Khadija Shaw sparked some Easter magic as Manchester City cruised to victory at Liverpool to move three points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League. The striker also extended her lead in the Golden Boot race by two goals, the first of which will go down as one of the strikes of the season.
City were limited to 35% possession in the opening 10 minutes after facing early pressure from Matt Beard’s side. But they gathered momentum and Lauren Hemp broke the deadlock from close range in the 16th minute after latching on to a loose ball in the six-yard box.
The advantage was doubled when Mary Fowler found Jess Park on the edge of the penalty area. Park’s shot was driven across the Liverpool goalkeeper, Rachael Laws, and into the bottom-left corner. Before the hosts could compose themselves, they were left stunned by an outstanding 25-yard strike from Shaw.
With City in command at the break, Beard made three changes in an attempt to fight back. Liverpool improved during the second half, but a lapse in concentration at the back enabled Shaw to score her second, and 19th of the season, with a back-post header.
The Reds scored a consolation goal in the late stages after Taylor Hinds’s shot from distance rattled the crossbar and bounced in off the back of the City goalkeeper, Khiara Keating.
The Manchester City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, who has been out of the team this season after playing 17 out of 22 Women’s Super League matches in 2022-23, has revealed that “having not felt well for a little while”, she has been receiving treatment after tests revealed she had suffered a left occipital infarct, a form of stroke.
She wrote on social media: “Thankfully, there is no lasting damage to my brain function or vision. I’ve had many weeks of follow up tests, specialist appointments, and with the support of the medical team at the club I’m on the road to recovery.”
City move three points clear, although Chelsea have a game in hand as they are in Continental Cup final action on Sunday.
“It’s big,” said the City manager, Gareth Taylor. “I always look at the performance being the catalyst for what we do. We know what we have to do between now and the end of the season and we know what others can do. We have the international break now and then we will look forward to West Ham at home.”
