Khadija Shaw double sends City top of WSL
MANCHESTER, England (CMC) – Reggae Girl Khadija “Bunny” Shaw netted a first-half double while Dutch midfielder Jill Roord added one of her own, as unbeaten Manchester City crushed Bristol City 5-0 in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Shaw, City’s leading scorer last season, was on target in the 38th minute and then again deep in added-time, the hosts storming to a 5-0 lead at the break at Academy Stadium.
Roord, also 26, scored in the ninth minute and then early in stoppage time, her effort combining with Shaw’s to fire the hosts to the top of their table on seven points, alongside Leicester City and Chelsea.
“It’s a good win. [We] started on the front foot, dominated large parts and when we lost it we were tigerish in getting it back,” said manager Gareth Taylor.
“We set high standards in the first half and probably could’ve done with our play being rewarded with a couple more goals.
“We lacked that little bit of composure but I have to say I’m very pleased. It’s difficult against a back five and [our] players adapted well to it and sensed when we needed to be.
“Jill and Bunny were in the right positions to score goals as well. It was impressive.”
Roord headed City in front after Shaw’s initial effort had struck the woodwork and the Jamaican was also left ruing her luck moments later when she had a goal chalked off for off-side.
Spanish international Laia Aleixandri doubled City’s lead with another header in the 33rd minute before the floodgates opened.
Shaw, who scored her first goal of the new season in the FA Women’s League Cup earlier in the week, opened her WSL account when she headed in Mary Fowler’s cross.
Roord grabbed her second in the second minute of injury time courtesy of another Fowler cross before Shaw completed the first half rout with yet another header from yet another cross, this time from Chloe Kelly.
Sunday’s contest represented the first WSL start for Shaw who missed the opening game of the season against West Ham and was then given a ten-minute cameo in the second outing against Chelsea last weekend.
