear Chloe Kelly’s initial shot.
Ellie Roebuck required medical treatment after seeming to injure her neck around the 77th minute, but following assessment was able to continue.
Caroline Weir sealed the victory for the hosts with a world class shot dipping under the bar, leaving Earps with no chance.
Embed from Getty ImagesPlayers of the match
Ellie Roebuck
The Man City goalie wasn’t under the same pressure as her United counterpart but whenever her team needed her, the No.26 was there.
Lucy Bronze
From scoring the first goal, Bronze was off to a great start early on. Making runs forward to put pressure on the United defence and forming a pivotal part of the City defence, Bronze was exceptional in every area of the pitch.
