Manchester City 1-0 Brighton - Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw goal sees Gareth Taylor's side to Women's Super League win

A goal from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw at the end of the first half helped Gareth Taylor’s side claim all three points after last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates on matchday one. Beyond that, the Citizens struggled to make the most of other opportunities on the back putting three past Paris FC in the midweek Champions League qualifier.

The first attempt of the game at the Joie Stadium came through Lauren Hemp in the 12th minute, with the forward firing straight at Sophie Baggaley from the edge of the box. A couple of early chances also fell the way of Shaw, but both a shot and a headed effort were off target from the forward.

Despite seeing the majority of the ball throughout the opening exchanges, City were unable to produce anything to truly trouble the Brighton keeper. Like Hemp before her, Vivianne Miedema was able to test Baggaley, but it proved to be nothing more than a routine save for the 27-year-old.

After mainly defending for the first half an hour, the visitors were able to threaten Taylor’s side for the first time, with Ayaka Yamashita comfortably dealing with Fran Kirby’s shot from distance. Another chance quickly followed for the Seagulls, with an important block required to deny Pauline Bremer in the box.

It was a similar story for City down the other end, as Guro Bergsvand heroically got her body in front of a Shaw shot, after the Jamaican international had taken the ball around a number of bodies, including the keeper, to leave herself with the clear opportunity.

The striker didn’t spend too long ruing the missed chance, with her goal quickly following, tapping home a pass from Kerstin Casparij to give the home side the lead before the break, just moments after Yamashita had denied Kirkby again.

Following the restart, Aoba Jujino tested Baggaely with an attempt from a tight angle, as the Citizens looked to strengthen their lead. A promising chance also came Hemp’s way, but the 24-year-old was unable to hit the target with a free shot in the box.

As City continued to put pressure onto their opponents, Bergsvand was required to make another important block to stop Shaw from adding a second.

Despite being forced to camp in their own box for prolonged periods, Brighton were able to stop the home side from doubling their lead, with luck being on their side a couple of times. After losing the ball in their own box, the Seagulls were fortunate that substitute Mary Fowler fired her attempt well over the bar.

Dario Vidošić also had his goalkeeper to thank for keeping the scoreline close, with Baggaely coming off her line to deny Jess Park as City broke into the box in numbers, before also denying Hemp in the latter stages. While they were able to stop Taylor’s side from adding any more, Brighton were unable to test Yamashita in the Citizens goal to get themselves back into the game.

Manchester City Women: Ayaka Yamashita, Naomi Layzell, Laia Aleixandra, Alex Greenwood, Vivianne Miedema (80’), Lauren Hemp, Jess Park, Kerstin Casparij, Aoba Fujino, Khadija Shaw (76’), Yui Hasegawa. Substitutes: Khiara Keating, Laura Coombs, Mary Fowler (76’), Chloe Kelly, Jill Roord (80’), Alanna Kennedy, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Codie Thomas, Lily Murphy.