City suffer first defeat of the season at the Bridge

Manchester City F.C.

·16. November 2024

City suffer first defeat of the season at the Bridge

Manchester City’s 12-match unbeaten run at the start of the 2024/25 campaign came to end following a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Both teams entered the top-of-the-table clash in the Barclays Women’s Super League looking to preserve their streaks without loss and lay down an earlier marker for the championship.

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However, despite heroic defending and sharp counter-attacks throughout from the visitors, second-half goals Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten helped the Londoners to the success in the capital.

It means we are now second in the division, but there are plenty of points to play for with 14 league matches left in the campaign.

WHAT HAPPENED

Stamford Bridge hosted the first heavyweight bout between the two sides in the Barclays Women’s Super League in 2024/25 – and although we were without Lauren Hemp in the capital - the performances from Mary Fowler and Aoba Fujino in our previous encounter, a 2-0 win over Hammarby, gave us plenty to be positive about.

But Ayaka Yamashita was the first goalkeeper called into action in the fifth minute when a whipped Chelsea corner was met by Millie Bright who forced our stopper into a smart, low save.

It didn’t spark a flurry of chances, however, as early openings were at a premium as the division’s top two locked horns - but the patterns of play were starting to develop with both teams looking to press out of possession, and carve open the other in it.

The hosts’ closing down almost paid dividends when Maika Hamano intercepted Alanna Kennedy clearance before the Australian recovered ground well and blocked her cross.

Then Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw immediately almost pinched the ball from Bright – but the England defender was just able to toe it to Hannah Hampton who cleared the danger.

After her early warning sign, Hamano squandered a great chance midway through the first half when Johanna Ryttung Kaneryd drove down the right and squared to the Japan international who wasn’t able to keep her shot down from just inside the area.

That seemed to open play somewhat and our relentless pressing almost found the first goal when Sandy Baltimore under hit a back pass which Shaw was able to collect before driving into the area and drilling just wide from an acute angle.

Having never scored for City since her summer 2022 arrival, Kerstin Casparij would’ve been an unlikely deadlock breaker, but the Dutch defender almost caught Hampton out when shaping to cross but instead firing towards the near post – sending Chelsea’s keeper scrambling across and pushing the ball out for a corner.

From the resulting set-play, Bunny rose well and planted a header just wide of the post as the opening 45 ended goalless and finely poised.

In our last league encounter with Chelsea, Alex Greenwood and Mayra Ramirez played out their own enthralling, physical battle as City collected a memorable 1-0 win at Kingsmeadow.

And the pair renewed that duel early in the second half when the Londoners’ striker shrugged off two challenges to arrive into the box before our captain produced a jaw-dropping and perfectly timed slide tackle to thwart her run.

Chelsea were arguably the brighter side after the interval, but Taylor’s team hit them with an electric the counter attack when Jill Roord threaded a perfectly weighted pass into Aoba Fujino’s path before the winger’s goalbound strike was heroically blocked.

Both teams had scored a combined 39 goals so far this term, but it was looking increasingly likely one goal may decide the crucial encounter at the Bridge with the teams seemingly cancelling the other out.

And the Londoners found the precious opener with just less than 15 minutes remaining when Ramirez won an aerial duel just inside our half before driving to the edge of the box and curling an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner.

Buoyed by their first, Chelsea doubled their advantage soon after when the ball ricocheted inside our box from a corner before it was swept out to Guro Reiten who curled home from the right corner of the area.

Taylor turned to his bench and introduced Chloe Kelly and Laura Coombs from the side with 10 to play who gave us fresh attacking impetus, but the hosts held on for three points in the capital.

HOW WE LINED UP

Ayaka Yamashita started between the sticks and was protected by a back four of Kerstin Casparij, Alex Greenwood, Alanna Kennedy and Leila Ouahabi.

Yui Hasegawa anchored our midfield three behind Jess Park and Jill Roord.

And Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw led the line between Mary Fowler who played on the left and Aoba Fujino who operated on the left.

City XI: Yamashita, Casparij, Greenwood (C), Kennedy, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Park (Coombs 81'), Roord, Fowler (Kelly 80'), Fujino, Shaw.

Unused substitutes: Keating, Startup, Blindkilde Brown, Prior, Thomas, Murphy, O’Carroll.

Chelsea XI: Hampton, Bronze, Bright (C), Bjorn, Baltimore, Nusken, Cuthbert, Rytting Kaneryd, Hamano, Reiten (Lawrence 83'), Ramirez (Beever-Jones 90').

Unused substitutes: Musovic, Macario, Perisset, Kaptein, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Bernabe.