Manchester City Clinch Three Points Against a Pushing Charlton Athletic
Heading into Matchday four of the Barclays Women’s Super League, title-holders Manchester City and league newcomers Charlton Athletic sit at opposite ends of the results table.
City netted three against Birmingham City on their season debut, followed by 4 against both Liverpool and Aston Villa, shooting them to the top in both points and goal difference. Charlton Athletic, on the other hand, struggle in the relegation zone with no points, having conceded heavily to both Everton and London City Lionesses in recent weeks.
Starting XIs
Charlton Athletic: Sophie Whitehouse (GK) ©, Grace Johnston, Elisha N’Dow, Leah Davidson, Lorena Azzaro, Jodie Hutton, Keira Flannery, Cassandra Korhonen, Hawa Cissoko, Emily van Egmond, Lucia Lobato.
Charlton’s head coach Karen Hills suggested ahead of the City clash that spirits were higher in training, with efforts ramped up across the board to prepare the squad both physically and mentally for the challenges a top WSL side brings. Their WSL2 repertoire was one of strength and challenge, particularly in defence, so it feels they may be waiting for a chance to catch up to a league that welcomed them on the basis of an expansion - the third WSL2 side to be promoted to 26/27.
Manchester City: Eartha Cummings (GK), Jade Rose, Alex Greenwood ©, Grace Clinton, Beth Mead, Mary Fowler, Sam Coffey, Kerstin Casparij, Laura Blinkilde-Brown, Aoba Fujino, Gracie Prior.
Meanwhile, City saw a slight rotation of starting players at The Valley, benching the likes of Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp after a tight 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in their midweek Champions League campaign. They also see a switch of goalkeepers, welcoming Scottish international Eartha Cummings in place of Ayaka Yamashita.
A Valiant Effort from the Addicks
In the first 15 minutes, Charlton already made some strong presses through City’s defence, and even saw Cassandra Korhonen take a shot on goal. It seemed all the major moments so far had been driven by Charlton - a significant shift from previous league games where Charlton struggled to wrangle any chances at all.
City soon regained control of the game however, with Sophie Whitehouse making a save from a Mary Fowler shot. Following a fleeting return to the defensive end, ahead of Whitehouse saw a clash between Grace Clinton and Lucy Fitzgerald - winning City a free kick.
Alex Greenwood stepped up to take the clinical shot which landed strong, earning them their three-point-winning goal.
The second half brought a return of challenge from Charlton, with Cummings making a few crucial saves. The key seemed to be Charlton taking every chance they could to push higher, even if the ball didn’t have anywhere to cross to or the positioning was less-than ideal.
City’s Bunny Shaw came on for Aoba Fujino in the 60th minute, followed by Greenwood for Charles; her first minutes in a City kit following recovery from a minor injury.
Charlton’s forward Lorena Azzaro came off for midfielder Gillian Kenney - arguably a confusing choice given Charlton’s push to increase their attempts on goal, though perhaps indicative of a natural gap in squad depth between a top club like Manchester City, and Charlton Athletic, who will still be adjusting to the increased physical demands of the WSL.
Charlton’s formation by the final quarter had become less defensively compact, allowing them this stint of bravery, though to no surprise, City easily won it back each time.
Still, efforts weren’t enough to add to Greenwood’s goal, for City left The Valley with three points but just one goal added to their tally.
Reflections
It was a major improvement for Charlton, and though a draw seemed feasible at points, Karen Hills will no doubt be pleased with the performance of the squad and in particular, their ability to regroup even after strong challenges from City’s attackers - especially in the second half, with lots of pressure from Lucia Lobato on Bunny Shaw.
In fact, both teams brought a rough edge to their play, which resulted in a few fouls and a potentially dangerous game for Charlton, who have already seen some red cards this season. It feels there's a tight contest for these teams at the bottom of the table to bring bravery and flair to the pitch, but to avoid being overzealous and potentially falling apart at the hands of more clinical squads who have stronger formations that will capitalise on periods of uncertainty from opponents.
Looking ahead, Charlton face WSL2 side Bristol City in the Player’s Cup on Wednesday, followed by Brighton next weekend in the WSL.
City on the other hand will be facing Real Madrid in the Champions League, followed by Arsenal at home - no easy feat, and they will no doubt be reflecting on this Charlton result with hopes of returning to their former goalscoring glory.