Match Report: Bunny Fires Manchester City Women to League Cup Semis

Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City came from behind to defeat Bristol City and set set up a League Cup semi-final appearance with Spurs. Vicky Losada made sure of the victory after Alex Greenwood’s own goal had given the visitors the lead.

After a turbulent first half of the season, the blues have redicovered their form and, after hammering Leicester City 5-0 in their final match of the group stage, City were rewarded with a home tie against the West Country outfit.

The three time winners qualification hopes had hung in the balance, but a devasting display at their fellow WSL side had vanquished fears of failing to qualify, eventually finishing top of the group. However, the match didn’t start according to plan as Greenwood inadvertently gave the vsitors the lead after just 16 minutes on the clock.

The blues allowed Beever-Jones to break forward and Greenwood attempted to cut out her low cross, but only succeeded in diverting the ball past Khiara Keating in the City goal.

City stepped up the urgency after the goal and Shaw scored her first in the 27th minute after a period of sustained pressure on the Bristol defence. Losada played the ball to her and Shaw had the power and strength to muscle her way past the defender and hit a low shot to the keeper’s right.

The striker showed great awareness of the players around her, turned and charged forward before sidefooting home to make it 1-1.

And the Jamaican gave the blues the lead on the stroke of half-time with another well-taken goal. Lucy Bronze’s cross was taken in her stride by Shaw, and the striker turned the defender again and fired home to make it 2-1.

Seconds later, Lauren Hemp rattled the crossbar with a curling left-foot shot that seemed destined for the top corner, before bouncing away to safety, much to the relief of the beseiged Bristol defence.

City got the all-important third goal on 62 minutes due to a mistake in the Bristol defence. The cross was cut out by the defence, but the ball fell kindly to Losada in the box who almost broke the net as she thumped home the third, and send City into the semi-final.

Losada almost grabbed her second and City’s fourth in the dying moments, but once again, the bar was there to deny the blues.

It was a dominant display from City, who had more chances to score throughout the evening, but in the end it didn’t matter as City marched into a semi-final date with Spurs, while the other tie sees Chelsea takign on Manchester United.

Manchester derby for the final, anyone?

Final Score: Manchester City Women 3-1 Bristol City Women