major events
tom gary
Manchester City will need a maximum of five points from their remaining three league matches – all against the bottom four teams – to clinch their first league trophy in 10 years. This isn’t so much a victory tour as it is a ride into the sunset, and they know it.
76 minutes: Gabrielle George and Jessica Anderson came in for Nalsund and Turner.
73 minutes: Le Tissier floats a cross into the box. Mallard attacks the ball but struggles to generate any power on his header. It’s a simple save for Yamashita.
70 minutes: 16-year-old Laila Drury has come in for Manchester United in place of Rivière. Meanwhile, Caroline comes on for goalscorer Miedema.
67 minutes: Manchester United enjoying a bit more possession in this half. Unlike Manchester City, the home team struggles to play the ball with flow. Jess Park throws up her hands in frustration.
62 minutes: At the other end, Manchester United have a chance. Mallard cuts from the right and lets fly with her left foot. There is not enough curl on the effort and it goes wide.
61 minutes: That would have been a wonderful goal. Fujino easily weaves in and out of defenders and plays the ball into Hemp in the box. The England winger holds the ball up and back-heels Yui Hasegawa. The midfielder latches onto it and fires the ball wide. Manchester City is toying with the home team.
57 minutes: Manchester United are desperate to get back into it. Owujo takes a shot but it is wild and goes over the bar.
55 minutes: Millie Turner has collapsed in a heap. This is a big problem for Mark Skinner’s weak side.
52 minutes: Manchester United can still get a goal in this game. Yamashita has already given up some loose balls in this half.
Target Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City (Caspridge, 49)
What a goal! Manchester City played the ball from the back and reached the third position so quickly. Hemp bursts down the left and lofted the ball past Caspariz at the back post. Casparij has the simplest finish and is tapped into the back of the net.
45 minutes: Manchester has made a better start to this half than the first half. Jess Park won the ball and played it to Lee Shuler. She tries to find Melvin Mallard in the box but the cross is hit.
launch
Manchester City kicked from left to right to get us going again.
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Canuck’s header was ruled out as Fujino was in front of Tullis-Joyce when the corner was awarded. It was a very light foul as Fujino went past the Manchester United goalkeeper before the goal was scored.
Half Time: Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City
Manchester City dominated the first half from beginning to end. I can’t believe it’s only 2-0, especially after the visitor’s controversial disallowed goal. I hope Ayaka Yamashita is still awake in the Manchester City goal.
45 minutes: You will get one minute extra time.
43 minutes: He should have been the third one! Hemp crossed the ball across the six yard box but Shaw was unable to quite connect with it.
42 minutes: Le Tissier is doing well to tackle Shaw. Fujino played Shaw but the Manchester United captain made a vital tackle.
37 minutes: Jess Park was cleared down the middle and Miedema won the ball back. Miedema played the ball to Shaw but Maya Le Tissier did well to jockey the Manchester City striker and clear it away from goal.
33 minutes: Whenever Manchester City gets the ball they put Manchester United under pressure. It’s no surprise that the home team is making mistakes in possession.
28 minutes: Watching the replay, I still don’t know why the goal was disallowed.
25 minutes: Manchester City put the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out. Manchester City won another corner and Rebecca Knaack passed the ball to Tullis-Joyce. Manchester City players are celebrating but the referee has blown the whistle. Obviously, there was a shock in the compartment. I didn’t see anything wrong in real time.
23 minutes: Caspariz played another great ball into the box. Shaw takes it down expertly and forces Tullis-Joyce to save.
Target Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City (Miedema, 19)
It’s Miedema again! Manchester City are running into Manchester United’s midfield at will. They move players forward and Kasparij clips the ball into the box. Miedema finds herself free and sends another header into the back of the net.
Target Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City (Miedema, 17)
Pressure pays off! Alex Greenwoods headed the ball into the box from a corner and Miedema rose to power a header into the far corner.
Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images/Reuters
15 min: Manchester City is maintaining pressure. Lauren Hemp crashed the crossbar with a strike from the edge of the box.
14 minutes: Manchester City have dominated the early proceedings at Old Trafford. They play some beautiful things on the right side with beautiful flicks and tricks.
10 minutes: Manchester United finally have a chance. Simi Awujo received the ball on the half turn and fired his shot wide of the post.
7 minutes: Shaw breaks down the right and crosses the ball into the box. Jayde Riviere skillfully cleared the ball away.
tom gary
Here the supporters who stayed away in the initial phase are making a lot of noise. Suddenly a blue sky has emerged above our heads and the league leaders are expecting another sky-high day of celebration as they march towards their first title since 2016. ‘The best team in the city, town, land and the world’ is their mantra.
3 minutes: At this moment it is the whole city of Manchester. Manchester United passed the ball carelessly and Miedema took advantage of the mistake. She throws the ball to Aoba Fujino who heads into the box but the Asian Cup winner pulls her shot wide.
1 minute: Manchester City have started on the front foot. Kerstin Kasparij crossed the ball from the right and the Manchester United defenders failed to clear their line. Vivian Miedema connects with the loose ball and fires a fierce effort into the hands of Fallon Tullis-Joyce.
launch
Manchester United kicked from left to right and put us ahead.
Manchester United will have to stop Khadija Shaw’s form. The Jamaica international is the league’s top scorer with 18 goals in 18 games, after scoring the WSL’s fastest-ever hat-trick in Manchester City’s 5-2 win over Spurs.
Manchester United manager Mark Skinner believes his team can still win the title.
The aim is that if we can beat City, you will also close the gap (at the top). No one is out of it.
Manchester derbies are always big games and today is no different.
Manchester City is the runaway leader in the WSL with an eight-point gap between itself and its neighbours. A win today would almost certainly wrap things up as Andrey Zeglertz’s side need eight points to clinch the title.
Manchester United are looking for revenge after losing 3-0 in the reverse fixture. Mark Skinner’s side are technically still in the title race, but today’s win is perhaps more important for their Champions League qualification, with only three points separating second place and fourth.
team news
Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce, Le Tissier, Lundqvist, Park, Mallard, Avujo, Rivière, Nalsund, Hinata, Turner, Schuler.
later stages: : Middleton-Patel, Rendell, George, Anderson, Rolfo, Drury
Manchester City: Yamashita, Rose, Knack, Greenwood, Caspariz, Coffey, Hasegawa, Hemp, Fujino, Miedema, Shaw
later stages: : Keating, Combs, Fowler, Caroline, Ouahabi, Blindkilde Brown, Lohman, Benny, Pryor
Hello and welcome to our minute-by-minute coverage of the Manchester derby at 1:30pm (GMT). I will continue to provide you with updates over the next few hours. “>Send me an email with your thoughts.
Preface
Zaimaka will be with you soon. Meanwhile, here’s what Manchester City head coach Andre Zegelertz had to say ahead of his league-leading team’s short trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the derby.
These games take on a life of their own. Because a derby in this city will always get 100% energetic players from both teams at the start. It doesn’t matter what pace you start with because your opponent will be prepared. These games are not determined by 15, 20 minutes. Of course, the longer the game goes on, it can be a challenge but it depends on how the game plays out and what happens. Of course in the beginning both teams will be 100% focused and energetic, they really want to get three points in this game.
Manchester City won the November derby 3–0 with goals from Rebecca Canuck, Khadijah Shaw and Lauren Hemp. United are looking to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat in the Champions League first leg against Bayern Munich in midweek. Their head coach, Mark Skinner, had this to say:
City are top of the league for a reason but we will accept that challenge. Once you accept that challenge, you can reach a new level.
And here’s Tom Garry’s preview of a WSL weekend full of derby clashes.
