Manchester City maintained their stride alongside Women’s Super League frontrunners Chelsea by securing a straightforward win against Brighton and Hove Albion at Broadfield Stadium.
Lauren Hemp and Mary Fowler found the net in the first half, propelling City towards their 10th consecutive WSL triumph, with Khadija Shaw adding her 17th goal of the season after the interval, followed by Laura Coombs extending the lead to 4-0.
City currently occupies the second spot in the WSL standings, trailing Chelsea only on goal difference.
Former City player Lee Geum-min provided a late consolation goal for Brighton, who maintain an eight-point cushion above the relegation zone.
City asserted their dominance in possession from the start, while Brighton adopted a deep defensive stance. However, it took patience before City broke the deadlock in the 27th minute. Jess Park capitalized on space in midfield to deliver a through ball for Hemp, who calmly finished from the corner of the six-yard area. Brighton keeper Sophie Baggaley should have done better to prevent Hemp’s shot, which squeezed under her body and into the net.
The three points were nearly secured five minutes before halftime when a fluid team move culminated in Hemp’s precise cross from the left, allowing Fowler to slide in and score in acres of space.
Hemp came close to doubling her tally and City’s lead early in the second half, hitting the post from the edge of the area, before Shaw made it 3-0 by heading in Yui Hasegawa’s deep cross at the far post.
The fourth goal arrived when Coombs calmly finished Fowler’s pass from the edge of the area, although City fell short of the six-goal margin needed to surpass Chelsea on goal difference.
In stoppage time, Brighton scored the game’s final goal, with Lee converting a low cross from close range.
City respond after tricky week
This match was imperative for Gareth Taylor’s City following a challenging week. Since their last league encounter, City suffered elimination from the League Cup at the hands of Chelsea and were knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Tottenham. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s victory over Arsenal extended their lead in the WSL to three points.
City were under pressure to respond with a victory, although memories of their previous league encounter against Brighton in November, which ended in a shock defeat with a late winner from Lee, served as a reminder of the potential for an upset.
However, City efficiently dispelled any such concerns, displaying a significant improvement from their previous encounter where they had 35 shots without finding the net.
The defeat in November marked the second consecutive league loss for City, but this victory marked their 10th consecutive win since that defeat. Only once before has a team won 10 or more consecutive games in a single WSL campaign, a feat previously achieved by City themselves in the 2020-21 season.
This impressive streak must continue for City to challenge Chelsea for the league title and to ensure Gareth Taylor avoids a second consecutive season without silverware.
Tough day for Terland
Brighton will have hoped that this could have been a battle of the WSL top scorers, with Seagulls striker Elisabeth Terland third in the charts on 11 goals this season – now five behind City’s Shaw.
However their need to sit deep under City pressure left Terland largely without service and unable to add to her tally.
It means Brighton have now won only one of their last 11 home games in the WSL, losing eight.
Crucially though, that victory came against Bristol City in January and with the Robins rooted to the foot of the WSL, Brighton are looking increasingly assured of safety this season.