Manchester City Women 1, Bristol City Women 0
Gemma Bonner’s early volley secured three vital points for Manchester City Women against a Bristol City side who were indebted to their goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley for not conceding any more.
City were up and running in under two minutes against the injury-hit Vixens who languished at the bottom of the Barclays Women’s Super League with an enormous negative goal difference.
City piled on the agony with a goal within two minutes as Gemma Bonner converted Caroline Weir’s left wing free kick with a left footed volley that beat Sophie Baggaley.
It was Bonner’s sixth goal of the season and despite brief resistance from the Vixens it was one way traffic for City who just couldn’t make their superiority count in their hunt for more goals at a bitterly cold City.
While not the most engrossing game after Bonner’s goal it got City’s interim manager Alan Mahon off to a winning start in his first game in charge after their trip to West Ham was washed out by Storm Ciara at the weekend.
A last ditch clearance by Steph Houghton deny Ga-eul Jeon and a free header sent straight at Ellie Roebuck by Gemma Evans showed that the visitors were not going to lie down.
Manchester City thwarted in hunt for more goals against Bristol City Women
Ellen White was sent clean through after 22 minutes by Tessa Wullaert but was caught up by Evans who recovered to nick the ball away as the England striker tried to round Baggaley and shoot from six yards.
Weir twice had shots blocked by Baggaley as City continued to bang on the door while Wullaert also had a great chance blocked after Demi Stokes put her through and White hooked a Weir corner wide.
Ebony Salmon replaced Katie Robinson at the break for the Vixens but City could have doubled their lead seconds after the restart when Jill Scott’s shot was palmed away by Baggaley who went on to make two more saves in the opening seconds of the second half.
Hemp was a constant weapon down City’s left flank and picked out White with a cut back but her fierce shot was charged down by Evans as City continued to batter their visitors.
White went close twice in the last 20 minutes but instead of pressing home their advantage City lifted their foot off the gas and gave Bristol a little hope.
City became sloppy, with Wullaert earning a booking for a lunge at Frankie Brown, and Pauline Bremer replaced White with 8 minutes to go, but there was little sign of a revival from the visitors as City saw the game out to stay top of the WSL on a bitterly cold night in Manchester.
GOAL – Manchester City Women 1, Bristol City Women 0
Man City Women 1, Bristol City Women 0: 2. Gemma Bonner scored from Caroline Weir’s left wing free kick on City’s first attack of the game – a brilliant left footed volley to beat Sophie Baggaley.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City Women 1, Bristol City Women 0
Man City Women: Roebuck, Stanway, Houghton (C), Bonner, Stokes, Walsh, Weir, Scott, Hemp, Wullaert, White (Bremer 82)
Man City Women Subs not used: Benameur, Coombs, Toland, Park, Fidalgo
Booking: Wullaert 80 (foul on Frankie Brown)
Goal: Bonner 2
Bristol City Women: Baggaley, Evans, Matthews, Brown (C), Pattinson, Daniels, Wellings, Jeon (Wynne 76), Robinson (Salmon 46), Chance, Bryson
Bristol City Women Subs not used: Cummings, Allen, Collis
Attendance: 858