London City Lionesses thrashed Birmingham City at home, coming away with a 4-1 win on game week nine of the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Birmingham City demonstrated pockets of progression and strength, challenging London City at times, though ultimately struggled to sustain possession and outpace the London side’s creativity. Birmingham’s top scorer Océane Hurtré successfully netted the Blue’s only shot on target, an undeniable attempt, though it wasn’t enough to create a momentum threatening enough to disarm Maestre’s side.
Following the match, London City Lionesses now sit comfortably in third place of the WSL table, three points above Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Birmingham City’s loss takes them down to 13th with only six points to their name. Fellow WSL newcomers Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic battled it out on the same day, though Crystal Palace’s subsequent win has levelled them with West Ham, taking them up the table whilst Birmingham moved back down it.
Birmingham City fought hard for promotion, so eyes are on head coach Amy Merricks to pick up points before the winter break. London City on the other hand will take this win with pride, particularly following the disappointing Manchester City loss, and ahead of facing Arsenal at the Emirates next weekend.
London City’s Scoring Masterclass
A dynamic scoreline proves London City are growing in their chemistry on the pitch, with many players that can contribute in attack, creating a major threat that can’t be attributed to just a handful of names.
Pattinson 10’: It only took London City Lionesses 10 minutes to find their way onto the score sheet, with a first WSL and London City goal for defender Poppy Pattinson. It came from the left, just moments after an attempted shot from Alexia Putellas, assisted by Danielle Van De Donk; a period of threatening advance that demonstrated London City’s composed passing quality at its best.
Cascarino 16’: Assisted by midfielder Grace Geyoro, Delphine Cascarino positioned herself on the right-side of the box to net another clinical shot that continued the momentum of Pattinson’s.
Geyoro 74’: Though London City’s possession remained strong, between Cascarino and Geyoro’s goals was a period where too much passing in and around the box seemed to harm the London side’s chances of successful shots. It even permitted a few strong carries from Birmingham City back to their attacking end, though these were quickly dismantled by London City’s strong defence. Geyoro’s goal came after several shots on target, re-establishing a strong momentum for the London side. Geyoro’s game was particularly noteworthy today, delivering multiple ruthless attacks and connections that earned a well-deserved reward.
Diani 90’+2: By this point, London City had established a dominance that only allowed a few pockets of competition from Birmingham. Another goal seemed inevitable, and it was half-time substitute Kadidiatou Diani who continued Van de Donk’s offensive contributions after another lengthy period in the attacking third.
Defensive Spotlight
London City’s defensive creativity was on full display against the Blues, with a starting backline of Jana Fernandez, Maria Pérez, Mapi León and Pattinson. Fernandez often moved into more central positions, while León proved vital in ending a number of Birmingham’s attempted carries with ease. With the Spaniard’s having a long history playing alongside one another at Barcelona and in the Spanish national team, it’s no surprise this backline is a success for the London side.
However, it was left-back Pattinson who proved herself irreplaceable in this match, having only recently come back from injury and delivering arguably her best performance of the season. London City’s strength was best on the left, largely due to Pattinson’s contributions.
Birmingham’s backline was tested continuously throughout play, and though the scoreline was sore for the Midlanders’ side, their defence remained persistent and didn’t lack moments of unyielding quality - with a fair number of successful duels. Neve Herron in particular has continued to evidence her developing quality this season, the first name on Merrick’s list of ‘homegrown’ Birmingham threats. Alongside Millie Turner and Shannon Cooke, notable contributions came from both Lisa Naalsund and Rebecca McKenna in the midfield.
Birmingham’s Fight To Remain In The WSL
Birmingham won the WSL2 last year, returning them to former WSL glory. It’s a tough run, however, with Crystal Palace and Charlton also occupying bottom of the table - with Liverpool and West Ham only breaking a gap between the three promoted sides this week.
In post-match press, Merricks emphasised that her eyes are on her team’s development only; not necessarily on table positions:
“I’ve lived this. I’ve been in the WSL for 5 years and it took 4 years to really get to a top league table position; because the league is tough. We just need to focus on what we need to do to keep bridging the gap.”
Merricks spoke highly of her team in reflecting on the loss, highlighting their persistence and commitment to remaining in the game regardless of goals conceded:
“I think we’re doing some great work at the moment. I see physically, the majority of the game we’re able to compete. I think cognitively, when you’re playing against a team that moves the ball so quickly, it can suck your energy. But other than that, I see us growing.”
For match week 10, Birmingham return home to face an in-form Aston Villa, they will need to turn energy into sustained pressure against their closest rivals in the second city derby. For London City, their race for Champions League football heats up next Sunday, taking on an Arsenal side in the pits but poised for a return, looking to work their way back up the table. With a string of dominant performances, LCL knows they need to be at their clinical best to continue their momentum in North London