Manchester City beat Brighton 1-0 thanks to Bunny Shaw's first-half goal but miss a hatful of other chances; Arsenal struggle to Leicester victory despite Frida Maanum's strike; Everton improve to narrow Man Utd defeat after opening-day Brighton debacle
Sunday 29 September 2024 21:12, UK
Manchester City were able to secure their first win of the 2024/25 season - but on another day they are made to pay for their missed chances.
Gareth Taylor's side unloaded a total of 23 attempts on the Brighton and Hove Albion goal, with eight of these efforts being on target.
That might sound like an onslaught, but the reality of the situation is that City were tame in front of goal.
Lauren Hemp, Aoba Fujino, Vivianne Miedema and the goal scorer Khadija Shaw, who was uncharacteristically wasteful in the penalty area, all had good opportunities to add to the scoreline but failed to call Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley into any meaningful form of action.
If it was not for a moment of instinctive finishing from Shaw, City likely would have been limited to just a point once again.
Having a cutting edge in the final third ultimately decided the WSL title race last season, with Chelsea finishing first thanks to their superior goal difference. City must take their chances if they want to avoid the same heartbreak in the future.
Patrick Rowe
It was hard work for Arsenal at Leicester.
Jonas Eidevall's team struggled to break down the well-organised hosts before Alessia Russo pounced on Catherine Bott's error to produce a moment of quality to tee up Norway international Frida Maanum 10 minutes after the break for the winner.
The Gunners were lucky to come away with all three points against the Foxes. The visitors were indebted to their debutant Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, who produced a good save in the closing stages to deny Foxes captain Janice Cayman as their midweek Champions League exploits showed.
"We had to manage our expectations today," said boss Jonas Eidevall. "If you want to win the league you do that mostly with dominant performances. But sometimes you have to find other ways to win in a season."
Arsenal certainly did that. The Gunners will know they will have to improve if they want to wrestle the WSL title away Chelsea this season, but winning can become a habit and getting over the line at Leicester keeps Arsenal moving forward.
Oliver Yew
Man Utd emerged with an unsurprising three points from Walton Hall Park on Sunday, but that itself did not tell the full story of a resurgent Everton performance against Marc Skinner's side.
Masters of their own downfall after gifting Grace Clinton an opener inside four minutes, the Toffees looked ripe for another pasting after a 4-0 battering at Brighton on the opening weekend.
But instead they regrouped, kept their heads up and should have equalised soon after when Inma Gabarro was denied on the line from a corner kick.
She was forced off soon after which hampered their rhythm, but they kept their shape and concentration to frustrate at Man Utd side who have put nine past them over their last two WSL meetings.
A 1-0 defeat that leaves them second-bottom of the division, without a point, is no-one's dream scenario but it was a measure of response from Everton, whose fate will not be decided by these sorts of games - nor next Sunday's trip to Arsenal.
But if they can keep this resolve up against the likes of West Ham, who visit the North West a week later, things will begin to look rosier soon enough.
Ron Walker
