MANCHESTER CITY WOMEN 2, BRISTOL CITY WOMEN 2
It has been a difficult week for Manchester City’s Women’s team captain Steph Houghton, but she put her troubles behind her for 90 minutes to score a last minute equaliser after it seemed for long periods that Bristol City women would be recording a shock win at the City Football Academy Stadium.
Danique Kerkdijk and Juliette Kempii scored for Bristol City’s Women after mistakes by Karen Bardsley but a late Nikita Parris penalty gave Manchester City hope before captain Steph Houghton curled in an equaliser at the end.
Only a week earlier, Manchester City had beaten Bristol City 3-0 away in the Continental Tyres Cup but they were wasteful in front of goal back at the City Football Academy and looked off the pace after Bardsley’s errors left City 2-0 down until the 83rd minute.
The visitors sat back on their lead with a deep lying defence, inviting pressure from City, but had their own goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley to thank for keeping a first half clean sheet despite being under intense siege from City.
Although City had started impressively, it was Bristol City who had the better chances with Ella Rutherford twice breaking free after intercepting loose balls but Bardsley wasn’t overly troubled.
Karen Bardsley mistakes almost condemn City to defeat
It all changed after just 16 minutes following a free kick routine by the Bristol City players. With the sun in her eyes, Bardsley dropped Ella Rutherford’s high looping ball in front of her and Kerkdijk was well placed for the tap-in.
Encouraged, Kemppi tried her luck from range while City tried to get back into the game with a good header by Nadia Nadim testing Sophie Baggaley following a left wing cross by Caroline Weir.
Weir’s corner was headed towards goal by Jill Scott as City kept up the pressure with Baggaley again making the save while Tessa Wullaert’s shot was deflected over the bar, Claire Emslie’s header from Parris’ cross went wide, Weir’s shot was saved by Baggaley and captain Steph Houghton was also off target with a close range shot.
Weir tried another low shot from range which Baggaley tipped away while Nadim was wasteful with a turn and shot and Houghton saw a free kick deflected for a corner.
Keira Walsh curled one towards the top corner after collecting Weir’s corner but was thwarted again by a great save by Baggaley.
Sophie Baggaley kept Bristol City Women in the game
Baggaley was immensely brave to dive down to block a certain goal by a sliding Nadim who was reaching for a ball into the area.
Wullaert tested Baggaley before the break but found 21 year old equal to her low drive.
The Vixens hit City on the break, just 5 minutes into the second half, when Bardsley came out of her area to collect a loose ball, lost out to Kemppi and could only watch helplessly as the Finnish striker lobbed the ball 40 yards into the empty net.
Cushing threw on Georgia Stanway and Jess Park – sacrificing Nadia Nadim and Jill Scott – as City searched for a way back into the game but found themselves running into a red wall at every turn.
City become sloppy in the second half, seeing key passes blocked by the Bristol defenders as they tried to pick their way through.
Frustration spilled over as Stanway was booked for a foul on Alicia Johnson.
But Johnson was responsible for a way back into the game for City after she tripped Nikita Parris in the area and Parris duly buried the resulting penalty to give City renewed hope.
Stanway fired over the bar as City closed in on an unlikely equaliser but it duly came at the end of regulation time when Emslie’s cross was laid off to Houghton by Stanway and the City captain curled the ball 20 yards into the net beyond the dive of Baggaley.
City laid siege to the Bristol goal, going close several times in injury time, but the visitors clung on for a point after managing to repel a final attack by Parris, who had earlier celebrated 100 appearances for the club, despite looking likely to take all three for most of the match.
The result leaves City in third, four points behind the WSL pace setters Arsenal Women and Birmingham City Women, after three rounds of the new league season.
GOALS – Manchester City Women 2, Bristol City Women 2
16. A free kick routine by the Bristol City players caught City cold. With the sun in her eyes, Karen Bardsley dropped Ella Rutherford’s looping free kick in front of her and Danique Kerkdijk was well placed for the tap-in.
48. Karen Bardsley came well out of her area to collect a loose ball, lost out to Juliette Kemppi, and could only watch helplessly as the Finnish striker lobbed the ball 40 yards into the empty net.
83. Nikita Parris buries a penalty after being tripped by Alicia Johnson in the Bristol area.
90. Claire Emslie’s cross was laid off to Steph Houghton by Georgia Stanway and the City captain curled the ball into the net from outside the area beyond the dive of Baggaley.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City Women 2, Bristol City Women 2
Man City Women: Bardsley, Weir, Houghton, Beattie, McManus (Bonner 46), Walsh, Scott (Stanway 55), Wullaert, Parris, Emslie, Nadim (Park 55)
Man City Women Subs not used: Roebuck, Mie Leth Jans, Lawley, Morgan
Booked: Stanway
Goals: Parris 83 pen, Houghton 90
Bristol City Women: Baggaley, Dykes, Evans (Johnson 73), Brown, Kerkdijk, Pattinson (Woolley 90+4), Humphrey, Kemppi, Rutherford (Payne 68), Graham, Biesmans
Bristol City Women Subs not used: Cummings, Rood, Ayane, Wilson
Goals: Kerkdijk 16, Kempii 50
Attendance: 1,338